Fall-Blooming Flowers That Add Color to the Outdoor Garden
Make the flowers of summer last a little longer! Discover plants that bring colorful flowers to your gardens throughout September and October. Here are 50 fall flowers, shrubs, trees, and other plants that welcome the season with a blaze of color.
Foxglove that were cut back after flowering this summer are putting out second spikes of bloom. The rugosa rose is still producing blossoms as well.
But we can add an extra season of interest with fall-blooming flowers, colorful shrubs, and other plants that are at their best in the fall. Here are some 蜜桃恋人 picks for spectacular fall color
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Annual Flowers
Lots of annuals that can take some cooler temps will still be pumping out the blossoms into fall.
These include nasturtiums, zinnias, calendula, marigolds, and rudbeckias. See our flower growing guides for planting and growing tips.
Perennial Flowers
Fall-blooming perennials often showcase the jewel tones of the season with beautiful reds, golds, and russets.
- Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum) is a reliable native perennial that blooms from late summer through the first few frosts. The large, purple, clustered flowers grow on plants that can be over 6 feet tall in the right place. Where is that place? Since this plant likes moist soil, many wild ones grow along stream beds and riverbanks in full sun. Pollinators love Joe-Pye weed, so add a couple to the back of your sunny border.
- Hylotelephium (formerly Sedum) 鈥楢utumn Joy鈥 is truly a joy this time of year, when deep-pink blooms emerge from its fleshy foliage. 鈥楳atrona鈥 is another variety that produces tall stems.
- Yellow heliopsis are in full flower in fall.
- Surprise lily, Lycoris squamigera, is known by several names, each more revealing than the next. Its genus honors the mistress of the ancient Roman Mark Antony, while it is more commonly called resurrection, surprise, and magic lily because its straplike foliage appears in spring and dies back in late summer. And just when you think that it has failed you, its flower stem rises between 18 and 24 inches to burst forth with 4 to 7 trumpetlike, rose-pink blooms that have exceptional fragrance. (Except for the perfume, the flower brings to mind its cousin, amaryllis.) All of this, and Lycoris asks for little in return鈥攐nly well-drained soil, full to partial sun, and the climate conditions of Zones 5 to 9.
Asters are the queen and king of the fall garden, deserving of several entries. They are easily grown from seed, but this time of year, the garden centers offer a wide range of colors and heights to choose from.
- New England asters; despite their name, they grow throughout the US and Canada. They can get quite tall if not chopped back by half in early summer. That quick pruning encourages them to branch, giving us even more flowers on more manageable-sized plants. They have also had a name change, being moved from the crowded aster family to their own separate genus Symphyotrichum. See the 蜜桃恋人鈥檚 Growing Guide for Asters for growing tips.
- 鈥楽eptember Ruby鈥 asters \are deep magenta.
- 鈥楢lma Potschke鈥 asters are hot pink.
- The white wood aster blooms in the dry shade under my maple trees but is so invasive that even though I spend most of the spring and summer trying to rip it out, there is still plenty left to blossom in the fall. It also has a new Latin name: Eurybia divaricata. Divaricata means spreading and straggly. I can attest to those qualities!
- 鈥楽nowbank鈥 false aster, Boltonia asteroides, only sounds chilling; in fact, its billowing profusion of daisylike flowers with their gold centers spreads sunshine. Evocative of aster (hence its nickname: false aster), coreopsis, and cornflower, this North American native begins to flower in August and continues well into September (the first frost will bring its show to an end). A compact plant, it grows just 3 to 4 feet tall and needs no staking. (Maybe that鈥檚 why another name for it is white doll鈥檚 daisy.) It鈥檚 not fussy about soil conditions (in fact, rich soil can cause it to flop) and will bring years of pleasure in Zones 3 to 10.
Other favorite perennials for fall color include:
- Canadian burnet (Sanguisorba canadensis)
- Blue monkshood (Aconitum carmichaelii)
- Hardy chrysanthemum 鈥榁enus鈥, 鈥楽heffield鈥
- Boltonia asteroides&苍产蝉辫;鈥楽苍辞飞产补苍办鈥
- Black cohosh (aka bugbane) (Cimicifuga racemosa)&苍产蝉辫;鈥楬颈濒濒蝉颈诲别&苍产蝉辫;叠濒补肠办&苍产蝉辫;叠别补耻迟测鈥
- Lycoris (Lycoris squamigera)
- Bugbane 鈥楬illside Black Beauty鈥
Vines for Fall Color
Don鈥檛 overlook vines, which are a wonderful way to add interest to your garden鈥攖hey add height, depth, and personality.
Climbers like clematis produce beautiful flowers鈥攕ometimes twice a year, depending on the variety. Meanwhile, vines such as English ivy and Virginia creeper offer stunningly colorful foliage.
- 鈥榁ille de Lyon鈥 clematis: This climber brings forth spectacular, long-lasting, carmine-red flowers, 4 to 5 inches (or more) across, with yellow stamens for contrast, when maintained in moist but well-draining soils in full sun or partial shade (clematises like to have their heads in the sun and their feet in the shade). It thrives in Zones 4 to 9. Prune to about a foot in height after the final blooms, or wait until spring.
- Clematis 鈥楬enryi鈥 produces large white flowers that are 6 to 8 inches across. They tend to bloom in the late spring or early summer, then again in the later summer or early fall.
- Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) is a native vine whose leaves turn a brilliant red in fall. Though not technically invasive, these vines are aggressive growers, so plant with caution!
Fall Shrubs and Trees
Flowerbeds aren鈥檛 the only ones producing blooms this time of year. Trees and shrubs can add splashes of color at eye level and above.
- Bright red winterberries (Ilex verticillata), a type of holly, last until a flock of hungry birds wipes them out. Be aware that the winterberry needs male and female plants that bloom at the same time to produce any berries. I saw a new one at the garden center called 鈥楽weetheart鈥 that has both sexes in one pot. How handy is that! Other winterberries of interest include 鈥榃颈苍迟别谤&苍产蝉辫;搁别诲鈥, 鈥楻别诲&苍产蝉辫;厂辫谤颈迟别鈥, 鈥榃颈苍迟别谤&苍产蝉辫;骋辞濒诲鈥, and 鈥楥丑谤测蝉辞肠补谤辫补鈥.
- The dark red fruit of the Sargent crabapple (Malus sargentii) will eventually contrast nicely with its yellow fall foliage and will persist into late winter. Rather than a traditionally shaped apple tree, it is a multi-stemmed shrub that grows to be about 10 feet tall and 15 feet wide. Mine has gotten huge and will get some of its many trunks removed when we are in pruning mode this winter.
- Nine-bark (Physocarpus opulifolius) is great for fall color. I have one called 鈥楽ummer Wine鈥 that has attractive burgundy leaves all season long, but they turn a brighter red in the fall. There are many other cultivars that have foliage in other colors ranging from lime green through coppery orange to deep purple.
- Smokebush (Cotinus coggygria) 鈥楻oyal Purple鈥 has dark maroon foliage that turns even deeper purple in the fall. I always envied the one I drove past daily and finally bought a young 鈥渟tick鈥 a few years ago. It is slow getting going, but eventually, it will start to produce its hairy flowers that look like smoke from afar. For a native and more winter-hardy alternative, try American smoketree (Cotinus obovatus).
- Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) 鈥楤loodgood鈥 stands out in any season, especially so in the fall. There are plenty of others to choose from if you are thinking of adding one to your landscape. Just pay attention to their hardiness zone. Many won鈥檛 survive winters that regularly go below minus 20 degrees. I love the ones with finely cut leaves (Acer palmatum dissectum) and just planted one outside that I had been growing in a pot for several years, called 鈥業naba Shidare.鈥 Hopefully, it will make the transition successfully!
- Camellias are great evergreen shrubs for warmer climates that produce rose-like flowers once the cooler weather of fall comes around. A few of our favorite fall-blooming varieties include 鈥榃inter鈥檚 Dream鈥, 鈥楢utumn Dream鈥, and 鈥榃inter鈥檚 Charm鈥.
- Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is a large native flowering shrub or small tree with dazzling clear yellow flowers that bloom in late fall or winter (depending on the variety)鈥攁dding color and fragrance during a time when much of Earth is dormant. Learn more about planting Witch Hazel.
Many more shrubs are at their best in the fall with berries, fruit, and colorful leaves:
- Enkianthus (Enkianthus campanulatus)
- Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum)
- Viburnum 鈥楥丑颈肠补驳辞&苍产蝉辫;尝耻蝉迟谤别鈥
- Linden viburnum (V. dilatatum)
- Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica)&苍产蝉辫;鈥楬别苍谤测鈥檚&苍产蝉辫;骋补谤苍别迟鈥
- Fothergilla gardenii&苍产蝉辫;鈥楤濒耻别&苍产蝉辫;惭颈蝉迟鈥
- Beautyberry (Callicarpa)
- Winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata) 鈥榃颈苍迟别谤&苍产蝉辫;搁别诲鈥
- Winterberry holly (I. verticillata) 鈥楻别诲&苍产蝉辫;厂辫谤颈迟别鈥
- Winterberry holly (I. verticillata)
- 鈥榃颈苍迟别谤&苍产蝉辫;骋辞濒诲鈥
- Winterberry holly (I. verticillata) 鈥楥丑谤测蝉辞肠补谤辫补鈥
Ornamental Grasses
Add texture and form to your garden with often-overlooked ornamental grasses, especially in the fall when flowers may not be the focal point. Explore:
- Pennisetum alopecuroides 鈥楬补尘别濒苍鈥
- Miscanthus sinensis 鈥楽颈濒产别谤蹿别诲别谤鈥
- M. sinensis 鈥楶耻谤辫耻谤补蝉肠别苍蝉鈥
- M. sinensis&苍产蝉辫;鈥楳辞谤苍颈苍驳&苍产蝉辫;尝颈驳丑迟鈥
- M. sinensis&苍产蝉辫;鈥榋别产谤颈苍耻蝉鈥
- Bouteloua gracilis&苍产蝉辫;鈥楤濒耻别&苍产蝉辫;骋谤补尘补鈥
- Chasmanthium latifolium&苍产蝉辫;鈥榃颈濒诲&苍产蝉辫;翱补迟蝉鈥
Have we missed any? As you can see, there are so many gorgeous fall flowers, shrubs, trees, vines, and grasses that bring colorful blooms and foliage through the autumn season!
And fall is a good time for planting, as the soil is still warm and moist and many garden centers offer deep discounts on perennials, trees and shrubs. See more about great shrubs for fall planting.
Robin Sweetser
Fall Flowers and Foliage
Fall Vegetable Gardening
Fall Garden Cleanup
Garden Soil Preparation
Fall Nature
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I wish that when you write articles like this you would specify what flowers/grasses/trees are native to the different areas of the U.S. and which are invasive.
I had Virginia creeper at my old house and always thought of it as invasive. I pulled as much as I could out every year but it came up all over the yard the next year. It is hard to pull out because you have to find the end of the long stems that is rooted in the ground. It spread from one end of my yard to the other, often rooting in difficult places to get to and climbing shrubs and trees and leaving a whole mass of it on top of them. I could not appreciate the Fall color because it was such a nuisance the rest of the gardening season. Be wary of it before you buy or plant.
As a horse owner, I just want to say that the Japanese maple, as well as other members of the Acer family are toxic to horses. They should be plated where falling leaves and limbs are out of the horses' reach, as the wilting of the leaves are very toxic. Happy Autumn (soon)! It can't get here fast enough for me!!!
To the reader below, we plant natives but there are some "native thugs," too. For example, weeds in crop fields may, or may not, be aliens. An 'invasive' species would include any which spread onto, or within, habitats where they are not wanted. That said, in an environmental context (vs gardening), it may have different context and meaning. Let's not get too caught up in semantics.
You said white wood aster is invasive, but its native to eastern U.S. Maybe a better word is aggressive. As a native to my area, I do not consider it to be invasive and is a welcome plant for fall pollinators.
I was sad to read that your Cherokee Sunset Rudebeckia doesn't do well in zone 5. I'm in Zone 5. I planted mine last year and it came back beautifully, granted it didn't have all the colors it had the previous year, it's was mostly yellows and golds (I'm certainly not complaining, it's still gorgeous.
Right now, in the western Piedmont of of N.C.,I have azaleas, rhododendrons,Spirea bushes,Clematis and butterfly bushes and a small amount of Salvia blooming. They aren鈥檛 blooming heavily but they are blooming. And...I still have one little hummingbird visiting the feeders.
I live in southeastern PA and have always had ruby throated hummingbirds at my feeders. They only share with a nesting partner and dive bomb any others that show up at the feeder. I was surprised to see feeders in the western part of the country that had 9 or more hummingbirds at the same feeder. There were times when I saw the local ones sitting in the tree that the feeder was hanging from but delighted in hearing them fly past me when I was standing on the back patio. The feeder used to be in the back yard but close enough to see from the kitchen window until we put an addition on the house. They returned the next year to the area where the feeder was and had to find the new one at the edge of the patio that used to be behind the house and was moved to the side of the addition. I had to sell that house after a fire and have not put up a feeder at my new house yet. I'm shopping for a different kind of feeder for the side deck that won't be too heavy to hang from a hook attached to the deck railing and I'll try to get it out earlier this year. I planted a red honeysuckle next to the support for the deck and hope it grows a lot bigger this year and will attract them. I bought it a native plant nursery and theirs was quite large and full of hummingbirds. I can also put some annuals that attract them in pots on the deck.
