The Best Flowers and Perennials to Plant in Your Garden This Fall
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As summer winds down, the flowers in your garden may be looking a little tired and faded. But you don’t have to stop enjoying your landscape when autumn arrives. It’s time for a whole new season of color and beauty!
Whether you want to expand your garden beds or refresh container plantings for autumn, many types of fall flowers don’t start to show off until the leaves begin to turn. Adding fall flowers to your garden makes sitting on your deck or patio much more appealing in the cool of an autumn evening, too. Fall-blooming flowers also are an important source of food for pollinators late in the season.
Fall actually is an ideal time to plant perennials and shrubs, when temperatures are cooler and rain fall is plentiful. Just make sure they’re suited to withstand winters in your USDA Hardiness zone (find your zone here). Also, plant at least six weeks before the ground freezes so your new plants can establish healthy root systems before winter. That’s typically about mid-November for much of the country.
Ahead, our favorite fall flowers to plant for amazing autumn color.
Caryopteris
This handsome shrub starts blooming in late summer and early fall. Its handsome blue flowers are pollinator favorites.
Chrysanthemum
Mums are always a favorite fall flower because they come in every color imaginable from creamy white to hot pink. Plant them as early as possible in late summer or fall so they can establish roots to survive winter and return next year.
Canna Lily
You may think of canna as a summer flower for its tropical appearance with its big, bold banana-like leaves. But its exotic-looking flowers keep blooming until a frost, so you can enjoy their color well into fall. In zones 6 or colder, you’ll need to dig up the rhizomes after a frost to save them for replanting next spring.
Aster
These pretty, fringy flowers come in shades of pink and purple and bloom in profusion about the same time as mums. Pollinators love them!
Heuchera
This handsome plant is grown more for its striking foliage, which comes in colors ranging from lime green to dark burgundy. It has a handsome mounding form that especially appealing when planted in groups. It also does well in containers.
Montauk Daisy
This sturdy perennial has leathery green leaves and classic bright white daisies that bloom very late in the season. In warmer climates, it can thrive well into November.
Sedum
There are many types of sedum but the upright forms are great choices for providing lasting fall color. Sedum are easy to grow, tolerate poor soils, and bloom for weeks and weeks. They also provide much-needed late-season nectar for pollinators.
Blanket Flower
The bright colors of blanket flower make them a welcome addition to the autumn garden. Bees and butterflies love it!
Russian Sage
The handsome silvery foliage and purple spikes of flowers make this perennial a lovely addition to the garden. It blooms for weeks from midsummer to fall.
Shrub Rose
Roses aren’t as fussy as you think. Shrub roses are one of the easiest types to grow, and they will bloom well until a frost, so they’re a great addition for color from spring to fall.
Japanese Anemone
The delicate flowers of Japanese anemone bob in the wind on long stems. They bloom for weeks from late summer to fall.
Coneflower
This prairie native has cone-shaped flowers that keep going strong throughout the fall. It’s available in an array of colors from hot pink to deep coral to creamy white.
Hydrangea
Hydrangeas bloom from mid-summer all the way through fall. They come in an array of sizes, so read the description on the plant tag or label so you know what you’re buying.
Black-Eyed Susan
It’s impossible not to love the smiley faces of black-eyed Susan. This North American native blooms from late summer to fall.
Rose of Sharon
When the rest of the garden has faded, rose of Sharon still goes strong. New types grow in a columnar form, so they work even in compact spaces.
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