After the riot of bloom that is June and July, gardens can look somewhat drab by late summer. But with the right plants, you can have a fall garden that’s filled with color right up to frost. Here are some of the best fall performers to plant now, including a few that may surprise you.
Don’t Forget Foliage
Of course we love flowers, but they can be fleeting. In containers, beds, or borders, colorful foliage makes the best foundation for lasting color. Annuals like coleus, which comes in countless stripes, polka dots, and trims—and sweet potato vine can fill out containers and bare spots left by spring bloomers in borders.
For perennials, seek out boldly colored or variegated heucheras, hostas, and sedges, as well as ornamental grasses, shrubs like smoke tree (Cotinus) and barberry (Berberis), and trees like crape myrtles and maples.
Colorful edimentals, plants both edible and beautiful, add zing to your edible or ornamental plantings. Look to Rainbow Swiss chard, multicolor lettuces, purple-leaf basil, dusky blue kales or cabbages, and variegated perennial thymes and sages.
Unstoppable Flowers
For annual flower power that seems nonstop, dahlias, cosmos, marigolds, and zinnias pump out flowers until frost with regular deadheading. In Zones 8 and above, tubers can overwinter in the ground; elsewhere, dig and store them indoors.
Perennial performers with long-lasting blooms primed for summer include coneflowers (Echinacea), black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia), gaura (Oenothera lindheimeri), and Verbena bonariensis. Deadheading will likewise help prolong the show.
Special Guest Stars
Instead of fighting midsummer heat, lean into the vibes. Take advantage of tropical plants available in nurseries now to add flair and drama. You may find fragrant angel’s trumpet (Brugmansia), citrus, hibiscus, or Tibouchina, as well as ornamental peppers with rainbow-hued fruits, Chinese lantern flower (Physalis alkekengi), and burgundy-leafed purple pennisetum (P. setaceum ‘Rubrum’). Some tender salvias hit their stride now, like pineapple sage, whose red flowers emerge in late summer, and Salvia patens with ethereal sky-blue blossoms.
Plants that Peak in Fall
To prep for the upcoming fall season, have some of these late-bloomers waiting in the wings. Among flowers, perennial asters of all heights and habits explode with bloom in September while fueling pollinators during a leaner time. Chrysanthemums are available in more forms than ever, from compact annuals to bold perennials like ‘Sheffield Pink,’ and the fantastical “football” or “spider” mums.
Many hardy ornamental grasses shine in autumn. Their towering airy plumes add grace and movement wherever they are planted. Some to look for: Panicum, Molinia, little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), and Pennisetum. Miscanthus blooms are very showy, but check that they are not invasive in your area.
Ornamental St. John’s wort varieties (Hypericum hybrids) are a florist favorite this time of year because they follow up their bright yellow single flowers with beautiful berries in a range of colors from white to coral and red.
Back for an Encore
Why not take advantage of the coming cooler weather with plants that prefer a nip in the air?
Calendulas are easily grown from seed. Planted in succession, they can bloom all summer in moderate temperatures. Flower colors include white, soft bicolor sherbet tones, and neon orange and yellow. They may self-sow and reappear nearby.
Annual pansies and violas are blooming machines. Fast growers, the ones billed as “fall” or “winter” are sown in summer in a greenhouse. But they will bloom for months, sometimes through winter snow. They may need replacing next spring but can self-sow where conditions are right. Deadheading will keep the flowers coming.
If you cut back perennials like Salvia nemorosa, catmint (Nepeta sp.), and wallflower (Erysimum hybrids) right after their initial flush of bloom, they may return for an encore.
Shape Shifters in Flowers and Foliage
Plants that change color in blossom or leaf bring seasonal dimension and ground your garden in the moment.
Hydrangeas are a classic example. Their blossoms persist on the plant long after peak color, often morphing to new and lovely hues. Bigleaf hydrangea (H. macrophylla) can take on hues of plum, pink, and beige that look like a hand-tinted photograph. Others, like many panicle hydrangeas (H. paniculata), turn up the color, shifting from lime or white to hot pink or wine red.
The flowerheads of tall sedums like ‘Autumn Joy’ do a mesmerizing dance, deepening from pink to russet.
For others, it’s the foliage that shifts. The foliage of perennial geraniums (Geranium spp.), certain heathers, and creeping sedums take on fiery tones as the mercury dips, lighting up fall gardens with new color. Native oakleaf hydrangea (H. quercifolia) offers rich burgundy to bronze fall foliage.
Lastly, many seedheads are lovely to behold, earning a spot in the late-summer garden, from clematis, whose seedheads look like gossamer spiders, and the sculptural husks of milkweed (Asclepias) to persistent grasses, tall sedums, and spiky echinacea cones that also feed the birds.
