Plants that will reliably flower in Fall are not only popular for weddings, they are a great addition to any garden. A good display of flowers during late in the season prolongs the beauty of and perennial border.
With a little planing you can have flowers in the garden from spring right through to fall.
Spring seems to be the easier time, flushes of new growth after winter seem to get gardeners enthusiastic.
However with the right plantings, flowers in fall can be equally if not more rewarding, and in warmer climates these late bloomers can continue into early winter.
A list of plants that will reward you in fall will depend on your zone, we are generally talking about perennials here and yes this does include a number of bulbs.
Like any other flowering plants you do need to plan ahead a little, most of these plants need to be planted in early spring to have time to grow, ready to put on that late show of colour that you are looking for.
Not all plants will suit your zone, so choose carefully. You will also need to make sure they are planted in the right position, as the sun becomes weaker, some of these plants will need maximum exposure to light.
We list our 15 ‘Top Fall flowers’.
- Anemone x hybrida – The Japanese Anemone (Zones 4-8) -Often call the ‘Japanese windflower’, this one is tough and will grow in part shade. Does tend to spread through rhizomes, but easy to control.
- Aster novi-belgii (Zones 4 -9) Also known as the ‘michaelmas daisy’, attractive to butterflies and long flowering.
- Carex – This is an ornamental grass that looks great in fall
- Caryopteris (zones 5 – 8) – A great border plant with its low growing habit. Caryopteris does well in a any position and copes well with dry soils. Sometimes called Blue spirea or Blue-mist.
- Chelone (zones 2-9) – Another great plant for butterflies, Chelone or ‘Turtlehead’ with their hood like flowers come in a range of colors and forms.
- Chrysanthemum (zones 3-9) – The cool temperatures bring on the blooms of these fall flowering beauties. A huge range to choose from and different species and cultivars will have different bloom times.
- Eupatorium (zones 2-9) – ‘Joe Pye Weed’ a native, clump forming late flowering perennial
- Helenium (zones 3-9) – The new cultivars of this old favourite hold their flowers better and are a stronger plant.
- Helianthus (zones 3-9) – These include the Sunflowers (Helianthus annus), but also look for Helianthus salicifolius or ‘Willowleaf Sunflower’, Helianthus angustifolius and Helianthus grosseserratus for something a little different
- Heliopsis (zones 3-9) – Will actually bloom from summer to fall.
- Rudbeckia (zones 3- 9) – Flowering from summer through to fall Black-eyed Susan or Rudbeckia hirta is another old favorite.
- Sedum (zones 3-9) – The Stonecrops with sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ being well known
- Solidago (zones3-9) – ‘Goldenrod’ is attractive to butterflies and another great fall flowering plant
- Veronicastrum – Veronicastrum sibiricum and Veronicastrum virginicum are two of the best
- Viola Cornuta – Will bloom in spring as well as coming again in fall
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This is also a great time of the year to look for those spring flowering bulbs, tulips, daffodils, crocus, fritillaria and hyacinths, yes you can plant them all now. Fall Foliage Plants are also worth a look.
