I crave color in my garden and with the change of the seasons, love blossoms with autumn hues that will take me well into early winter. The secret to an ongoing array of transitioning flowers is to plan ahead. In spring, I’m planting fall perennials so when the sky clouds over, the richly colored gold and orange heleniums and goldenrod serve as reminders that beauty is ever-present in my life. Cut a bouquet of these fall blooming perennials to bring inside and keep you company when the air turns crisp, and leaves begin to fall.
How to Prep for Fall Perennial Flowers
What’s the best way to landscape your garden for fall color? First, research the perennial flowers and plants that will grow well in your hardiness zone. Start seeds in spring or seedlings in summer. Give them room to spread out and plenty of sunlight, along with a hearty dose of mycorrhizae and subsequent feeding of fish emulsion. Besides increasing garden diversity, these flowers will attract and feed bees, butterflies, birds, and pollinator insects. They require little maintenance except for frequent deadheading to keep the blooms coming. Your flowers will last into the first frost, and reappear next year, and if you live in a warmer climate, will continue throughout the winter.
Here are some ideas for beautiful fall blooming perennials to get your started.
Beautiful Fall Blooming Perennials
1. Stonecrop (Sedum) Perennial
My pick: Stonecrop ‘Autumn Joy‘
This burst of brilliant color will make a statement! How about trying Autumn Joy Stonecrop whose 3–6-inch clusters of tiny starburst flowers will change from pink to a deep rose and then to rusty brown. This drought-tolerant plant is shorter than many and easy to grow. The fall blooming perennials blossoms aren’t the only show here. The gray-green leaves have an attractive succulent quality so include those in your bouquets too!
Latin Name: Hylotelephium spectabile ‘Autumn Joy’
Sun requirements: full sun
Planting time: early spring or early fall
Height: 1-2 feet
Zones: 3-9
2. Goldenrod Perennial
My pick: Goldenrod ‘Fireworks’
Fireworks Goldenrod is an enchanting landscaper, providing a dramatic backdrop for shorter plants. Its sprays of arching brilliant yellow flowers seem to burst forth like their name. The leaves remain evergreen over the winter to keep your garden lively. Long blooming, this plant requires water so will do best in a climate that receives rain and a wide berth to grow. A super pollinator, goldenrod is also a weed suppressor.
Latin Name: Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’
Sun requirements: light sun to partial shade
Planting time: early spring
Height: 2-3 feet
Zones: 4-9
3. Helenium Perennial
My pick: Helenium ‘Mardi Gras‘
Mardi Gras is one of my favorites and perfect for fall! What better way to announce autumn than with flowers that mingle colors of orange, yellow, and copper? Mardi Gras’s bent down petals mimic echinacea and its contrast center cone of rich espresso reaches for the sky. When this fall blooming perennial is planted in mass, maybe near your front door, you’ll have more compliments than you can handle, and everyone will be asking you what your secret is!
Heleniums grow tall so space accordingly. Bloom time is July-October. Make sure your plants are in full sun and the soil is kept moist.
Latin Name: Helenium autumnale ‘Mardis Gras’
Sun requirements: full sun
Planting time: early spring
Height: 2-5 feet and may require staking
Zones: 4-8
4. Anise Hyssop (Agastache) Perennial
My picks: Agastache Hummingbird Mint
Agastache, also known as Hyssop, is simply spectacular! The warm hues of sherbet orange, rosy pink, and coconut white blossoms announce themselves on tall, compact spikes. Prolific, easy to grow and perfect for borders, and even as potted plants, I just cannot get enough of these fall blooming perennials!
Okay so here are the many benefits of this popular perennial. It only needs fertilizing only once a year. Hyssop’s green serrated leaves have a licorice scent and can be used to make herbal teas. Did I mention it’s part of the mint family? Hyssop is a butterfly, hummingbird, and especially bee magnet. Let’s all help the bee population and plant more hyssop!
Hyssop is a great complement to goldenrod and black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia).
Latin Name: Agastache foeniculum
Sun requirements: full sun to partial shade
Planting time: early spring
Height: 2-4 feet
Zones: 4-10
5. Helianthus Perennial
My picks: Helenium ‘Cheerful’ or ‘Happy Days‘
This variety speaks to me on so many levels. Its long-lasting double blooms of vibrant butter yellow with a dainty reddish center will take you into November. These cheerful sunflowers grow tubers, unlike their annual sisters, and are edible. What’s not to love about a great pollinator, rapid spreader, colorful addition to a wildflower garden, and its easy maintenance?
Latin Name: Helianthus laetiflorus
Sun requirements: full sun
Planting time: early spring
Height: 6-7 feet and may require staking
Zones: 4-8
6. Aster Perennial
My pick: Tatarian Aster
Clusters of antique lavender petals surround golden speckled centers that sit on deep green, sturdy, self-supporting stems. Give this flower full sun and good drainage and it will reward you with vigorous growth from September to the first hard frost. The Tartarian Aster has rhizomes that naturalize so be prepared for her to spread her wings and touch the sky. Water moderately to establish, then asters are just sippers and drought tolerant. Plant these leggy girls in stand-alone drifts or back borders. Tolerant to cool weather, pests, and disease, with the added benefit of being deer resistant, make these fall blooming perennials a must have addition to your garden.
Latin Name: Aster tataricus
Sun requirements: full sun
Planting time: early spring or early fall
Height: up to 6 feet and may require staking
Zones: 3-9
7. Russian Sage Perennial
My pick: Russian Sage ‘Denim ‘n Lace’
Russian Sage is so easy to grow and its adaptability to different soil types makes it an awesome landscape plant. It’s deep lilac spikes harbor silver green foliage and blends beautifully with ornamental grasses. Aromatic long bloomers produce from mid-summer into the fall. Drought tolerant Russian sage will detract deer and rabbits but attract pollinators. A win-win for this fall blooming perennial.
Latin Name: Perovskia atriplicifolia
Sun requirements: full sun to partial shade
Planting time: early spring or early fall
Height: 3-5 feet and may require staking
Zones: 4-9
8. Hydrangea Perennial
My pick: Limelight Hydrangea
Giant snowballs of clustered lime green limelight hydrangea blooms brighten the summer and as fall approaches, they signal the change of the seasons with their color transitioning to creamy white, then pink, and finally, as an ode to autumn, a musty burgundy. Give hydrangeas moderate water and fertilize in spring and again in late summer. In cooler climates, add a layer of mulch along the base of the plant in winter to insulate its roots. Prune lightly in late winter or early spring for future blooms. See my blog here about pruning hydrangeas.
Latin Name: Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’
Sun requirements: full sun in cooler climates and partial sun in warmer
Planting time: early spring or early fall
Height: up to 6 feet and may require staking
Zones: 3-9
9. Ornamental Grasses Perennial
My picks: Maiden Grass ‘Yaku Jima’ and Pink Muhly Grass
Grasses can add beautiful diversity to your yard space as far as texture and color, especially if you have the room for them to make a statement. My favorites are Maiden Grasses and Pink Muhlenbergia! They are delicate and feathery and seem to dance in the breeze. They provide tons of interest with their large, vertical plume accents, some varieties reaching up to 6 feet tall. The beautiful aspect of the Maiden Grass is its transformative color indicating the season’s movement forward, the petals turning from green to rosy pink, maroon, and finally a golden tan. By the end of fall, it will appear you are growing wheat! For a touch of grace, add grasses to your flower arrangements either fresh or dried.
Latin Names: Miscanthus sinensis ‘Yaku Jima’ and Muhlenbergia capillaris
Sun requirements: full to partial sun
Planting time: early spring or early fall
Height: 4-6 feet
Zones: 4-9
Why not make your yard a display of warm autumn colors that will return season after season? A mix of those fall blooming perennials will have your garden blooming in bold fall color. Toss in a few pumpkins here and there, sip a cup of hot apple cider, and enjoy the view!
Loved this post on fall blooming perennials? I think you’d love these ones too:
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