7 Fall Flowers to Plant in Your Garden
Updated twists on garden classics from aster to tickseed, these fall plants and flowers offer unusual hues, longer bloom times, or easier care; there’s even a fragrant pachysandra. Many of these fall flowers to plant might still be at your local nursery, or can be ordered online. So whether you’re seeking a late shot of color for a woodland setting or a sunny border, one of our favorites here will fill the bill.
1. Big Bang Cosmic Eye Tickseed
The first of the fall flowers to plant is this tickseed. It has striking burgundy flowers with bright-yellow petal tips and golden centers. Blooms summer through fall; use shears to remove old flowers for more blooms. Full sun; water regularly in extreme heat. Grows to 16 to 20 inches tall, 12 to 24 inches wide. Zones 5 to 10; Monrovia
2. Peachie’s Pick Stokes’ Aster
Cornflower-like violet-blue flowers on a compact perennial that performs well in containers or beds. Blooms summer to fall; clip spent blooms to promote continued flowering. Full sun; water regularly in extreme heat. Grows 12 to 18 inches tall and wide. Zones 5 to 9; Monrovia
3. Berry Bright Saxifrage
Small, bright-magenta flowers clustered over compact mounds of bronzy foliage make a splash well into the cold months. Blooms late fall to late winter. Grows 6 to 10 inches tall and 8 to 12 inches wide. Full to part shade; needs regular watering. Zones 6 to 9; Monrovia
4. Early Bird Gold Gloriosa Daisy
Golden-yellow petals curl back from brown centers. A sturdy, upright contender for a mixed border. Blooms continuously from early summer to mid-fall; neaten by removing spent stems. Partial to full sun; regular watering in extreme heat, otherwise drought tolerant. Grows 18 to 24 inches tall and wide. Zones 4 to 10; Monrovia
5. Windcliff Fragrant Pachysandra
Lacy, uniquely scented flowers appear in early spring and repeat in autumn on this unusual form of the classic evergreen groundcover. Blooms early spring and in autumn. Full shade to partial sun; needs regular watering. Grows 4 to 6 inches tall in a spreading, dense carpet. Zones 6 to 9; Monrovia
6. Rock ‘N Grow Pure Joy Stonecrop
Pink flowers on light-green leaves, followed by attractive seed heads. Blooms late summer to late fall. Full sun, drought tolerant. Mounded growth to 12 inches tall, 16 to 20 inches wide. Zones 3 to 9; Proven Winners
10 New Hydrangeas You’ll Want to Grow Now
7. Prairie Winds Desert Plains Fountain Grass
The last of the fall flowers to plant is this large fountain grass. It forms showy bottlebrush flowers, emerging as red and aging to tan, over tall vase-shaped green foliage that turns red, orange, and gold in fall. Blooms early to late fall. Full sun; average soil and water. Grows to 4 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. Zones 5 to 9; Proven Winners.