For lasting autumn flower shows, try these fall-blooming perennials for fall color that will add texture, beauty, and character deep into the fall when summer plants are taking their leave.
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For Bold Red & Orange Fall Color
To bring in the warming tones autumn colors with bold reds, rusts, and orange notes with:
- Helenium (Sneezeweed) – rich red, orange, and yellow daisy-like blooming herbaceous perennials from late summer into fall
- Crocosmia – fiery red-orange spikes; foliage also turns golden
- Hemerocallis (Daylily) – some reblooming varieties push color into autumn
Alternatively, though not a perennial, plants like Dragon’s Breath Celosia and coral/orange Lantana can be added in as late summer annuals to bring in more color.
For Cool Purple & Blue Fall Color
Add hints of cool purples and blues with perennial flowers like:
- Aster – purple aster is one of the best perennial plants and fall performers, with masses of purple, pink, or white flowers
- Salvia nemorosa – some varieties of reliable purple salvia rebloom into fall with deep violet spikes
- Agastache (Hyssop) – purple or blue spikes beloved by pollinators well into autumn
For Cozy Yellows & Golds
Introduce warm yellow and gold tones to your fall display:
- Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan) – cheerful golden yellow blooming flowers late summer through fall
- Heliopsis (False Sunflower) – bright yellow, very long blooming
- Solidago (Goldenrod) – feathery golden plumes, a classic fall staple
For Softer Pinks & Mauves
Soften the look of your autumn landscape in the fall garden with mellow pinks and mauves when you plant:
- Echinacea (Coneflower) – pink flowers bloom summer into fall; seedheads add winter interest too
- Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ – flower buds and heads transition from pink to deep russet-red as temperatures drop
- Anemone (Japanese Anemone) – elegant pink or white blooms from late summer through fall that survive and prefer partial shade/shady areas
For Foliage with Color
To keep things interesting with plants that bring texture and color try:
- Geranium macrorrhizum – leaves turn vivid red in fall
- Penstemon – some varieties of penstemon hold attractive reddish foliage
- Baptisia (False Indigo) – seed pods and foliage turn smoky charcoal-gold
Quick Fall Garden Tips for Success:
- Plant asters and sedums in full sun for the best flowering
- Deadhead echinacea and rudbeckia early in the season to encourage more fall blooms
- Leave seedheads standing after bloom — they feed birds and add winter structure
- Use well-drained soil
Try ornamental grasses with Warm Tones & Color Change
- Miscanthus sinensis (Japanese Silver Grass) – tall and dramatic perennial grass, turns golden-orange in fall with feathery silver plumes that persist into winter
- Panicum virgatum (Switchgrass) – native to the Midwest; switchgrass is a grass foliage turns brilliant red, orange, or yellow depending on the variety (‘Shenandoah’ is especially stunning)
- Schizachyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem) – turns rich copper-red and russet in fall; one of the best natives for fall color
- Andropogon gerardii (Big Bluestem) – goes from blue-green to deep burgundy-red; a tall, stately native prairie grass
Grasses with Texture & Movement in a fall garden
- Pennisetum alopecuroides (Fountain Grass) – graceful fountain grass arching forms with fuzzy bottlebrush seed heads; foliage turns gold in fall
- Calamagrostis acutiflora (Feather Reed Grass) – upright and architectural; holds its wheat-colored plumes beautifully through fall and winter
- Molinia caerulea (Purple Moor Grass) – turns brilliant gold in autumn and then cleanly disappears, making cleanup easy
Lower Growing grasses for an autumn display
- Hakonechloa macra (Japanese Forest Grass) – cascading and elegant; turns warm gold and amber in fall, great for shady spots
- Carex pensylvanica (Pennsylvania Sedge) – low, fine-textured, and evergreen; a good native groundcover option
Tips for Using Grasses in Fall Gardens:
- Pair switchgrass or little bluestem with asters and rudbeckia for a naturalistic, prairie-inspired look
- Leave grasses standing through winter — the seed heads feed birds and add structure to the garden
- Most of these are very low-maintenance once established and are drought-tolerant after their first season
Hopefully some of these well-known fall perennials for fall color will bring much needed personality, texture, and color to your fall garden. Try at least one or two varieties of these stunning autumn plants in your perennial garden this fall to get your late summer garden blooming with a second life. Don’t forget about fiery red summer perennials and warm yellow summer perennials for a full-rounded seasonal display!
shop fall perennials for fall color:
