The fall season offers some amazing opportunities for your garden, even as summer winds down. Add fall-blooming flowers to your garden and enjoy the cooler autumn days while providing food for pollinators. Fall flowers will attract birds, bees and butterflies that are preparing to migrate or hibernate. You’ll also enjoy the colours and scents of your garden on some of the nicest days of the year.

Are you thinking about adding autumn flowers to your gardens this season? We spoke with horticulturists from two different parts of the United States to find out which plants produce the most fall flowers.

Bee Balm (Purple Rooster).

Purple-Rooster, which produces large flower clusters of 3 inches in diameter, will add colour to your autumn garden. Nicole Sanchez, Associate Professor of Horticulture at Oregon State University Extension Service, says that it is hardy, adaptable and resistant to powdery fungus. Hummingbirds, hummingbirds, and butterflies love it.

Find Your Gardening Zone

Black-Eyed Susan

American Gold Rush, a winner of the 2020 All-America Selections and 2023 Perennial Plant Association of the Year award for the Rudbeckia genus is a compact cultivar that bursts into stunning yellow-gold autumn blooms. It is pollinator-friendly and blooms until frosts. It also resists Septoria, a leaf spot that causes other black-eyed Susans to earlier in the year.

Blue Mistflower

Native Conoclinium Coelestinumblooms in late summer to frost. Shannon Currey is a horticulturist at Izel Native Plants. She says that it has a lovely pale purple colour and looks great with the falling daisy-like plants, the Helianthus, Heleniums and Rudbeckias. It spreads rapidly, so she pairs it in her North Carolina gardens with goldenrods, asters and other spreading plants.

Warning: The blue mistflower can spread quickly by rhizomes or self-seeding. Check with your local extension office before planting to see if it’s invasive.

12 Perennials that Bloom in Fall for a Vibrant Garden Throughout the Season

Fern-Leaf Yarrow

Achillea Filipendulina produces golden flowers that last from spring until fall. Silver-green leaves with a textured surface add to the appeal. Sanchez says, “It brings you into the autumn with options for your tabletop.” The fragrant blooms of this Flower last for a long period in a vase, and they can be dried to make bright specimens that you can use as a centrepiece.

Geum

Hardy Geum, a genus in the rose family, is available in many different colours. Sanchez says that they may look similar to poppies but are a much more durable flower. “There are so many varieties to choose from.”

Sanchez recommends that you check to see if the Flower is late in the blooming season. Single-petalled flowers are more beneficial to pollinators, as double-petaled varieties can obstruct food access and are often sterile.

Goldenrod (Fireworks).

Solidago Rugosa Fireworks is a yellow flowering plant with 18-inch stems that arch. The Chicago Botanic Garden rated it the best plant in the goldenrod evaluation. It produces abundant flowers and fine-textured leaves, keeps its shape when flowering, and is resistant to pests and disease in home gardens.

Goldenrod spreads slower than other goldenrods and stays under 5 feet. It isn’t to blame for fall allergies. Currey explains that goldenrod blooms around the same time as Ragweed, which can cause allergies in many people.

Goldenrod (Zigzag)

While the majority of goldenrods prefer full sun, Solidago Flexicaulis, native to North American woods, will tolerate heavy shade. (Sun-dappled partial shade is best for it.) Yellow flowers are attractive to birds, bees and butterflies. They bloom well into the fall on upright stems, which sometimes have a zigzag pattern. It will spread like the Fireworks variety but less aggressively than other goldenrods.

Goldenrod, which is open and airy, looks great planted with other perennials in the shade, as it appears to float over the ground. It brightens up the garden at a mid-range level and adds some light.

11 Perennials for a Spring Garden

Helenium

Helenium Autumnale can be found more than often in wetlands, along with streams and ponds. It is also common in ditches, which dry up occasionally. This is good news for those who are planting a Rain Garden or whose soil drains badly.

Helenium, also known as Sneezeweed and Helen’s Flower, can thrive in high desert areas once it is established. Helen’s Flower is also known as Sneezeweed. It blooms in fall shades of copper, brown, gold, orange and red. Sanchez explains that there are several varieties of flowers which change colour as they mature. Sometimes, it appears that you have flowers of different colours on the same plant.

Hyssop Heatwave

Agastache Foeniculum (also known as Anise Hyssop or Hummingbird Mint), a native of the Midwest and Great Plains region, blooms in abundance from mid- to late-summer into early autumn, attracting bees and butterflies. Sanchez’s favourite hybrids are the Heatwaves. They have beautiful magenta or lavender-pink blooms that last through the summer heat and continue to be colourful into the fall.

Vase life is important in a place where nighttime frosts can occur at any time. She says that the subtle liquorice tea scent of this plant, when brought inside, is one of its real benefits.

New England Aster

Symphyotrichum New England takes center stage in your fall garden. Its showy magenta and purple flowers are a stunning addition to any garden. Sanchez says that its nectar is an important source of food for monarch butterflies migrating, and the profusions of small flowers are perfect for filling out autumn bouquets.

Russian Sage

Salvia Yangii (formerly known as Perovskia atriplicifolia), ,,,, HTML3_, HTML3_, HTML3_, HTML3_, HTML3_, HTML3_, HTML3_, HTML3_ is a hardy perennial that blooms until frost. Bees love it. Sanchez says that this hardy perennial thrives in dry conditions. It has fragrant lavender-blue blooms and finely cut grey-green leaves. They look great in gardens and bouquets.

When is the Best Time to Plant tulip Bulbs? For a Spectacular Spring Display

Salvia Mexicana (Limelight)

This fall-blooming sage is native to Mexico. It produces stunning purple flowers with vibrant lime green calyxes – the leaf-like whorls that surround the flowers. These flowers attract bees and butterflies. Sanchez says that even after the flowers have faded, the spikes with their bright green calyx are still cool.

Sedum (Autumn Joy)

Sanchez is a fan of the colours and resilience of “old-school”. It is a reliable bloomer from late summer to fall. The tiny pink blossoms change colour as the season progresses. It is also drought-tolerant, heat-tolerant, and resistant to disease.

Smooth Aster (October Skys)

Bushy North American native Symphyotrichum Laeveblooms through the fall and into November in certain regions. It offers a constant display of blue-lavender flowers with yellow centers that evolve to toasty gold.

Currey: “It is just super-floriferous.” There will literally be hundreds of flowers covering each plant. It’s a mound of colour. It’s also a great late-season pollinator plant. It’s a bit shorter than most asters and also keeps its shape.

Miscanthus variegated

Miscanthus Sinensis produces feathery flower plumes of purple, red, or orange in late summer and early autumn. Sanchez explains that we don’t often think of grasses as flowers, but they are. Grasses are also easy to maintain and available in many sizes so that you can find the right one for your space.

Miscanthus is invasive. While newer varieties are noninvasive, others are also available. Miscanthus is also a fire risk in dry areas. Consult your local extension office for the best options in your area.

Chrysanthemums

Choose between early or late-blooming varieties so that these gorgeous flowers will keep your beds and even your front door colourful and vibrant throughout the season. Mums are great plants for containers that will thrive once planted. They also come back every year.

Japanese Anemone

The Japanese anemone, also known as Anemone hupehensis, is a perennial that has thin stems with delicate flowers. It’s resistant to rabbits and deer. As long as the conditions are right, they’re easy to grow and maintain. Avoid shady areas, as they can cause the flowers to wilt. These pink and white flowers will impress you in the spring and autumn.