People often associate flower gardens with the bright and bold blooms of early summer flowers. But did you know that you can also enjoy luscious flowers in the fall?
There are late-blooming flowers that dazzle in the jewel tones of red, purple, and gold.
These beautifully toned flowers have a way of ushering us into the colder months with vibrant warm colors that are striking and gorgeous to behold.
Plus, some of these popular fall flowers work as excellent natural insect repellent.
10 Fall Flowers You Need In Your Garden
Today, before you head out to the local garden centers, we’ll be talking about seven fall flowers you need in your garden and how you can help improve the hardiness of these delicate plants…
Let’s get started!
Considerations When Growing Late Blooming Flowers
These low maintenance fall flowers are a spectacle to behold once they start blooming. Their jewel-like colors bring life and vitality to any yard as the colder season starts to move in.
However, there is some much-needed prep work you need to do to ensure that your new plants grow properly before the cool-season flowers come to life.
First, you should pick new plants that tend to bloom late but not too late so that the first frost hits your fall flower bed. Check seed packets for bloom timing or ask for help at your local nursery.
Second, many fall-blooming flowers tend to be taller plants and leggy in the summer, so when it comes for them to bloom, it becomes top-heavy with leafy growth and ends up falling over.
To prevent this from happening, it’s essential to stake the group of hardy plants early in the season so you can make sure they grow upright and tall.
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You can also plant fall-bloomers in the back border of your flower patch. This way, they can grow as tall as they need to be while the shorter specific plants you plant in front support them.
Third, you need to periodically prune fall flowers to make them stockier and more self-supporting. When the fall plants reach 6 to 8 inches tall, start cutting every 3 to 4 weeks.
However, be aware that certain plants don’t respond to pruning. Moreover, pruning can delay the blooming period by at least a week.
10 Best Late Bloomers to Grow in Your Garden
1. Golden Rods
These gorgeous yellow blooms are often blamed for hay fever sneezes, but they aren’t really the culprit (we’re looking at you, ragweed!).
Goldenrods are a great way to attract beneficial insects like parasitic wasps and predatory wasps, which can benefit the growth of other best plants and crop protection.
Despite the confusion, the goldenrod is an excellent attractive plant that blooms in the fall, and they offer brightness to any garden, such as a vegetable garden or herb garden.
These stately plants are among the last flowers to bloom in the fall.
USDA hardiness zone: 3-8
Sun Needs: Full
Soil Needs: Average, well-draining
Color Varieties: Yellow
Type: Perennial Flower
2. Dianthus
Dianthus are not only beautiful, but they also smell great.
These flowers come in:
- white
- pink
- red
- purple
Plus, their lovely fragrance is sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face when they walk through your garden space or organic garden.
USDA growing zone: 3-9
Sun Needs: Full
Soil Needs: Moist, well-draining
Color Varieties: white, pink, red, purple flowers
Type: Both
3. Japanese Anemone
The delicate paper-like bloom of Japanese Anemone makes them a lovely addition to the gorgeous fall flowers in your successful garden. They start flowering in late summer until the light frost and/or ground freezes.
They take their time to become established, but once they’ve had a couple of years in your healthy garden beds full of flowers and leafy greens, you don’t have to do much in terms of maintenance. They also self-sow.
USDA growing zone: 4 – 8
Sun Needs: Part to full
Soil Needs: Rich, moist, well-draining
Color Varieties: white, pink, and purple
Type: Perennial
4. Mums
Chrysanthemums grow lush blooms that are extremely popular in the fall. They come in stunning red, orange flowers, yellow, peach, and white colors.
They are also good companion plants. Hardy mums repel against garden pests such as:
- Japanese beetles
- flea beetles
- spider mites,
making this plant ideal for growing nearby plants and vegetable crops such as:
- tomato plants
- sweet corn
- squash plants
- pole beans
- corn stalks
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You can grow these in containers or in the ground. When you do grow them in the ground, keep them well-watered and mulched before the hard frost hits.
USDA growing zone: 5 – 9
Sun Needs: Full sun
Soil Needs: Rich, moist, well-draining soil
Color Varieties: red, orange, yellow, peach, and white
Type: Perennial
5. Stonecrop
Also called Autumn Joy or Sedum, Stonecrop is a staple of fall gardens. These different plants grow clusters of gorgeous flowers that require minimal attention and attract few problems. Making them great companions to vegetable plants.
They have a USDA growing zone of 3 to 9 and need full sunlight to achieve maximum growth. They also do best in sandy and well-draining soil.
However, you may need to be wary about deer since these creatures are fond of Sedum.
USDA growing zone: 3 – 9
Sun Needs: Full sun
Soil Needs: Sandy, well-draining soil
Color Varieties: Pink, rose, purple, burgundy, blue, green chartreuse, and combination
Type: Perennial
6. Pansy
These adorable flowers are heavy bloomers that survive drops in temperatures but thrive best in full sun. Their USDA growing zones are 3 to 8, and they need rich and moist soil while being well-draining.
Making them good companions for your garden and root crops. For the best time you need to time your fall planting, however. They need to be planted before the thermometer reads 45 degrees F.
USDA growing zone: 3 – 8
Sun Needs: Full sun
Soil Needs: Rich, moist, well-draining soil
Color Varieties: Yellow, red, blue, purple, orange, pink, black, white
Type: Perennial
7. New England Asters
Asters bloom in shades of purple, pink, white, and blue. Apart from adding interest to your fall flower garden, they can also help feed hungry bees and butterflies in the autumn garden.
Asters are another flower with beneficial effects such as natural pest control for insect pests like asparagus beetles, making them a good idea and a great addition to your garden crops.
They have USDA growing zones of 4 to 8 and need full sun. They do the best in average and well-draining soil when caring for the rich soil.
USDA growing zone: 4 – 8
Sun Needs: Full sun
Soil Needs: Average, well-draining soil
Color Varieties: Purple, pink, white, and blue
Type: Perennial
8. Pot Marigold
This flower’s common name is Marigold and are also called Calendula. Their appearance is short and bushy and has orange or yellow daisy-like flowers.
When planting, it’s good to remember that their USDA growing zones are 2 to 11 (annual). They also need partial to full sunlight. It’s also good to note they do best in average and well-drained soil.
There are nectar plants that attract native bee species and butterflies. They’re great for pest control, and they repel pests like the asparagus beetle. They’re also an excellent companion plant for vegetable gardens.
USDA growing zone: 2 – 11
Sun Needs: Partial to full sun
Soil Needs: Average, well-draining soil
Color Varieties: Orange, yellow, red
Type: Annuals
9. Nasturtium
Nasturtiums are herbaceous flowering plants that can be annuals or perennials and come in many different shapes. They also come in various colors, including red, orange, pink flowers, yellow, and cream.
They thrive in infertile, dry clay soil and need full sun. Their USDA growing zones are 2 to 11.
USDA growing zone: 2 – 11
Sun Needs: Full sun
Soil Needs: Infertile, dry clay soil
Color Varieties: Red, orange, pink, yellow, and cream
Type: Both
10. Blanket Flowers
Blanket Flowers produces beautiful blooms with gorgeous, long-lasting colors. It also boasts beautiful green foliage into early Fall.
They are very cold-hardy and can survive in USDA growing zones 3 to 10. But they do best in full sun and average soil with medium moisture and good drainage.
USDA growing zone: 3 – 10
Sun Needs: Full sun
Soil Needs: Average, medium moisture, good drainage
Color Varieties: Red, yellow, and orange
Type: Perennial
There you have it, 10 great Fall Flowers you can add to your own garden and have blooms well past summer. Can you think of any we missed? Please leave them in the comments below.
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