Now that summer is over, and as we transition to fall’s warm hues, it is time to roll up your sleeves to prepare your garden or yard for the coming seasons.
Incorporate perennials into your outdoor spaces to enhance their beauty and create a landscape that will reward you with years of vibrant, low-maintenance growth.
Fall’s warm soil and cooler temperatures make this season perfect for planting perennials. However, which perennial plants should you plant in the fall?
Let’s explore 20 perennials you should consider planting this fall to add beauty, diversity, and resilience to your garden.
20 Perennials To Plant In The Fall
1. Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Make room in your garden for purple coneflowers this fall, and watch as they dazzle you with their charm year after year. This popular plant has vibrant, daisy-like blooms with striking purple petals and a prominent, cone-shaped center.
The purple coneflower has an extraordinary ability to attract a myriad of pollinators, especially butterflies and bees, so you can enhance your home’s beauty and support the ecosystem.
Hardiness zones: 3-9
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2. Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
As summer’s colors fade, the Black-Eyed Susan emerges as a bright and cheerful addition to fall gardens. Don’t miss out on its golden or orange-yellow petals surrounding a dark, prominent center.
Its extended blooming period, which often starts in mid-summer and continues well into the fall, will ensure your garden remains vibrant and full of life.
Hardiness zones: 4-9
3. Sedum (Sedum spp.)
Whether you want a sedum for a specific spot, create a spectacular ground cover, or a variety for your container gardening, there’s a sedum for you. As many plants wind down in fall, sedums burst forth with their unique charm.
Even when not in bloom, a sedum’s succulent foliage provides year-round interest. Also, the dried flower heads and sturdy stems of some varieties add structure and texture to your garden in winter.
Hardiness zones: 3-11
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4. Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
By planting Russian sage this fall, you’ll not only enhance your garden’s aesthetics but also introduce a touch of fragrant sophistication to your autumn landscape.
This perennial has plenty to offer, from attracting pollinators, adding elegance to your landscape, or simply being a low-maintenance plant you can enjoy.
The Russian sage’s spires of lavender-blue flowers can persist well into the fall, ensuring that your garden remains vibrant.
Hardiness zones: 4-9
5. Hardy Geranium (Geranium spp.)
With over 400 species and countless cultivars, you have a wide range of hardy geraniums to choose from. These versatile and resilient perennials are perfect if you want to infuse color and resilience into your yard or garden.
Hardy geraniums are reliable late-season bloomers that attract pollinators and brighten outdoor spaces. They also make excellent ground cover and container plants.
Hardiness zones: 4-8
6. Hellebore (Helleborus spp.)
This plant deserves a spot on your list for perennials to plant in the fall. This early bloomer will grace your garden with charming pink, white, purple, green, and even deep burgundy flowers in late winter or early spring.
Since they can tolerate shade, hellebores are well-suited for shaded areas of your garden, like beneath trees or in woodland gardens. Hellebores will also keep your home green even in the depths of winter.
Hardiness zones: 4-9
7. Hosta (Hosta spp.)
Hosta is often called the “Queen of the Shade” for a reason. This perennial excels in shady areas, making it invaluable for brightening the dark spots that get less sunlight.
That’s not all; hostas have stunning foliage in different colors, sizes, and shapes, including green, blue, yellow, and variegated combinations. These leaves add texture, color, and depth to your garden.
Hardiness zones: 3-9
8. Bee Balm (Monarda spp.)
As its name suggests, this perennial is a bee magnet, so planting it in your garden not only enhances the beauty of your garden but also supports local pollinator populations.
Bee balms are also a sensory delight, emitting a delightful, citrusy fragrance when brushed or crushed.
Bee balms will keep your garden colorful and lively for an extended period as it blooms from late spring through early fall.
Hardiness zones: 3-9
9. Daylily (Hemerocallis spp.)
Daylily’s prolific and showy blooms range from trumpet-shaped flowers to ruffled edges and everything in between. The colors range from soft pastels to vivid reds, oranges, and yellows. With this plant in your garden, the space will look vibrant and colorful.
Besides the stunning blooms, the daylily is also low maintenance, versatile, and attracts pollinators. You can also use it in your cut flower arrangements.
Hardiness zones: 3-10
10. Japanese Anemone (Anemone × hybrida)
Bring late-season beauty and sophistication to your garden with the Japanese anemone. It’s a valuable addition to any home thanks to its delicate flowers, shade tolerance, low-maintenance requirements, and versatility.
It works well as border plants, in mixed flower beds, or as ground covers with its graceful and upright growth habit, adding elegance to your garden. Its daisy-like flowers come in colors like pink, white, and lavender.
Hardiness zones: 4-8.
11. Coreopsis (Coreopsis spp.)
This plant has perennial and annual varieties, but when planting in fall, choose a perennial variety. Coreopsis will keep brightening your outdoor space year after year.
This easy-to-grow, versatile plant can spread gradually in your garden, creating beautiful and colorful drifts of flowers over time.
The prolific, vibrant, daisy-like blooms come in various colors, including shades of yellow, red, orange, and pink.
Hardiness zones: 2-11
12. Astilbe (Astilbe spp.)
Brighten your yard or garden’s darker corners with this shade-loving late-season flowering perennial. This plant stands out for its plume-like flower clusters in different colors, including shades of pink, red, lavender, and white.
You can plant astilbe as a border plant, in mixed flower beds, or as accents around water features. Besides its beautiful flowers, it also has attractive foliage.
Hardiness zones: 3-8.
13. Lavender (Lavandula spp.)
This perennial is not only good to look at, but it also smells heavenly owing to its stunning, aromatic flowers, which come in various shades of purple, blue, and white.
These blooms release a calming and delightful scent that fills your garden.
It will do well even if you live in dry climates since it is drought-tolerant once established. If you plant in the fall, it will have sufficient time to grow robust roots before summer.
Hardiness zones: 4-11
14. Yarrow (Achillea spp.)
Do you like creating floral arrangements? If yes, grow this plant in your garden for its long-lasting, striking, flat-topped flower clusters in shades of yellow, pink, red, and white.
Yarrow will also help control garden pests by attracting beneficial insects, such as ladybugs and predatory wasps.
Once established, this low-maintenance perennial needs minimal attention and care. It will do well in your borders, wildflower meadows, or as part of a xeriscape garden.
Hardiness zones: 3-9
15. Liatris (Liatris spp.)
Plant Liatris as a border, in mixed flower beds, or as a focal point in your garden for height, structure, and a pop of color.
Its unique and eye-catching flower spikes, covered in small, tubular florets, are captivating and vibrant.
Also, bring the beauty of your garden indoors by incorporating liatris into your home decor by adding it to your floral arrangements.
Hardiness zones: 3-9
16. Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spp.)
Elevate the beauty and elegance of your garden with this romantic, graceful perennial with heart-shaped flowers that droop gracefully from the plant’s arching stems.
This plant’s classic pink and white varieties evoke nostalgia and romance in your garden.
It’s shade-tolerant, low-maintenance, versatile, and deer-resistant.
Hardiness zones: 3-9
17. Baptisia (Baptisia spp.)
Baptisia will thrive in different landscapes, including mixed borders, wildflower meadows, and cottage gardens because of its upright growth habit and bold flowers.
It is suitable for areas with minimal water resources or less-than-ideal soil quality since it can flourish in various soil conditions, including poor or rocky soils, and is drought-tolerant.
Hardiness zones: 4-9
18. Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra)
The Japanese forest grass is invaluable for brightening up spots in your yard that receive less sunlight, adding color and texture to those darker corners.
This is made possible by its striking, arching foliage that creates a beautiful and cascading effect.
Pair this plant with other shade-loving perennials like hostas, ferns, and coral for a harmonious and colorful space.
Hardiness zones: 4-9
19. Creeping Phlox (Phlox stolonifera)
Go for this versatile perennial if you want a carpet of vibrant, colorful ground cover. Creeping phlox is invaluable for its low-growing and spreading nature, early spring blooms, low-maintenance requirements, and adaptability.
It can tolerate challenging growing conditions, including poor soils and hot, dry climates.
Hardiness zones: 3-9
20. Whirling Butterflies (Oenothera lindheimeri)
The dainty, white, butterfly-like flowers with delicate petals that seem to flutter in the breeze make this plant genuinely unique.
You will enjoy these stunning flowers for an extended period, often continuing from late spring well into the fall.
That’s not all: whirling butterflies often emit a delicate, sweet fragrance in the evening.
Hardiness zones: 3-9
Final Remarks
Whether you aim to attract pollinators, add texture to your landscape, or enjoy fragrant blooms, there’s a perennial for you. The 20 perennials above offer various colors, shapes, and attractive characteristics to suit your garden’s needs and preferences.
Hey there, fellow plant enthusiasts! I’m Rachel, the green-thumbed writer behind Rooted In Garden. With a deep-rooted love for all things botanical, I’ve made it my mission to help you cultivate a thriving collection of houseplants. As a devoted plant parent myself, I understand the joys and challenges that come with nurturing these leafy wonders. Whether you’re a succulent aficionado, an orchid enthusiast, or simply adore all potted flora, join me on this journey as we explore the secrets to growing and caring for our beloved green companions. Together, let’s create a flourishing oasis indoors.