25+ Pretty Flowers to Add Color to Your Garden

Asters

Asters are late bloomers, and they also attract tons of pollinators so you’ll enjoy the flowers and their visitors.

Heuchera

This perennial is grown mainly for its gorgeous, saturated foliage which comes in every shade from lemony yellow to watermelon red. It’s versatile and keeps its leaf color from spring to the first hard freeze.

Autumn Joy Sedum

There are many types of sedums, but this autumn variety is known for its upright form and bright pink flowers in late summer and early fall. The blooms on this perennial last for weeks, and pollinators love them!

Dahlia

These gorgeous flowers come in an array of sizes from tiny buttons and balls to giant dinner plate-sized flowers. In warm climates, leave the bulbs in ground. But in the north, you’ll need to dig them up after a hard frost and save the bulbs to replant next spring.

Oakleaf Hydrangea

Hydrangeas come in many forms, but only the oakleaf variety has bright autumn leaves. Make sure not to prune this shrub in the fall or you will cut off next year’s blooms as this plant blooms on what’s called “old wood.”

Sunflower

Sunflowers range in size from a few feet to more than 10 feet tall! Plant the seeds in spring for late summer and fall color. And yes, some types have edible seeds you can eat or share with the birds!

Shrub Rose

Shrub roses, also called landscape roses, are hardy and reliable, and new varieties are more disease resistant. These beauties bloom well all season long, and many types get an especially beautiful flush of blooms in early to mid-autumn.

Burning Bush

This hardy bush turns a brilliant red in fall, earning its name! Plant as part of a mixed border or privacy screen.

Celosia

Also called cockscomb, this flame-like flower adds a pop of color to any container or garden bed with bright yellow, pink, orange or red feathery blooms.

Chokeberry

This bush gets incredible autumn color that makes it a stunning foundation planting or accent in your landscape. Chokeberry (a.k.a Aronia) also boasts spring flowers.

Ornamental Grasses

Ornamental grasses are great for contrasting with autumn flowers, and their interesting seed heads stay intact to provide winter interest.

Ornamental Peppers

These fun plants are pretty to look at, but they’re not edible. Add them to planters for a pop of autumn color.

Black-Eyed Susan

These charming plants look like sunny faces! Black-eyed Susan can be perennial or annual, so read the tag to be sure about what you’re buying.

Pansies

Pansies don’t mind the cold and will take cold snaps (even an early snow!) in stride. In warm climates, they’ll even last through much of the winter.

Cyclamen

Cyclamen often are sold as houseplants, but they work as pretty groundcovers in warm climates and will bloom for months.

Dusty Miller

These plants have beautiful, lacy silver foliage that complements other fall flowers such as asters and mums. They’re annuals in most of the country but may survive winter in mild climates.

Beautyberry

This lesser-known native shrub is a must-have. Beautiful blooms lead to these amazing purple berries in fall!

Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums, or mums for short, come in every color of the rainbow! They’re technically perennials, but they likely won’t come back next spring unless you get them in the ground long before autumn. No worries! They’re inexpensive enough to treat as annuals.

Rosemary

Add a potted rosemary to your garden this fall, then bring it indoors and place in a sunny window before the temperatures drop to freezing. You’ll have fresh rosemary for all your winter dishes!

Helenium

Also known as sneezeweed, this vibrant plant attracts tons of butterflies! The bright blooms of this perennial are welcome late in the season.

Autumn Crocus

Sure, you know about spring-blooming crocuses. But did you know there’s a type that blooms in fall? Plant in late summer and enjoy the blooms just a few weeks later!

Autumn Fern

Autumn fern has new fronds that emerge orangey to coppery in tone. Newer varieties have even more pronounced color. Plant with other ferns to offer a striking contrast.

Marigold

There’s a reason marigolds have been popular for generations. This sturdy annual will bloom from early spring planting all the way until the first hard freeze.

Sweet Autumn Clematis

This climbing vine blooms from summer to fall and is sweetly scented, so place it near your patio where you can enjoy its fragrance.

Ornamental Cabbages and Kale

Who knew cabbage and kale could be so pretty? These ornamental types add flash to your autumn garden. They’re annuals but will stay “in bloom” for months until a hard freeze.

Red Twig Dogwood

This beautiful shrub gets gorgeous red foliage in fall. After the leaves drop, the bright red branches offer long-lasting beauty. Red twig dogwood is especially stunning when set against a backdrop of snow.