As summer blooms fade, fall ushers in a wide array of gorgeous flowers to brighten up your outdoor and indoor spaces. Hanging planters bursting with rich autumn shades like maroon, red, orange, yellow, and gold add stunning natural beauty to your porch, patio, or balcony. Fresh cut bouquets featuring hardy fall flowers can also dress up countertops and tables indoors.
All blooms thrive differently, according to regional conditions. Therefore, gardening experts at a local nursery or a local horticulturist can offer valuable planting advice. The Government of Canada’s Plant Hardiness Zone Maps are another regional growing resource. Here’s a list of popular fall flowers to help you get started.
Pansies
Many pansies bloom in the fall and continue growing in winter. Scores of eye-catching hybrids deliver a magnificent multi-coloured floral display in planters or the garden. The cool-weather wonders grow in small and large flowers, as well as spreading varieties. Fabulous fall colour combinations include burgundy and gold Panola Autumn Blaze pansies, Inspire Purple with Orange, Ruby Mix, and many more.
Chrysanthemums (Mums)
Mums are classic, versatile fall flowers. The cheery blossoms grow in an array of lovely colours, shapes, and sizes—and are excellent container growers.
Popular autumn hues include orange, yellow, burgundy, bronze, red, purple, and cream. Potted mums look stunning hanging from a porch hook or lining a garden path. Create extra decorative flair by adding miniature pumpkins and gourds to your patio or balcony container.
Dahlias
Dahlias offer dazzling blasts of colour from the middle of summer into fall until the first frost. They bloom in lots of delightful forms and various sizes. The tuberous perennials boast delicate leaves. Dahlia types include single, double, waterlily, cactus, pompon, peony-flowered, and dinnerplate dahlias—named for their huge size. The sheer numbers of shapes and colourful blends make dahlias a garden favourite.
Asters
Often dubbed daisy look-alikes, asters come in hundreds of colourful varieties. The low-maintenance blooms brighten a small space. Because they bloom easily in late summer to the middle of fall, asters make lovely additions to autumn bouquets and container gardens. Breathtaking examples include the Purple Dome New England Aster, Barr’s Pink New England Aster, and September Ruby New England Aster (boasting splendid dark rose pink petals against a yellow centre). All these types attract butterflies.
Goldenrod
Goldenrod brings a lush sweep of deep golden blooms to the garden in late summer and early fall. Allergy sufferers mistakenly blame the bountiful plant for itchy eyes and sneezing. However, many sources, including Horticulture Magazine, debunk the claim. Ragweed is the true hay fever irritant.
Helenium (Sneezeweed)
Hailing from the daisy family, helenium bursts into life in gorgeous autumnal hues like orange, orange-red, brown, brick-red, and deep mahogany. Many varieties contain petals blotched with multiple colours that surround a rich, chocolate brown centre. The popular late-season blooms add playful pizzazz to a fall floral arrangement. Bonus: Helenium also repels deer.
"Cherokee Sunset” Rudbeckia
Though rudbeckia comes in many vibrant shades; the rich gold and chocolate-brown colouring of the “Cherokee Sunset” variety adds lovely autumnal flair to porch or patio planters, bushy fall bouquets, and your garden. These whimsical blooms are also known as “Black-Eyed Susans.” Some of the flowers’ centre discs are also a stunning deep mahogany.
Overall, any of these beautiful fall blooms will keep your garden growing towards a gorgeous new season.
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