We absolutely love fall. I mean… What’s better than the amazing fall colors, cool weather, falling leaves, Thanksgiving dinner, and amazing Black Friday deals? But fall isn’t all rainbows and unicorns. Because unfortunately, there is one huge downside: those cooling temperatures will mean you have to say goodbye to many of your favorite spring and summer flowers.
But the crisp and cool fall weather doesn’t mean your garden has to be dull and lifeless during the flower off-season. Au contraire! In fact, there are many stunning autumn flowers that’ll make sure your garden stays vibrant all the way up until the first hard frost of the year, which is great because if you’re a floral fan like us, then you’ll need to sate your flower-crazy cravings all year round.
The Best Autumn Flowers for Your Home or Garden
Chrysanthemum
Pansies
Helenium
Rudbeckia
Sedum
Aster
Balloon flower
Toad lily
Chrysanthemum
Of all the flowers that bloom in fall, chrysanthemums—or mums for short—are perhaps the most autumn-like of them all. “Fall” and “mums” are practically synonymous. Mums’ fluffy blooms are perfect for your fall garden, or in an autumn bouquet. And what’s best, they’re super accessible and can be found at pretty much anywhere!
Pansies
Pansies are another great flower that blooms in fall. For one, they are extremely hardy and can withstand cold temperatures. And two, if you plant pansies just in time for the end of summer, not only will they bloom in your garden by fall, but they’ll also sprout back up in the spring.
Helenium
Known colloquially as “sneezeweed,” helenium is the perfect blossom to add a fiery burst of fall colors to your garden or home. And don’t be scared off by their name – these tall blooms don’t make your nostrils itchy. They actually got that nickname due to their former use as one of the main ingredients in snuff.
Rudbeckia
Like we said before, we absolutely adore fall, but we do have to admit that it sucks big time watching your garden’s sunflowers and daisies succumb to the seasonal change. But that’s where rudbeckia comes in to save the day! Its bright and cheery yellow blooms are the perfect replacements for your wilted sunflowers and daisies.
Sedum
Since sedums are succulents, they store ample amounts of water in their leaves and are incredibly hardy, which gives them the ability to survive the relatively tougher conditions of autumn. When fall rolls around, deep pink, red, and purple blooms will burst out of your sedums’ bushy surfaces, making for a gorgeous, delightful, and colorful autumn flower. Sedum plants are also great for attracting butterflies to your garden.
Aster
We all love the stereotypical gold, orange, red, yellow, and brown hues that fall is most known for. But if you’re looking for an awesome alternative to those traditional autumn colors, asters are here to help. Their blueish, lavender blooms are simply to die for. And guess what? They also attract butterflies!
Balloon Flower
Ranging from deep blues to rich purples, balloon flowers—also known as Chinese Bellflowers—get their names from their signature blossoming behavior of puffing up in a balloon-shape until they pop to reveal majestic bell-shaped blooms. They’re wonderful, whimsical, and mysterious all wrapped up into one!
Toad Lily
Orchids—one of our all-time favorite flower types—are sadly unable to survive the cool conditions of autumn. But don’t fret! The Japanese toad lily is a super awesome alternative if you’re yearning to see a flower that pretty much looks exactly like an orchid. To be honest, their blooms are pretty weird-looking, but in our humble opinion, that fact only adds to their overall charm.
Now that we’ve shown you the best autumn flowers, we hope you realize that although your lovely summer and spring flowers didn’t survive the changing seasons, there are still many flowers out there that bloom in fall, perfect for keeping your home or garden colorful and full of life.
