Garden Flower Gardens 15 Annuals That Thrive From Fall Until Frost Plant these flowers to fill your fall garden with season-long color. By Michelle Mastro Michelle Mastro Michelle Mastro is a writer and author specializing in home and garden topics. She has written for Architectural Digest, The Spruce, Midwest Living, and other publications. Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 9, 2024 Fall annuals add welcome color to flower gardens when many summer blooms are spent. Fall flowers like pansies and mums are easy to pop into your garden once temperatures begin to drop. Not to mention, many varieties can last all season long and bloom in beautiful autumnal colors like orange, red, and yellow. Ahead, we're sharing the best fall annuals that experts say will fill your garden for color from fall to frost. David Akers / 500px / Getty Images Laura Janney, owner of The Inspired Garden and creator of Designing Luxurious Gardens and Containers: The Inspired Garden Masterclass. Meredith Bishop, sustainable cut-flower grower and floral designer at Bloom and Bounty. 10 Fall Container Plants That Will Fill Your Landscape With Color and Texture 01 of 15 Chrysanthemums KatarinaGondova / Getty Images Chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum morifolium) are the ultimate fall flower, and you’ve probably seen them appear in many gardens. “We favor smaller mums in 4 inch to 8 inch containers to keep them from appearing too overbearing or old-fashioned,” says Laura Janney, gardening expert and founder of The Inspired Garden. She says to look for mums that are just starting to open for about six weeks of vibrant color. “For shaded spots, choose mums already in full bloom.” Zones: 4 to 9Size: 1 to 3 feet tall x 1 to 2 ft. wideCare requirements: Full sun; moist, well-draining soil 02 of 15 Ornamental Cabbage Yaorusheng / Getty Images Consider this ornamental cabbage (Brassica oleracea) as decorative foliage instead of a vegetable. “Varieties like ‘Color Up Purple’ offer unique texture and color to a fall garden,” Janney says. “With their soft yet sturdy, waxy leaves and compact, rounded growth, ornamental cabbages stand out among fall annuals.” Plus, they are incredibly cold-tolerant, sometimes surviving through winter and into the spring. Zones: 2 to 11Size: 2 to 18 inches tall and wideCare requirements: Full sun; well-draining soil 12 Vegetables to Plant in Late Summer for a Delicious Fall Harvest 03 of 15 Pansies AnjoKanFotografie / Getty Images Known for their many jewel tones, pansies (Viola tricolor L.) come in an array of colors. “Exceptionally cold-tolerant, they can often last until the following spring,” says Janney. “Plant them in clusters of three to five for maximum impact,” she says. Zones: 4 to 10Size: 6 to 12 inches tall x 9 to 12 inches wideCare requirements: Full to part sun; loamy, well-draining soil 04 of 15 Marigolds LeliaSpb / Getty Images Marigolds (Tagetes) add rich colors and textures to the garden. “Hardy and fragrant, we prefer smaller varieties with flat, distinct petals over pom-pom styles,” says Janney. “Our top choice is ‘Fireball,’ known for its deep, rich red hue and fine, feathery foliage that adds an interesting contrast to other autumn annuals.” Marigolds love full sun and are deer resistant. Zones: 2 to 11Size: 4 to 48 inches tall x 6 to 24 inches wideCare requirements: Full sun; moist, well-draining soil How to Plant and Care for Marigolds, Splashy Bedding Plants That You Can Grow in Almost Every Hardiness Zone 05 of 15 Celosia Wirestock / Getty Images Celosia has fuzzy-textured blooms in bold tones. “Its unique shape offers a playful contrast to softer, rounder flowers,” says Janney. “We particularly love shades of magenta and red, though you can also find them in yellow and orange.” As the blooms fade, they take on the appearance of ornamental grass plumes. Zones: 3 to 11Size: 6 to 36 inches tall x 12 to 24 inches wideCare requirements: Full sun; moist, well-draining soil How to Grow Celosia—a Showstopping Annual That Blooms All Summer Long 06 of 15 Black-Eyed Susans Ali Majdfar / Getty Images Coming in yellow, orange, and red, black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia) are a fall favorite. “While it is technically a perennial, it can be quite invasive, so we prefer to treat it as an annual,” says Janney. The plant has big flowers and fuzzy leaves and loves being in the sun. It’s also deer resistant. “Keep it blooming all season long by deadheading spent flowers.” Zones: 3 to 9Size: 2 to 3 feet tall x 1 to 2 feet wideCare requirements: Full sun; moist, well-draining soil How to Find Your Gardening Zone—Plus, the Best Plants to Grow in Your Region 07 of 15 Violas fotolinchen / Getty Images Violas (Viola) bloom through winter and into spring. According to Meredith Bishop, sustainable cut-flower grower and floral designer at Bloom and Bounty, “This makes them a great choice for a bloom bridge, a flower that can make a seasonal transition with ease.” Violas have short stems that prop upward toward the sun and offer a range of colors. “If starting from seed, start in mid-summer, giving the plants plenty of time to grow and acclimate to the outdoors before the fall show begins.” Zones: 3 to 8Size: 4 to 10 inches tall by 4 to 10 inches wideCare requirements: Full to partial sun; moist, well-draining soil 08 of 15 Snapdragons baona / Getty Images Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus) are a wonderful annual bloom. “Depending on variety, they can be one of the first flowers to bloom in the spring and last flowers to bloom in the fall,” says Bishop. “Snapdragon blooms grow along tall spikes which look fabulous planted in the back of a bed.” Her favorites are the Rocket series of snapdragons, a mix that includes cheery shades of pink, salmon, red, yellow, and white. Zones: 4 to 11Size: 6 to 48 inches tall x 6 to 12 inches wideCare requirements: Full to partial sun; moist, well-draining soil 09 of 15 Dahlias Mint Images / Getty Images Since colder zones cannot support dahlias in the ground year-round, for many this is an annual. “While they will bloom beginning mid-summer, dahlias don’t crank up production until the temperatures drop in the fall,” says Bishop. “And they produce abundantly until the first fall frost.” Dahlias come in a seemingly endless variety of shapes, colors, heights, and bloom head sizes, so pick the dahlia most right for your garden. Deadhead the flowers regularly to keep the blooms coming all fall. Zones: 8 to 10Size: 1 to 6 feet tall x 1 to 3 feet wideCare requirements: Full sun; loamy, well-draining soil Martha’s Head Gardener Shares His Tips for Growing Perfect Dahlias Every Year 10 of 15 Sunflowers Takeshi.K / Getty Images Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) are the perfect fall flower thanks to their big blooms of gold. “For a long-blooming garden variety, I like to choose heritage seeds, which are open-pollinated and will bloom through fall until the first frost,” says Bishop. “These produce multiple blooms per stem, and if you keep them deadheaded they’ll give you cheerful flowers for a long time.” But be sure to leave some flower heads to die back naturally, as native birds love sunflower seeds. Zones: 2 to 11Size: 3 to 10 feet tall x 1.5 to 3 feet wideCare requirements: Full sun; moist, well-draining soil 11 of 15 Strawflowers Ali Majdfar / Getty Images Popular for their long growing season, strawflowers (Xerochrysum bracteatum) are great for fall. “Strawflowers look like daisies but have a papery texture which makes them one of the best choices for a dried flower for fall wreaths and arrangements,” says Bishop. The flowers are commonly on the taller side and look great in the back of a fall garden. “Like celosia, they will bloom from mid-summer to the very end of the fall growing season.” Zones: 8 to 11Size: 2 to 3 feet tall x 6 to 18 inches wideCare requirements: Full to partial sun; well-draining soil 12 of 15 African Daisies Isabel Pavia / Getty Images African daisies (Osteospermum) come in many different hues. These include autumn colors like pink, purple, and orange. They boast flat petals and look great in containers, or along pathways. Zones: 10 to 11Size: 1 to 3 feet tall x 1 to 2 feet wideCare requirements: Full sun; moist, well-draining soil 13 of 15 Asters Dani Bazelkova / Getty Images Asters (Symphyotrichum) create clusters of small, daisy-like blooms in purple and pink. Although asters are perennials, Janney says she likes to remove them from her gardens after the fall season, as they can become quite large and take over precious garden space. Asters thrive in full sun and are deer resistant. Zones: 3 to 8Size: 1 to 6 feet tall x 1 to 4 feet wideCare requirements: Full sun; loamy, well-draining soil 14 of 15 Floss Flowers AlessandroZocc / Getty Images An annual in most zones, these frilly flowers offer visual interest to any garden. While floss flowers (Ageratum) come in many colors, the flower is one of the few true-blue flowers, which is the most sought after of all the hues. Zones: 10 to 11Size: 4 to 36 inches tall x 6 inches wideCare requirements: Full to partial sun; moist, well-draining soil 15 of 15 Petunias Adél Békefi / Getty Images A beautiful flower for fall, petunias offer trumpet-shaped blooms in almost every color. Add them to containers, hanging baskets, or flower beds to create a pop of interest to your garden. Zones: 10 to 11Size: 6 to 24 inches tall x 6 to 36 inches wideCare requirements: Full sun; moist, well-draining soil Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit