• Brighten your garden with flowers that bloom in autumn and thrive in cooler weather.
• Use window boxes, hanging baskets, and other planters like those from Windowbox.com to extend color beyond the first frost.
• Follow simple care tips to keep your fall outdoor flowers vibrant well into the season.

Saying goodbye is never easy. When the wow-inspiring blooms of spring and summer take their final bow, it can feel like you’re bidding farewell to a faithful, cheery friend.

But cheer up! You’ve got more than bare patches of land to look forward to. With the right plantings and thoughtful use of containers, you can welcome flowers that bloom in autumn into your world.

Here are four top choices for fall garden flowers, plus tips for planting and care to keep your home alive with bursts of color well into the cooler months.

Beautiful Flowers That Bloom in Autumn

1. Sedum

These beauties are resilient! Sedums are succulents that burst into gorgeous bloom from midsummer through autumn, making them the ideal transitional fall garden flowers. Varieties like “Autumn Joy” feature clusters of pink blossoms that put on a real show, deepening into a stunning copper-red as the days get shorter.

As drought-tolerant plants, sedums do well in drier areas. They also make reliable choices for hanging baskets that you may occasionally overlook during your watering routine. 

Planting & Care Tips

• Use a gritty, well-draining soil mix.
• Water with a light hand – overwatering is a big mistake with sedum.
• Like most succulents, sedum is easy to propagate from cuttings. A single plant can give you lovely flowers that bloom in autumn for years to come.

2. Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums and autumn are almost synonymous – they’re the pumpkin spice of fall outdoor flowers.

Mums are perennials. But in most climate zones, they only flash their color once a year. When the days start getting shorter, it’s showtime!

These full, pillowy blossoms come in a range of warm, seasonal shades. Deep burgundy, golden yellow, and burnt orange are fall favorites, but planting some in shades of violet can add extra drama. Mums are hardy and perfect for filling large planters by your front door or along pathways.

Planting & Care Tips

• Choose mums with lots of unopened buds for a longer display of these beautiful flowers that bloom in autumn.
• Water regularly, but avoid soggy soil.
• Remove dead blooms to encourage new flowering.

3. Pansies & Violas

Fall garden flowers that love cooler temperatures are natural fits for autumn displays. Pansies and violas (basically a smaller cousin of the pansy) make perfect choices!

Pansies’ playful faces and array of colors – all the way from jaw-dropping jewel tones to soft pastels – show off beautifully in railing planters. They also tolerate frost. That means they’ll keep smiling even when you pull out the electric blanket.

Planting & Care Tips

• Planting pansies in an English Garden hanging basket lined with coco is another classic pairing.
• Use rich, well-draining potting soil. Consider adding a water reservoir to your hanging basket or planter so your pansies get enough – but not too much – moisture.
• Lightly fertilize every couple of weeks to keep enjoying new growth of these reliable flowers that bloom in autumn.

4. Asters

Asters look a bit like daisies but bloom much later, carrying over the star power of those summer beauties into your garden of fall outdoor flowers. Appearing in purples, pinks, and blues, asters attract pollinators even in cool temps. This helps your fall garden flowers seed for next year and supports your local ecosystem.

Many asters grow quite tall, so placing them at the center of a low bowl planter can be especially beautiful and dramatic. Accent them with compact asters in contrasting shades to up the wow factor.

Planting & Care Tips

• Stake taller plants to keep them from flopping over as they grow.
• Pinch back stems if you prefer these flowers that bloom in autumn to have a bushier growth.
• Asters grow perennially, but divide clumps after the growing season every two to three years to keep them healthy.

Extend the Season With Container Planting

Once autumn settles in, so do frost and cooler temperatures. That makes in-ground planting tricky. Soil can harden, and roots have a hard time establishing themselves. In a bed, your beautiful flowers that bloom in autumn may be all too short-lived.

When you’re after fall garden flowers that thrive a lot longer, here’s the secret: planters, window boxes, and hanging baskets. Getting plants up off the ground protects them.

Whether you plant in classic wrought iron railing planters or love the modern look of galvanized window boxes, these three tips ensure your containers burst with spectacular flowers that bloom in autumn:

1. Layer your plantings. Effective placement makes the greatest impact. Place tall flowers like asters in the back, medium-size mums in the middle, and allow trailing pansies to spill over the front edge.
2. Refresh the soil. Don’t just pull out your summer plants and add in your fall outdoor flowers. Add compost and a balanced, slow-release fertilizer first.
3. Mind the sun. Remember that shorter days mean less light. Make sure your containers of fall garden flowers that need more direct sun are in the right spots.

When the trees shed their leaves and the air grows crisp, your home can still blossom with warmth and vibrancy. With the right plant choices and the perfect containers, you can embrace the season with the gorgeous flowers that bloom in autumn.