Best fall flowers for the garden and pots

The most popular fall flowers are chrysanthemums (mums), asters, cyclamen and pansies, while rudbeckia, dahlias and snapdragons keep flowering from summer until the first cold weather. For colour that lasts into spring, hellebores, cyclamen, pansies and English daisies flower through winter in mild climates, and bulbs planted now flower from late winter into spring. The right choice depends on three things: how much sun the spot gets, whether the plant goes in a bed or a pot, and how long you want the colour to last. This guide covers which flower suits which spot, how to put together a fall container, which flowers carry on through winter, and which feed bees late in the year. All the season's jobs, from September to November, are gathered in the autumn garden jobs checklist.

Which fall flower for which spot

Flower	Flowering	Position	Bed or pot
Chrysanthemum	Late summer to late fall	Sun	Both
Aster	Late summer to fall	Sun	Both
Rudbeckia	Summer to fall	Sun	Both
Dahlia	Summer to first frosts	Sun	Both
Snapdragon	Spring to fall, depending on sowing	Sun	Both
Cyclamen	Fall to spring	Partial shade, cool	Mainly pots
Pansy	Fall to spring	Sun or partial shade	Both
Hellebore	Winter to early spring	Partial shade	Mainly beds
English daisy	Early spring to summer	Sun or partial shade	Both
Ornamental cabbage and kale	Coloured foliage all winter	Sun	Mainly pots

Fall flowers for sunny pots and beds

Most fall flowers need sun. Chrysanthemums are the classic fall flower, and a practical tip is to buy them with plenty of buds and few open flowers, so the display lasts longer.

Asters fill beds with lilac, purple, pink and white, and rudbeckia with golden yellow and orange, just as summer flowers fade. Dahlias carry on until the first frost, while snapdragons planted now in mild climates flower early in spring. Ornamental cabbage and kale do not flower, but their pink, white and purple leaves grow more intense as temperatures fall, keeping window boxes colourful all winter.

Fall flowers for shade and partial shade

For shady balconies and corners, cyclamen is the first choice, because it likes cool conditions and flowers from fall to spring. Hellebores flower in winter in partial shade, ideally under deciduous trees, and English daisies also tolerate partial shade. Pansies and violas do well even where the sun reaches for only a few hours a day.

How to put together a fall container

A large pot or window box looks fuller when it combines three types of plant:

A tall plant at the centre or back, such as a chrysanthemum, an aster or a tall snapdragon
Plants that fill the space around it, such as pansies, ornamental cabbage or cyclamen
A plant that trails over the edge, such as ivy or a trailing variety

Plants that share a pot need similar conditions, sun with sun and shade with shade, and the same watering rhythm. A combination for sun is chrysanthemums with ornamental cabbage and pansies, and for shade cyclamen with violas. The pot needs drainage holes and good compost, because with fall rain, standing water rots the roots.

Fall planter with pink cyclamen, flowering heather, a silver-leaved plant and a small white pumpkin

Plants that share a fall container need similar conditions, here cyclamen with heather and silver foliage

Flowers that carry on through winter

For colour from fall into spring, the most reliable choices are cyclamen, pansies, hellebores and English daisies, plus ornamental cabbage for foliage, while primroses join from late winter. In cold-winter climates, cyclamen and many pansies need shelter from hard frost. Dahlias, rudbeckia and asters, by contrast, stop with the first cold. The perennials among them die back and return in spring, and their dead stems can be left standing until late winter for birds.

Bulbs to plant now for spring flowers

Fall is also the season for autumn bulbs, planted from September to November to flower from late winter into spring. Daffodils, hyacinths, crocus, iris and freesia go in now, while tulips wait until the soil has cooled. In a pot, bulbs can be planted beneath pansies, so the same pot flowers through winter and then fills with spring flowers. For the rest of this month's planting, see what to plant in October.

Fall flowers for bees

In fall, bees find less and less food. Asters, rudbeckia, single-flowered dahlias and single-flowered daisies offer nectar until late fall, and hellebores carry on through winter. Double-flowered varieties, by contrast, offer pollinators little or no food.

Frequently asked questions

What flowers bloom in the fall

Chrysanthemums, asters, cyclamen, pansies, rudbeckia, dahlias and snapdragons, as well as ornamental cabbage and kale for coloured foliage.

What are the best fall flowers for pots

Chrysanthemums, cyclamen, pansies, asters, snapdragons and ornamental cabbage, in pots with good drainage.

What fall flowers last the longest

Cyclamen, pansies and hellebores can flower for months, from fall or winter into spring, and ornamental cabbage keeps its colour all winter. Chrysanthemums last longest when bought in bud.