What better way to herald the start to fall than with a stunning display of fall annuals. Garden mums, pansies, and ornamental kale and cabbage are obvious choices. They love cooler temps and brighten our shorter days.
But did you know that certain vegetables and grasses also look gorgeous in the fall garden?
Swiss chard, lacinato kale, and ornamental peppers prefer a chill in the air to super-hot days. And spectacular purple fountain grass will last from spring through fall. These non-traditional choices offer rich texture and color that make for a visually interesting cool weather garden.
Depending on your growing zone, you can also rely on some of your spring annuals to stick around for the fall season. In our zone 6a, dracaena indivisa (aka spikes) and marigolds play a role in the garden well into the first frost.
And let us not forget pumpkins and gourds! Combined with flowering plants, leafy vegetables, or wispy grasses, they create the ultimate autumn welcome.
Other good news: you don’t need a ton of plants to have an impact. A few strategically placed pots can transform a home’s exterior spaces. But, by all means, if you have the space, pocketbook, and desire for an over-the-top showcase, then go for it!
(For more autumn inspiration, see what’s inspiring our fall décor this year.)
1. Garden Mums
A favorite among gardeners and gardening enthusiasts, and widely available, these fall gems come in a variety of bright colors. Yellows, reds, pinks, whites, and oranges, they complement any color scheme. They’re striking in a pot or planted en masse directly into the garden.
For a charming display, pair garden mums with pumpkins and gourds, or the beautiful plumes of purple fountain grass.
We love to plant them with the dracaena indivisa planted in our outdoor pots during the spring. These spikes last well into the first frost, so we keep them around to plant with mums and pansies.
2. Pansies
Another stalwart for the fall garden, hardy pansies offer a low-growing carpet of bright color. They prefer a temperature range of 40-60 degrees F (cooler at night and warmer in the daytime), making them optimal choices for autumn planting.
Their colorful petal markings give them a unique appearance and they come in a wide range of color choices.
3. Ornamental Cabbage and Kale
Nestled among other fall plantings, ornamental cabbage and kale offer gorgeous texture and color. Green outer leaves surround compact centers in creams, pinks, purples, or reds.
While both are technically kales, ornamental cabbage has flat, broad leaves, compared to the deeply ruffled leaves of what is commonly known as ornamental kale.
Both are edible, but quite bitter, so it’s best to use them for their visual beauty.
4. Swiss Chard
And speaking of visual beauty, the stalks and leaves of Swiss chard make excellent fall garden choices! We grow Swiss chard for the entire season. It seems to get even better as September arrives.
Not only is Swiss chard beautiful in the garden, it’s also loaded with health benefits, easy to grow, and a tasty addition to soup and stews, or sauteed with onion and garlic.
Try the “Bright Lights,” “Neon Lights,” or “Rainbow” varieties for the most colorful stalks.
5. Lacinato Kale
Also known as dinosaur kale or Tuscan kale, this deep, blue-green variety is as beautiful as it is delicious. An heirloom kale, its distinctive pebbled texture makes it a garden standout.
Growing to heights up to three feet, it makes a grand statement and looks so beautiful with mums, pumpkins, gourds, and grasses.
Lacinato kale is also one of the best for culinary use. It’s tender and has a mild flavor, making it an excellent choice for kale salads, as well as a stir-in to comforting fall soups, stews, and casseroles.
6. Ornamental Peppers
While they may be best suited to warmer climates, I had to include ornamental peppers in this list. The showy little fruits remind me of mini-Christmas ornaments and the saturated colors are perfect for autumn.
Red, orange, yellow, and even purple peppers make these compact plants fun and unexpected additions to the fall garden. Just be sure you’re in a zone that doesn’t get too chilly too quickly!
7. Purple Fountain Grass
The burgundy-hued plumes of purple fountain grass make it one of the most popular of the ornamental grasses. Soft blooms move gently with each breeze, offering color, texture, and movement in the garden.
Technically a tender perennial, purple fountain grass cannot survive winters beyond USDA Zone 7, meaning it’s planted as an annual in anything Zone 6 and lower.
It makes an incredible backdrop for a wide array of fall plantings, including mums, ornamental kale and cabbage, gourds, and pumpkins.
8. Dracaena Indivisa
I mentioned the dracaena indivisa spikes earlier. Commonly planted in spring, when they are widely available at local garden centers, these “thrillers” will last well into October and offer a wonderful contrasting element to fall displays.
If you didn’t plant them in spring, you still may be able to find them. Check out the big box stores, like Lowe’s and Home Depot, or your neighborhood nursery.
9. French Marigolds
Another common spring offering, French marigolds also do well into fall. If you have them in your garden, make them part of your autumn plans!
Perfectly colored for the season, these tough bloomers come in shades of yellow, gold, orange, and red. They’ll flower until the first frost, and their compact nature makes them a great option for planters, borders, or anywhere you need a tidy, low growing plant.
10. Pumpkins & Gourds
Finally, pumpkins and gourds are must-haves for any fall garden. They’re cheerful appearance and amazing variety of shapes and colors usher in the season like nothing else!
In addition to the standard jack-o-lantern pumpkin, mix things up with varieties like Cinderella, Long Island Cheese, and Jarrahdale pumpkins. These heirlooms come in unique colors, and some, like Cinderella and Long Island Cheese are flatter, so they stack nicely. Cinderella is a deep, bright orange, Long Island Cheese is orange to tan, and Jarrahdale is a cool bluish-green hue.
Additionally, if you’re looking to add a white pumpkin to your display, Lumina, Cotton Candy, and Super Moon are fantastic.
