Best Colorful Annuals to Plant in the Fall

Do you want to know the best colorful annuals to plant in the fall? Are your flowerbeds ready for a face lift? Look no further. Nature abounds with rich hues of orange, red, purple, and gold in autumn. Compliment the nature around you and replace those worn out summer annuals with the bright faces of fall, like Gerten’s grown mums, kale, and asters and use gourds, pumpkins and more as great accents. There are several different annuals available to help you create a display that reflects your personal style.

Garden Mums

A classic favorite with many improved cultivars; available in white, yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, coral or even as a mix. Decorative and daisy type flowers. (Considered an annual in Minnesota, to improve chances of winter survival, plant with root stimulator, place in well-drained soil, and mulch well.) Gertens also carries Minnesota hardy mums that are available in yellow, lavender, bronze and orange.

Flowering Kale

Waxy, round or ruffled leafs in showy round heads that get 12" to 18” tall and 15" to 18” wide. Gray- green or rose w/ green. Flowering Kale are the perfect accent to add in with your mums and asters

Herbs

Santolina, Oregano, Rosemary, Hyssop, Caraway, Lavender, Marjoram, Sage, Peppermint, Basil, Thyme, etc. – Herbs can add distinct scents and texture to a container or garden in the fall.

Indian Summer Rudbeckia

An annual version of the popular perennial Black-eyed Susan. Large flower heads, green fuzzy foliage, big, bright yellow blooms. A taller fall blooming plant that works well in containers with mums, kale and asters.

Pansies

Pansies are perfect in the early spring and the fall with their cold weather tolearance. They are great toadd into containers or your annual flower beds for an extra splash of color to freshen up your fall displays. They are 6" to 8” plants that have large faces, they come in a vareity of colors; yellow w/ brown, yellow, white w/ blue, white, burgundy, purple, bronze, or orange.

Pumpkins, Gourds, Squash & More

Use the weird shaped and oddly colored pumpkins, gourds, squash and Indian corn to add great accents and texture to your containers, doorsteps and gardens. Once you've used them as decoration use the pie pumpkins, squash and seeds from the big pumpkins you carved out to bake with and eat!

Perennials

There are several perennials that provide outstanding fall color. Perennials can be a great alternative to annuals for height and texture in the garden as well as in containers. If planted in containers, you can overwinter the perennials by planting them in the ground a few weeks before frost. Grasses, Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea), Sedums, Russian Sage, Joe Pye Weed, Asters, and Blanket Flower are a few examples of perennials that can add character to your containers and gardens.

For some helpful fall decorating tips from Dale K. check out this video.