8 Fall-Blooming Native Plants We Love

By BH&G Garden Editors
Updated October 22, 2019
Matthew Benson
Native across much of North America, these perennials (and one shrub) bloom late in the season and often keep going until frost. Plant them throughout your landscape to extend the floral show, as well as provide food for many pollinators that are still out foraging until winter begins.
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New England Aster

Bill Holt

New England aster bears loads of pink, blue, purple, or white flowers that are great in the vase or in the garden. Butterflies and many other pollinators love it—and we do, too.

Name: Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 6 feet tall

Zones: 4-8

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Goldenrod

Fall wouldn't be nearly as cheery without the yellow flowers of goldenrod brightening up the landscape. And despite the common misconception, goldenrod is not a source of seasonal allergies (ragweed, which blooms at the same time, is the real culprit).

Name: Solidago rugosa

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 4 feet tall

Zones: 4-9

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Fall Power Perennials

Late-blooming perennials are a must for the fall garden. See these tough plants that power through summer's heat for a strong finish.

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Perennial Sunflower

While most gardeners are familiar with the big-blooming annual sunflowers, perennial species are every bit as beautiful. 'Lemon Queen', for example, produces gorgeous creamy-yellow blooms in late summer and early fall.

Name: Helianthus maximilianii

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 8 feet tall

Zones: 4-9

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Helenium

Peter Krumhardt

Part of a great group of native plants in the daisy family, helenium offers cheery yellow, orange, or red blooms at the end of the season. And despite its common name of sneezeweed, it won't aggravate your allergies. It is so named because the flowers were made into snuff in the past, used to induce sneezing to clear out congestion.

Name: Helenium autumnale

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 5 feet tall

Zones: 4-8

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Turtlehead

A fun plant with a fun name, turtlehead earned its moniker because of the shape of its purplish-pink or white blooms. It also has lustrous, glossy green foliage that looks great until frost.

Name: Chelone glabra

Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist soil

Size: To 3 feet tall

Zones: 4-9

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Amazing Asters

Asters are fuss-free additions to the fall garden. Learn how to use them to best effect.

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Mexican Sage

We love Mexican sage for its downy, white stems, gray-green willowy leaves, and spikes of purple flowers that attract hummingbirds. It is native to warmer regions of the U.S. but can be grown as an annual in colder areas where it isn't hardy.

Name: Salvia leucantha

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 4 feet tall

Zones: 10-11

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Witch Hazel

Dency Kane

Common witch hazel contributes color late in the season with both its spidery yellow flowers and wonderful golden-yellow fall foliage. It's especially great for brightening up a shady garden when most other plants are winding down for winter.

Name: Hamamelis virginiana

Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade

Size: To 12 feet tall and wide

Zones: 3-8

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Anise Hyssop

Marty Baldwin

This tough, drought-tolerant perennial looks beautiful for months in summer and fall. That's when anise hyssop is covered with spikes of lavender-blue, licorice-scented flowers that pollinators love.

Name: Agastache foeniculum

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 5 feet tall

Zones: 4-9

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