Plant Combinations for an Incredible Fall Display

The dramatic seasonal changes of fall always bring about spectacular color. We’re all familiar with the vibrant colors among our trees, but there are many annuals and perennials that bloom this time of year as well. Here are some autumn beauties you can combine into beautiful displays for the fall!

Coneflower – Stonecrop – Russian Sage 

Coneflower is a native prairie wildflower that’s renowned for its late-season blossoms. They bloom profusely from late summer through September with vibrant varieties of yellow, orange, red, white, and, most famously, purple.

Stonecrop, a type of sedum, is one of the rare cold hardy succulents that thrive in our climate outside year-round. The emerald green leaves unfurl clusters of pink flowers from late summer until the frost hits, giving pollinators a feast through the fall.

Russian sage’s feathery indigo flowers and silver-green foliage make a handsome complement to stonecrop and coneflower. Like blue shadows in an impressionistic painting, they make the warm colors of other flowers more vibrant and round out this beautiful trio of fall-blooming perennials.

Chrysanthemums – Pansies – Japanese Anemone 

Chrysanthemums, also known as “mums,” are one of the most famous fall-blooming annuals. Dense displays of yellow, pink, and many other colors will make your front porch seem like spring again. Originally bred in Asia since ancient times, they’re primarily grown as annuals, but a few varieties are cold-hardy to our Zone 7 climate.

Pansies are another well-known annual that blooms through the fall. You might have enjoyed them earlier this spring. Conditions become right for them again in the fall as the weather cools down. They have multi-colored petals of burgundy and yellow, purple and orange, and many other classic combinations that blend beautifully with mums.

Japanese anemone is a fall-blooming perennial that mixes well with both of these autumn annuals. It starts blooming with luscious pink buttercups in late summer and keeps up the show through October and even in November, depending on the weather. These three combine into another gorgeous trio that provides lasting flowers through the autumn months.

Black-Eyed Susan – New England Aster – Little Bluestem 

The black-eyed Susan is another well-loved personality of the latter months of the growing season. They’ll bring a procession of pollinators to your yard with their gold flowers and pollen-laden black centers. This wildflower is native across the continent, including on the Atlantic Coast.

The New England aster is another wildflower that’s at home in Virginia and Maryland and one of the many native perennials that provide late-season blooms. They bring dozens of daisy-like flowers with purple, lavender, or indigo petals to form a perfect pairing to the sunny persona of black-eyed Susans.

Little bluestem is a native grass with tall stalks of tan leaves that flush copper-orange in the fall. They’ll make the wildflowers above look right at home in your garden and bring both texture and fall color that you can only find from tall grasses. The combination of vibrant yellow and purple petals brought together with auburn stalks of grass make this trio another beautiful fall combination.

Mix and Match 

These are three beautiful combinations, but they are by no means the only blends that can bring color to your garden this fall. You can mix and match these plants in any way you like or flex your creativity by finding your own combinations of fall-blooming perennials and annuals. Fall flowers are great for boosting your curb appeal, especially with trick-or-treaters coming soon! Whatever you choose, the flowers in your garden will compliment the changing leaves on shrubs, trees, and other grasses.

To see our entire palette of fall annuals, perennials, and other noteworthy plants, feel free to visit our Greenstreet Gardens in Alexandria, Belle Haven, and Lothian!