Skip to content

Top Navigation

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Home
  • Garden
  • Holidays
  • Videos
  • current issue
  • Sweepstakes
  • Road Rally

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Midwest Living

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 14 Fresh Places to Eat, Drink, Play & Stay This Summer

      14 Fresh Places to Eat, Drink, Play & Stay This Summer

      Hot off the minds of Midwest travel writers: a fresh look at where to eat, drink, play and stay around the region. Read More
    • Out Now: Best of the Midwest 2022

      Out Now: Best of the Midwest 2022

      Find your summer adventure with our new bookazine, available now in the magazine store! Read More
    • This Family's Garden Farm is a Nature-Filled Paradise

      This Family's Garden Farm is a Nature-Filled Paradise

      On land passed down through generations, a Wisconsin family experiences—and shares—the glory of gardening. Read More
  • Travel

    Travel

    See All Travel
    Urban-Pop Art, a New Boutique Hotel and More—Here's What to See and Do in Fort Wayne Right Now

    Urban-Pop Art, a New Boutique Hotel and More—Here's What to See and Do in Fort Wayne Right Now

    On a trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana, catch a colorful wave of fresh development, plus a new hotel from the cofounder of Vera Bradley.
    • Weekend Getaways
    • Family Travel
    • Around the Region
    • Beyond the Region
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Michigan
    • Minnesota
    • Missouri
    • Nebraska
    • North Dakota
    • Ohio
    • South Dakota
    • Wisconsin
    • Free Travel Info
  • Food

    Food

    See All Food
    Mango Toast with Prosciutto

    Mango Toast with Prosciutto

    • Comfort Foods
    • Desserts & Baking
    • Breakfast
    • Quick & Easy
    • Chicken
    • Soups & Stews
    • Midwest Favorites
    • Fruits & Vegetables
    • Fish
    • Grilling
  • Home

    Home

    See All Home
    5 Clever Tips for Repurposing a Potting Bench as a Bar Cart 

    5 Clever Tips for Repurposing a Potting Bench as a Bar Cart 

    With smart accessorizing, a potting bench becomes a celebration station for summer soirees.
    • Quick Decorating
    • Featured Homes
    • Organizing & Storage
    • Outdoor Living
    • Seasonal Decorating
    • Room Decorating
  • Garden

    Garden

    See All Garden
    Expert Tips for Growing a Window Box Garden

    Expert Tips for Growing a Window Box Garden

    Casey Lawrence’s lush window boxes were a revelation to her online followers. Use her tips to grow your own.
    • Container Gardens
    • Flowers
    • Featured Gardens
    • Midwest Gardening Calendar
    • Garden Ideas & Inspiration
  • Holidays

    Holidays

    See All Holidays
    Festive 4th of July Dessert Recipes

    Festive 4th of July Dessert Recipes

    Get out your red, white and blue for these patriotic dessert recipes.
    • Easter
    • July 4th
    • Thanksgiving
    • Halloween
    • Christmas
    • Valentine's Day
  • Videos

    Videos

    See All Videos
    These DIY Orange Beeswax Candles Will Make Your Home Smell Amazing

    These DIY Orange Beeswax Candles Will Make Your Home Smell Amazing

    Don't toss those orange peels! Instead, use them as vessels for our super-simple and fragrant candles.
    • Brighten Your Front Door with This Colorful Easter Egg Wreath
    • These DIY Orange Beeswax Candles Will Make Your Home Smell Amazing
    • Ring in the New Year with This Glam Star Garland
    • How to Make a Modern Fruit Cake Box
    • An Eye-Catching Oval Treat Box You Can Make
    • Make a Colorful Paper Raffia Wreath to Welcome Fall
    • How to Make a Dried Floral Arrangement
    • How to Make an Easy Pina Colada
    • How to Make an Amazing Pavlova
    • How to Make Pumpkin-Spice Icebox Cake
    • How to Make an All-Butter Pie Crust
  • current issue

    current issue

    See All current issue
    Midwest Living's Best of the Midwest Winners 2022

    Midwest Living's Best of the Midwest Winners 2022

    • March/April 2022 Issue
    • January/February 2022 Issue
    • November/December 2021 Issue
    • September/October 2021 Issue
    • July/August 2021 Issue
    • May/June 2021 Issue
    • Summer 2022 Issue
  • Sweepstakes
  • Road Rally

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Midwest Living
  2. Garden
  3. Flowers
  4. Grow the Best-Looking Fall Garden Ever

Grow the Best-Looking Fall Garden Ever

June 01, 2012
Skip gallery slides
Pin
More fall gardening ideas
These flowers, grasses and other plants will add a burst of color and life to your fall landscape.
Start Slideshow

1 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

The colors of fall

The colors of fall

Summer has its dazzle, but some gardens' true colors come out in fall. Check out our ideas for beautiful fall plants.Viburnums look great when they bloom in spring, but they're also eye-catching in the fall. One of the best viburnums for fall display in the Midwest is American cranberry bush (Viburnum trilobum, left), which bears clusters of ruby-red fruits. Zones 2-7. Another fall garden beauty is arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum), which has clusters of blue-black fruits. Zones 3-8.

1 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Ornamental kale

Ornamental kale

Kale (Brassica oleracea) is a showy plant that thrives in cool temperatures. Plant it in early fall for rich color throughout the season; color will intensify with the first few frosts. Leaves range from pink and purple to green and white; leaf shape can be ruffled, curly or flat. Ornamental cabbage is similar and can be mixed with ornamental kale in a bed or container. Both like full sun and are grown as annuals in the Midwest.

2 of 15

3 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Northern sea oats

Northern sea oats

This ornamental grass has distinctive flat, drooping seed heads that emerge green but darken to purple-brown by late summer. Northern sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) grow well in full sun to partial shade and typically reach a height of 2-3 feet. The foliage provides winter interest in the landscape and also can be used inside for dried flower arrangements. Zones 5-9.

3 of 15

Advertisement

4 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Ornamental peppers

Ornamental peppers

Ornamental peppers (Capsicum annuum) turn orange, red, white, yellow or purple to spice up fall in the kitchen garden. The colorful annuals like sun and well-drained soil. While technically they are edible, ornamental peppers are grown for their pretty color and not for their taste. Note that they are very hot--wear gloves if you have to handle the fruit.

4 of 15

5 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Turtlehead

Turtlehead

Chelone plants are called turtleheads because the tubular flowers look like the heads of snapping turtles. This perennial does well in wet, rich soil and prefers partial shade. Plants grow 2-3 feet high and bear pink, rose or white flowers. Zones 4-9.

5 of 15

6 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Sedum

Sedum

Hardy sedums are a reliable bloomer found in many Midwest gardens. Plant size, flower color and bloom time vary; popular types for early fall include 'Autumn Joy' (left), 'Frosty Morn', 'Purple Emperor' and 'Meteor.' 'Autumn Joy', especially, is a classic--it grows about 2 feet tall, with flowers that open as dusty pink, then turn rust as they age.For more details on the best sedums and other succulents for the Midwest, click on the link below.10 Top Succulents for the Midwest

6 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Aster

Aster

Asters are charming, classic fall flowers. Aster 'Purple Dome' is disease-resistant and grows 2 feet tall with purple-violet blooms. You'll find asters in shades of pink, blue, purple or white; they vary in height from 1 to 5 feet. Hardiness also varies, but most common types, including 'Purple Dome', are hardy in Zones 4-8.

7 of 15

8 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Beautyberry

Beautyberry

Beautyberry (Callicarpa) lives up to its name come autumn, when its branches are covered in violet-purple fruits. 'Profusion' boasts loads of purple berries on a 6-foot-tall shrub; 'Early Amethyst' bears purple fruits on a compact 4-foot-tall shrub. Zones 5-9.

8 of 15

9 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Russian sage

Russian sage

Russian sage makes a dramatic statement in the fall garden, with aromatic, silvery foliage topped by lavender-blue flowers. A favorite of butterflies, Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) can grow to 5 feet, though dwarf varieties such as 'Little Spire' stay closer to 2 feet tall. Zones 5-9.

9 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Monkshood

Monkshood

Monkshood (Aconitum carmichaelii) accents a late-season garden with spikes of purple-blue flowers and finely divided foliage. It grows best in partial shade and moist but well-drained soil. Zones 3-7.

10 of 15

11 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Joe Pye weed

Joe Pye weed

A fantastic choice for the back of the border, Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium) is an imposing plant. In late summer and early autumn, it's topped by clusters of lavender, mauve or white flowers. The plants grow 5 feet or more. Zones 3-9.

11 of 15

12 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Black-eyed Susan

Black-eyed Susan

Long a favorite for its masses of sunny yellow blooms and low care requirements, black-eye Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida) blooms from late summer to autumn. 'Goldsturm' is a popular, award-winning variety. Most black-eyed Susans grow 3 feet tall and prefer full sun and well-drained soil. Zones 4-9.

12 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Toad lily

Toad lily

A favorite for shady gardens, toad lily (Tricyrtis) offers beautiful blooms at the end of the season. Many varieties have speckled flowers, but 'Tojen' (left) is a more refined, pale lavender-purple variety. 'White Towers' has beautiful white flowers. Most toad lilies grow about 2 feet tall. 'Tojen' and 'White Towers' are hardy in Zones 4-8.

13 of 15

14 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Anemone

Anemone

There are more than 200 types of anemone, but one of the most dramatic for the fall garden is Japanese anemone (Anemone x hybrida, shown at left). A towering specimen--to 5 feet--it bears loads of pink or white flowers from late summer to autumn. 'Honorine Jobert' is a favorite; it has beautiful clear white flowers with golden yellow stamens. Anemone can be a bit of a thug, as the roots like to run, but the masses of flowers are worth it. Zones 4-8.

14 of 15

15 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

More fall gardening ideas

More fall gardening ideas

Click below for more Midwest fall gardening ideas and tips.

15 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 15 The colors of fall
    2 of 15 Ornamental kale
    3 of 15 Northern sea oats
    4 of 15 Ornamental peppers
    5 of 15 Turtlehead
    6 of 15 Sedum
    7 of 15 Aster
    8 of 15 Beautyberry
    9 of 15 Russian sage
    10 of 15 Monkshood
    11 of 15 Joe Pye weed
    12 of 15 Black-eyed Susan
    13 of 15 Toad lily
    14 of 15 Anemone
    15 of 15 More fall gardening ideas

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    Midwest Living

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Contact Us
    • Help
    • Free Newsletters this link opens in a new tab
    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
    • Renew this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Affiliate Program
    • Free Travel Info this link opens in a new tab
    • Special Promotions this link opens in a new tab
    • Sweepstakes this link opens in a new tab
    • Video
    • Home Advisor this link opens in a new tab
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Sign Up
    MeredithMidwest Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Midwest Living. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.midwestliving.com

    Sign in

    View image

    Grow the Best-Looking Fall Garden Ever
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.