Planting for Fall Color: Shrubs, Perennials, and Grasses That Shine in Autumn

Extend your garden’s colorful splendor until frost with late-season bloomers and fruiting shrubs. Try these two standout plants for a kaleidoscope of autumn color.

Foliage isn’t the only star. Viburnum opulus ‘Compactum’ bears gleaming red fruits among leaves that turn brilliant red in fall. Berries persist into winter, perfect for frosty bouquets. White flowers cover branches in late spring. This compact shrub reaches only 5 feet at maturity.

Beautyberry (Callicarpa) offers irresistible purple (or white) berries tucked among yellow fall foliage. Pink flowers appear in late summer. Easy to grow and hardy to –20°F. For best fruiting, plant several bushes together.

Use the list below to cast a colorful spell in your garden. Check with local nurseries for hardiness in your area.

Plant Name: Achillea (yarrow) Description: perennial; gold, pink, white flowers Where to grow for best effect: needs full sun; plant in drifts for meadow effect; dries well

Plant Name: Ceratostigma Description: blue-flowered perennial; red leaves in fall Where to grow for best effect: use as ground cover; perfect planted over bulbs

Plant Name: Helenium Description: perennial; daisylike; rich tones Where to grow for best effect: place toward back of border; pair with ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum

Plant Name: Goodness Grows Description: deep blue blooms May to October Where to grow for best effect: pair with pink dianthus and coreopsis for season-long color

Plant Name: Cimicifuga simplex Description: 3-foot perennial; white bottlebrush plumes Where to grow for best effect: sun/part shade; green fruits follow blooms in October

Plant Name: Spodiopogon sibericus Description: spike grass; bamboolike; burgundy in fall Where to grow for best effect: hits 3 feet in sun or part shade; pair with asters, artemisia

Plant Name: Celastrus (bittersweet) Description: deciduous vine; orange-red berries in fall Where to grow for best effect: full sun for most berries; need male and female plants for fruit

Plant Name: Serviceberry Description: deciduous shrub to 25-foot tree; red leaves fall Where to grow for best effect: sun for best fall color; white flowers spring; red berries fall