What Blooms in October

Celosia

Flame-shaped or crested flowers in electric colors that dry beautifully. Heat lovers that thrive in summer.

Scarlet Sage

Electric red spikes that hummingbirds zero in on. Common bedding plant that earns its spot every year.

Black-Eyed Susan

Golden prairie workhorse that lights up late summer meadows.

Blanket Flower

Fiery bicolor pinwheels that bloom nonstop in the worst heat and soil.

Cosmos

Airy, dancing flowers on thread-thin stems. Effortless cottage garden charm.

Dahlia

Endless forms from dinner-plate to pompom. The obsession of flower farmers.

Drift Rose

Groundcover rose that stays low and spreads wide. Tough, disease-resistant, and constantly in bloom.

Goldenrod

Wrongly blamed for allergies. A vital late-season pollinator magnet.

Impatiens

The shade annual champion. Flowers prolifically where nothing else will.

Marigold

Bulletproof color all season long. The workhorse of warm-toned borders.

Morning Glory

Fast-climbing vine with trumpets that open fresh every morning.

Petunia

Cascading color for containers and beds. Blooms nonstop until frost.

Rose

The queen of the garden. Modern varieties are surprisingly low-maintenance.

Sedum

Succulent leaves, tough as nails. Ages to deep crimson in autumn.

Sweet Alyssum

Honey-scented carpet of tiny flowers. The best living edging plant.

Switchgrass

Upright native grass with airy seed heads. Gold and red fall color.

Zinnia

Easy-grow annual with electric colors. Cut-and-come-again champion.

American Gold Rush Black-Eyed Susan

Narrow, fuzzy foliage resists the leaf spot that plagues Goldsturm. A worthy upgrade.

Autumn Joy Sedum

Broccoli-like heads open pink and age to copper-bronze. Four-season interest, zero maintenance.

Big Bluestem

The signature grass of the tallgrass prairie, turning copper-bronze in fall with distinctive turkey-foot seed heads.

Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan

The gold standard rudbeckia. Uniform, floriferous, and utterly reliable in any soil.

Little Bluestem

Upright clumps turn coppery orange in fall and stand well through winter.

Rosy Returns Daylily

Soft rose-pink blooms with a cream throat that keep coming from late spring to frost, absolutely tireless.

Aster

The grand finale of the garden season. Essential for fall pollinators.

Butterfly Bush

Long, arching flower wands that butterflies absolutely lose their minds over.

Chrysanthemum

The fall icon. Mounds of color when everything else is fading.

Don Juan Climbing Rose

Deep velvety red climber with classic rose fragrance. Repeats reliably on a strong, vigorous plant.

Double Knock Out Rose

Fuller, double-petaled version of the Knock Out. Same bulletproof performance with more petal count.

Fountain Grass

Arching, bottlebrush plumes that catch the light. Movement in the garden.

Helenium

Warm-toned daisy-like flowers with raised centers bloom as summer turns to fall. Loves moist soil.

Indian Grass

Golden-orange fall color and shimmering flower spikes make this tall prairie native one of autumn's best performers.

Knock Out Rose

The rose that changed everything. Disease-resistant, self-cleaning, and blooms nonstop from spring to frost.

Miscanthus

Tall, graceful plumes that persist through winter. Living architecture.

Native Witch Hazel

Spidery yellow flowers and intoxicating clove fragrance on bare branches in late fall. The last native shrub to bloom each year.

Northwind Switchgrass

Stiffly upright blue-green foliage that never flops. The most architectural switchgrass available.

Prairie Sky Switchgrass

The bluest foliage of any switchgrass, with airy pink seed clouds drifting above in late summer.

Rose of Sharon

Tropical-looking hibiscus flowers on a cold-hardy shrub. Blooms late.

Russian Sage

Airy lavender clouds on silver stems. Thrives in heat and poor soil.

Shenandoah Switchgrass

Compact selection that turns vivid burgundy-red in late summer earlier than any other switchgrass.

Showy Goldenrod

Upright spikes of bright yellow flowers feed late-season pollinators on dry prairies.

Turtlehead

Snapdragon-like flowers shaped exactly like a turtle's head. Loves wet feet.

Desert Marigold

Cheerful desert wildflower that blooms almost year-round in warm climates. Thrives on neglect.

Encore Autumn Azalea

Spring blooms plus a full fall encore. Multiple color options in the Encore series.

Graham Thomas Rose

Rich golden-yellow cups with an intense tea rose fragrance. David Austin's most famous creation.

Japanese Anemone

Graceful, swaying blooms on tall stems. Elegant in partial shade.

Maiden Grass

Narrow arching foliage creates elegant vase shapes topped with coppery pink plumes in fall.

Morning Light Miscanthus

Fine white-edged foliage shimmers in morning light, then silver plumes arch above in fall.

Pink Muhly Grass

Billowing pink seed clouds float over fine foliage in autumn and remain attractive dried.

Tall Verbena

Wiry stems topped with purple clusters that butterflies can't resist. See-through plant for layering.

Toad Lily

Orchid-like spotted flowers when everything else is done. A late-season shade garden gem.

Zebra Grass

Horizontal yellow bands cross the blades in a pattern unique among ornamental grasses. Bold and architectural.

Lantana

Multi-colored flower clusters that bloom relentlessly in brutal heat.

Rozanne Geranium

Violet-blue saucer flowers on a sprawling mound that blooms from late spring until frost. The most awarded perennial geranium in history.

Sweet Olive

Small clustered flowers perfume the garden with an apricot-like scent over a long season.

Turk's Cap

Nodding red hibiscus flowers that never fully open are pure hummingbird candy across the Gulf South.

Wax Begonia

Glossy leaves and nonstop flowers in sun or shade. One of the most reliable bedding plants anywhere.

Angel's Trumpet

Huge pendant trumpets release intense evening fragrance over a long warm-season bloom.

Bougainvillea

Explosive cascades of papery bracts. Covers walls and fences in color.

Calibrachoa

Mini petunias that bloom nonstop in hanging baskets. Dozens of color options and no deadheading needed.

California Fuchsia

Low mounds of gray foliage are covered in tubular red-orange flowers in late summer.

Hawaiian Hibiscus

Large tropical blooms in vivid colors appear repeatedly from spring through fall.

Mandevilla

Glossy vines are covered in showy trumpet flowers from early summer to frost in warm climates.

Meyer Lemon

Sweetly scented white blossoms appear intermittently year-round and set thin-skinned lemons.

Pelargonium

The classic window-box geranium. Ball-shaped flower clusters above scalloped leaves. Tough container staple.

Pink Dipladenia

Bushy form with glossy foliage and abundant pink trumpets suited to pots and borders.

Purple Fountain Grass

Burgundy foliage topped with fuzzy rose-colored plumes. Stunning in containers where it's treated as an annual in cold climates.

Bird of Paradise

Sculptural, crane-like flowers in orange and blue. Unmistakable.

Pink Plumeria

Clusters of pink, sweetly scented blooms cover this classic tropical tree in summer.

Plumeria

Intoxicatingly fragrant tropical blooms. The flower of Hawaiian leis.

White Plumeria

Highly fragrant white flowers with yellow centers appear in clusters on succulent branches.