What Blooms in September

Borage

Star-shaped electric blue flowers that bees go absolutely wild for. Self-sows freely.

Celosia

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

Cleome

Spider-flower with whisker-like stamens and airy blooms. Tall, dramatic annual that self-sows freely.

Flowering Tobacco

Tubular flowers that release sweet fragrance at dusk. A cottage garden classic that attracts moths and hummingbirds.

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.

Blue Grama Grass

Short clumping grass with distinctive eyebrow-shaped seed heads thrives in dry soils.

Cardinal Flower

Screaming scarlet spikes. The most vivid red in the native plant world.

Catmint

Billowy lavender-blue haze that blooms all season if you shear it back.

Clematis

The queen of flowering vines. Over 300 species, something for every spot.

Coneflower

Tough prairie native with long bloom season and medicinal history.

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.

Liatris

Blazing star. Spikes that bloom unusually from top to bottom.

Marigold

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

Morning Glory

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

Pardon Me Daylily

Compact cranberry-red with a yellow-green throat and one of the best reblooming habits in the entire family.

Petunia

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

Pickerelweed

Spikes of violet-blue flowers above glossy arrow-shaped leaves. Native pond and stream bank staple.

Rose

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

Salvia

Vertical flower spikes that hummingbirds and bees cannot resist.

Sedum

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

Snapdragon

Vertical flower spikes with squeeze-open blooms. Kids love them.

Stella de Oro Daylily

The most planted perennial in America. Compact, reblooming, and basically indestructible.

Sunflower

Pure joy on a stalk. Birds love the seeds, kids love the spectacle.

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.

Tickseed

Cheerful native daisy that blooms for months with almost no care.

Yarrow

Flat-topped clusters on ferny foliage. Thrives on neglect in poor soil.

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.

Cat's Meow Catmint

Tidy, dome-shaped habit that never flops open. Stays compact without shearing.

Cheyenne Spirit Coneflower

A rainbow mix of coneflower colors from a single seed strain. Every plant is a surprise.

False Sunflower

Cheerful golden-yellow daisies that bloom for months on a tough native perennial. The sunniest, most reliable workhorse in the border.

Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan

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

Happy Returns Daylily

Lemon-yellow rebloomer with light fragrance. A bit taller than Stella with softer color.

Immortality Iris

Reliable rebloomer with pure white ruffled falls. Blooms spring, then again in fall.

Little Bluestem

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

Obedient Plant

Spikes of snapdragon-like flowers that can be pushed and stay where moved, earning a very literal common name.

Powwow Wild Berry Coneflower

Deep rose-purple petals and a bronzy cone on a compact reblooming plant that won't sprawl.

Prairie Dropseed

Fine-textured mounds send up airy fragrant flower sprays that persist into winter.

Red Hot Returns Daylily

Brilliant red with a small yellow center, compact and one of the earliest daylilies to kick into rebloom.

Rosy Returns Daylily

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

Thread-Leaf Coreopsis

Thread-fine foliage and masses of tiny yellow stars bloom for months with zero effort. A perennial you can actually neglect.

Trumpet Vine

Aggressive native vine with fiery trumpets. Hummingbird highway.

Vintage Wine Coneflower

Wine-purple petals that age to rose on a robust, well-branched plant. One of the most floriferous echinacea you can grow.

Walker's Low Catmint

Perennial Plant of the Year. Billowy lavender-blue spikes that rebloom hard after a shear.

Water Lily

Floating jewels that transform any pond. Pads provide shade for fish while flowers dazzle above.

White Swan Coneflower

Pure white drooping petals around a bronze-orange cone. Elegant and underused.

Anise Hyssop

Lavender-blue spikes with licorice-scented foliage. A pollinator powerhouse that blooms for months.

Aster

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

Bobo Hydrangea

Dwarf paniculata smothered in blooms. Perfect front-of-border plant that needs almost no care.

Butterfly Bush

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

California Poppy

Golden cups that carpet hillsides across the state. Closes at night and on cloudy days.

Chrysanthemum

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

Compass Plant

Tall stems with large yellow daisies tower over deeply cut basal leaves that align north-south.

Coral Honeysuckle

Non-invasive native honeysuckle with brilliant coral-red tubular flowers that hummingbirds hover at for months.

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.

Endless Summer Hydrangea

Reblooms on old and new wood, so you get flowers even after a harsh winter. Color shifts with soil pH.

Ernest Markham Clematis

Magenta-red flowers with brown anthers that bloom late when others have faded. A solid, underappreciated red clematis.

Fountain Grass

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

Garden Phlox

Billowing clusters of fragrant summer color. A butterfly magnet.

Great Blue Lobelia

Intense blue flower spikes that hummingbirds and bumblebees fight over in late summer. The bolder, taller cousin of cardinal flower.

Hardy Hibiscus

Dinner-plate blooms up to 12 inches across on a native perennial that dies to the ground and returns bigger each year.

Helenium

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

Hot Papaya Coneflower

Fiery double blooms like tiny orange dahlias on a coneflower. A showstopper that earns every bit of the hype.

Hydrangea

Massive mophead blooms that shift color with soil pH. Showstoppers.

Ice Plant

Neon-bright daisy flowers that shimmer in the sun over succulent foliage. Thrives in hot, dry rock gardens.

Indian Grass

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

Joe-Pye Weed

Towering native with mauve domes that butterflies swarm in late summer.

Knock Out Rose

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

Limelight Hydrangea

Cone-shaped blooms open chartreuse, mature to white, then blush pink in fall. Tough as nails.

Little Lime Hydrangea

Compact Limelight. Same color show in a smaller package perfect for borders and containers.

Luna Red Hibiscus

Compact variety with enormous crimson blooms that stays tidy enough for a large container.

Magnus Coneflower

The gold standard coneflower. Flat, non-drooping petals around a bold copper cone. Perennial Plant of the Year.

Mexican Hat

Distinctive sombrero-like flowers sway on wiry stems in summer prairies.

Miscanthus

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

Northern Sea Oats

Flat seed heads dangle from arching stems and dance in the slightest wind. The best native grass for shade.

Northwind Switchgrass

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

Pinky Winky Hydrangea

Two-tone blooms with white tips and pink bases. Strong stems hold heavy flower heads upright.

Polish Spirit Clematis

Deep violet-purple flowers cover a vigorous plant from midsummer to fall. Prune hard each spring and stand back.

PowWow Wild Berry Coneflower

Compact, heavily branched, and smothered in deep rose-purple blooms. Reblooms without deadheading.

Prairie Dock

Huge basal leaves and tall stalks topped with yellow daisies give strong prairie structure.

Prairie Sky Switchgrass

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

Quick Fire Hydrangea

Blooms a full month before other paniculatas. White cones age to deep rosy pink by fall.

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.

Sideoats Grama

Seed heads hang like tiny flags along one side of the stem on this graceful, drought-tolerant prairie native.

Sweet Autumn Clematis

Explosive late-summer bloom of thousands of tiny fragrant white flowers. Vigorous to a fault.

The President Clematis

Big, rich violet-blue flowers with silvery reverse petals rebloom through the season on a vigorous, reliable plant.

Turtlehead

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

Agastache

Licorice-scented foliage and tubular orange-pink flowers that hummingbirds and butterflies find irresistible. Thrives on neglect.

Bloom-a-Thon Azalea

Repeat-blooming azalea with waves of color spring through fall. Evergreen in mild climates.

Bloomerang Lilac

Blooms in spring, then reblooms summer through frost. Compact habit with classic lilac fragrance.

Desert Marigold

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

Double Delight Rose

Creamy white petals blush to strawberry red at the edges. Knockout fragrance matches the looks.

Emily McKenzie Crocosmia

Bold orange blooms with red throats appear on graceful arching stems in late summer.

Encore Autumn Azalea

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

Giant Coneflower

Towering stems with dramatically elongated cones rise above huge blue-green paddle leaves. An architectural native that commands attention.

Graham Thomas Rose

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

Henryi Clematis

Large, pure white flowers with dark brown anthers rebloom in fall. Elegant, classic, and undeniably refined.

Indian Summer Rudbeckia

Massive 6-9 inch golden daisies on a short-lived plant. Bigger and bolder than perennial black-eyed susans.

Jackmanii Clematis

The classic large-flowered clematis since 1858. Deep violet-purple blooms cover the vine midsummer.

Japanese Anemone

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

Japanese Forest Grass

Arching variegated leaves form graceful cascades and brighten shady spots.

Japanese Painted Fern

Silver and burgundy fronds unlike any other fern. Foliage plant that earns its keep on color alone.

Maiden Grass

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

Monkshood

Deep indigo-blue hooded flowers on tall spikes in late summer. One of the few genuinely blue flowers that grows in shade.

Morning Light Miscanthus

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

Nelly Moser Clematis

Pale pink petals with a darker pink bar down the center. Prefers some shade to prevent color fading.

New Dawn Climbing Rose

The world's most popular climbing rose. Soft blush pink, sweetly fragrant, and remarkably vigorous.

Ostrich Fern

Tall vase-shaped fronds that unfurl from fiddleheads in spring. Spreads to form dramatic colonies.

Pink Muhly Grass

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

Rose Mallow

Enormous pale pink blooms up to 12 inches across on a wetland-loving native. Grow near a pond and you'll never look back.

Sea Holly

Metallic blue bracts and cones turn the whole plant a vivid silvery-blue. Otherworldly and completely drought-proof.

Stokes Aster

Fringed, shaggy-petaled flowers in shades of cornflower blue that bloom for weeks on a tough Southern native.

Tall Phlox David

Pure white fragrant phlox with the best mildew resistance in the species. A reliable, clean performer for the late-summer garden.

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.

Chaste Tree

Long lavender-blue spikes cover this heat-loving shrub all summer. One of the few shrubs that actually blooms in August.

Crape Myrtle

The tree of the South. Months of crinkled blooms and gorgeous peeling bark.

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.

Tuberose

Tall summer spikes of waxy white blooms release powerful evening fragrance.

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.