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As leaves float to the ground revealing tree trunks and woody stems you might be asking yourself what fall blooming flowers can I plant in my garden to keep the colour amidst the browning leaves and a backdrop of bluegrey skies? 

Perhaps you’ve been grocery shopping and have seen a large display of fall Mums and thought that might make a vibrant fall display. You’d be correct - they’re beautiful, tightly flowered colour bombs! But what you may not know is that for all the beauty they have to offer, none of it extends to our small friends - the pollinators.

Pollinator-friendly plants support bees, butterflies, moths, insects and birds. These species are essential for biodiversity. Broken down, biodiversity is biological diversity, which at its core is the variety of all life on Earth. In other words, it’s important. For a visual of what a biodiverse backyard can feel like, immerse yourself in this: A Visualization of Biodiversity. 

The good news is, as much as big box stores might have you believing that Mums are the only fall plant available with their monopolistic displays, that is simply not the case. You can have fall colour and support pollinators, and even better you can do so with perennials so they return each year. 

Here are 5 fall blooming flowers that rival hardy mums in beauty and function.

New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)

Low maintenance and forgiving, this bright purple perennial plant grows anywhere from 3-6 feet tall in partial shade to full shade and rich, moist soil. More sun, more height. 

The saturated purple flowers pair strikingly with Stiff Goldenrod, which can also provide stability to the sometimes floppy nature of aster when it grows tall. To prevent flopping, pair it with a low-growing plant to increase root competition and structure.

Smooth Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve)

Blooming into November, Smooth Blue Aster is one of the latest blooming native perennials, making it an essential food source for pollinators, including; native bees, butterflies as they migrate south, and birds as a late-season seed source.

Easy to grow, adaptable, with frost-hardy lavender-coloured flowers, it thrives in full sun and well-draining soil but can withstand less-than-ideal conditions. It reaches up to 5 feet and does well with root competition to maintain its upright structure.

White Wood Aster (Eurybia divaricata)

Unlike its bluey-purple relatives above, this hardy and shade-tolerant plant produces white, wispy star-like flowers, and a dense spindly structure, making it a great addition to a more naturalistic, informal garden. In addition to being a late season pollinator plant its bushy structure makes it a great shelter option for small wildlife. 

Growing up to 3 feet tall, ideal conditions include well-drained rich soils, and dry and shaded areas, such as under tree canopies. Though, its adaptability allows it to grow in rocky soils also.  

White Wood Aster was designated as a threatened species in 1995 and has since seen a revival with its status changing to Special Concern as of 2023. Planting White Wood Aster in your garden will prevent this species from once again becoming threatened due to habitat loss and degradation.

Bluestem Goldenrod (Solidago caesia)

This is not what makes you sneeze in fall. Goldenrod has long been mistaken for Ragweed because they bloom around the same time and some varieties of goldenrod commonly found along roads, ditches, and farmfields have a similar structure as its allergy-inducing counterpart. 

Bluestem Goldenrod grows up to 3 feet tall in partial shade to full shade. It prefers moist soil that includes sand, loam, and clay but also performs well in rocky soils. This elegantly arching plant gets its name from the bluey-purple stems that provide a beautiful contrast to the bright yellow blooms it shows off in August and September. 

Depending on your growing conditions see also: Zigzag Goldenrod which thrives in shade, Stiff Goldenrod, and Showy Goldenrod.

Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia Fulgida)

Resilient and long bloomers, pollinators flock to these vibrant yellow flowers from mid July to October, sometimes into November. 

This low-maintenance, high contrast perennial grows 2-3 feet tall in full sun to partial shade with average soil. They are drought tolerant, deer, rabbit, and salt resistant.

Since they grow in clumps you can later split them to create more pockets of this perennial throughout your landscape.

Bonus: Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida)

Echinacea has long been debated about whether it is native to Southeastern Ontario or not. While technically, it’s native to the midwest prairies it is extremely well-adapted to our region and is exceptional at supporting pollinators. It is more accurately considered a near-native and it grows well with other native plants.

However, there is one variety that is considered native to our region - Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida). It has a slightly earlier bloom period but we’ve included it in our list as a plant that has fall benefits.

These easy-going pinky-purple perennials grow up to 4 feet tall, in a variety of soil types from dry to moist, making them adaptable - hmm… are you starting to notice a trend among these native and near-native species? They don’t ask much of us because they’ve naturally attuned overtime to survive the seasonal cycles and weather patterns they exist within.

Echinacea are deer-resistant and very attractive to monarchs. They have long-lasting blooms from spring through summer, sometimes into fall. Even when they are done blooming, their large seed heads provide ample food for small birds, if they are left standing and not cut back. 

Consider growing these alongside Black Eyed Susan for a prairie meadow look, as the two share the same growing needs and their colours are beautifully complimentary. 

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Written By:

Paige Wentworth