29 Plants That Bring Stunning Fall Colors to Your Garden
Autumn is the season when gardens come alive with warm, rich hues, and adding fall foliage plants is the best way to capture that seasonal beauty.
These 29 plants, each with unique color changes and striking textures, create an inviting and colorful landscape that makes the most of fall’s palette.
Perfect for garden beds, borders, and focal points, these foliage plants bring your garden to life with shades that last through the season.
Explore these options to make your garden a true reflection of fall’s natural charm.
Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)
Oakleaf Hydrangea fills garden spaces with large, oak-shaped leaves that transform from lush green to deep red or purple by fall. This shrub grows up to 8 feet, creating a bold backdrop in zones 5 to 9.
With its dramatic foliage, it brings seasonal color shifts that add depth and dimension to your landscape.
Bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii)
Bluestar shows off soft blue blooms in late spring, adding delicate beauty to gardens in zones 4 to 9. As fall arrives, its green foliage turns gold, creating a warm, golden display.
Bluestar’s seasonal transitions make it a valuable addition to perennial gardens, offering charm and resilience year-round.
Spanish Bluebell (Hyacinthoides hispanica)
Spanish Bluebell bursts into lovely clusters of blue and lavender flowers in spring, thriving in zones 3 to 8. This plant’s vibrant blooms and slender leaves make it an eye-catching ground cover.
With minimal care, it brings bright colors to shady spots, making gardens feel lively and inviting.
Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata)
Boston Ivy brings vibrant reds and purples to the garden each fall, transforming walls and fences with its lush, dense foliage. This fast-growing vine, suited for zones 4 to 8, reaches up to 50 feet, ideal for adding vertical interest.
Its scarlet autumn display creates a striking visual against green landscapes.
Chinese Fountain Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides)
Chinese Fountain Grass adds soft texture with its graceful, arching blades, fitting well in zones 5 to 9. In summer, it showcases fluffy, bottlebrush-like blooms that sway in the breeze, bringing movement to gardens.
This plant’s elegant appearance complements both formal and casual landscapes beautifully.
Feather Reed Grass
Feather Reed Grass shows off elegant, tall stems that catch sunlight, adding warmth and movement to gardens in zones 5 to 9. As autumn arrives, its color intensifies, creating a dramatic effect in bright light.
This majestic grass offers year-round texture and is a favorite for fall garden displays.
Persimmon Tree (Diospyros kaki)
Persimmon trees captivate with their rich display of color, transitioning their foliage to pink, yellow, purple, and red hues by fall. In zones 4 to 9, these trees not only present stunning colors but also produce fruit that ripens to a brilliant orange or yellow.
A persimmon tree combines visual appeal with the benefit of delicious seasonal fruit.
Blue Paradise (Schizachyrium scoparium Blue Paradise)
Blue Paradise, with its fine blue-green blades, stands out beautifully in summer and shifts to a dramatic burgundy-red in fall. Ideal for zones 5 to 9, this ornamental grass contributes both elegance and texture to landscapes.
It’s a stunning option for adding vertical interest to autumn gardens.
Arnold Promise Witch Hazel (Hamamelis x intermedia Arnold Promise)
Arnold Promise Witch Hazel brightens late winter gardens with fragrant yellow blooms, lighting up zones 5 to 8. This small tree showcases wavy, yellow petals that pop against bare branches, creating a cheerful sight.
Its cold-season blooms make it a valued plant for early color, bringing joy before spring arrives.
Ornamental Peppers (Capsicum annuum)
Ornamental peppers create a burst of color with their glossy green leaves and vibrant peppers, thriving in zones 9 to 11. These plants bring eye-catching accents that last well into autumn.
Their low-maintenance nature and striking look make them a popular choice for garden borders and pots.
Autumn Fern
Autumn Fern reveals stunning orange-red fronds that gradually deepen to a rich green, ideal for zones 5 to 8. Its fronds add a lively pop of color in spring and bring an evergreen quality in shaded areas.
The Autumn Fern’s seasonal color change offers interest and warmth, brightening up woodland gardens.
Burning Bush
Burning Bush captivates with its vibrant crimson color in fall, making it a true seasonal showstopper. Suitable for zones 4 to 8, this shrub adds a bold, fiery hue that enhances autumn landscapes.
Its bright red foliage makes it a popular choice for garden borders and hedges.
Dwarf Fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii)
Dwarf Fothergilla transforms into a mosaic of purple, red, and orange shades during fall, enhancing landscapes in zones 5 to 8. Its compact size and multi-layered color make it a lovely option for small gardens or mixed borders.
This plant thrives in partial shade to full sun, achieving optimal color in bright light.
Heuchera
Heuchera, with its unique burgundy or deep purple leaves, brings rich color to gardens in zones 4 to 9. This perennial’s low-growing habit makes it perfect for edging paths or filling shady areas.
Heuchera adds elegance to garden beds, contrasting beautifully with green foliage and lighter blooms.
Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
Virginia Creeper adds vibrant reds and purples in fall, making it a popular choice for covering walls and fences. This hardy, fast-growing vine thrives in zones 4 to 9 and adapts well to various light and soil conditions.
Its fall display creates a rich, textured backdrop for any landscape.
Red Wiggle Sedum (Sedum ochroleucum Red Wiggle)
Red Wiggle Sedum thrives in sunny spaces, with needle-like red-green foliage that turns a fiery red in fall. Growing in zones 4 to 8, this sedum stays compact and adds a pop of color year-round.
Its resilient nature makes it perfect for low-maintenance gardens, enhancing borders and rock gardens.
Russian Sage
Russian Sage showcases soft gray-green foliage paired with clusters of purple blooms that appear in late summer. Hardy in zones 4 to 9, this plant adds a soft, airy texture to gardens and features fragrant white-silver stems in winter.
It’s ideal for adding contrast and a touch of color in cooler months.
Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica)
Virginia Sweetspire brings a dynamic show of color as its deep green leaves change to orange, red, and gold in fall. Thriving in zones 5 to 9, this deciduous shrub adds both height and texture to garden spaces.
Its multi-hued display adds warmth and interest to any autumn landscape.
Aronia
Aronia boasts delicate white blooms in spring, followed by dark berries in fall, thriving in zones 3 to 9. This hardy shrub is beloved for its ornamental value and its berries, which attract birds and add a pop of color.
Aronia’s year-round appeal and wildlife-friendly nature make it a great addition to natural gardens.
Helveticum
Helveticum remains bright green most of the year but reveals a dramatic burgundy color when autumn arrives. Ideal for zones 5 to 9, this plant is known for its striking seasonal shift.
Helveticum’s deep hues add dimension to garden designs, creating visual interest across the landscape.
Red Twig Dogwood
Red Twig Dogwood brings a striking color shift, with stems turning bright red in the fall after a green summer. It grows well in zones 3 to 8 and adds a unique pop of color during the cooler months.
Its bold red stems make it an excellent focal point in winter gardens.
Bloody Geranium (Geranium sanguineum)
Bloody Geranium blooms with rich, blood-red foliage in the fall, adding bold color to gardens in zones 3 to 8. This hardy perennial forms a dense mound of deeply lobed leaves, creating a dramatic display.
Its unique fall color and compact form make it a favorite for adding contrast in garden beds.
Dusty Miller (Jacobaea maritima)
Dusty Miller displays silver-gray foliage with lacy leaves that offer a refined elegance to gardens in zones 8 to 10. This plant’s soft, neutral color pairs beautifully with more colorful blooms and provides a calming visual break.
Its striking, frosted appearance enhances gardens through the fall and beyond.
Croton
Croton dazzles with bold, multicolored leaves that stay vibrant through every season, thriving in zones 8 to 11. This tropical plant’s stunning foliage creates an instant focal point with shades of red, yellow, and green.
Croton’s easy care and striking colors make it an excellent choice for adding a tropical touch indoors or in warm climates.
Blue Fescue
Blue Fescue creates a cool-toned contrast in gardens with its silver-blue foliage that holds steady through most seasons in zones 4 to 8. Its summer blooms bring subtle color and texture with straw-colored plumes.
This compact ornamental grass adds a calm, textural touch to rock gardens and borders.
October Glory Red Maple (Acer rubrum October Glory)
October Glory Red Maple boasts lush, dark green leaves that turn a vibrant red in fall, creating a stunning display. Thriving in zones 4 to 9, this tree is known for its dramatic seasonal transformation.
Its bold fall color makes it a prized choice for large landscapes and streetside plantings.
Shenandoah Switch Grass (Panicum virgatum Shenandoah)
Shenandoah Switch Grass stands tall with upright foliage that turns deep red in fall, adding height and color to landscapes in zones 4 to 9. Known for its vibrant display, this grass brings texture and structure to any planting scheme.
It’s a low-maintenance choice for adding year-round interest to open spaces.
Barrenwort (Epimedium versicolor Sulphureum)
Barrenwort features heart-shaped leaflets with tints of red in spring and bronze in the cooler months, ideal for zones 5 to 8. This shade-loving perennial’s delicate texture and unique foliage bring softness to shaded gardens.
Barrenwort adds visual interest and subtle color, thriving in quiet, sheltered spots.
Hosta
Hosta brings a spectrum of colors to garden beds in zones 3 to 9, with foliage that ranges from greens to blues, often variegated with white or yellow. Its broad, textured leaves create lush, leafy coverage, perfect for filling in shaded areas.
This perennial is a favorite for adding fullness and variety to garden designs.