5 Late Summer Garden Flowers That Bloom Into Fall

Want to keep the color in your flower garden going from spring through fall? Plant these 5 late summer garden flowers to help bring your garden into fall with extended bloom times and beautiful fall colors.

Before fall planting season begins, the garden tends to quiet down while the summer blooms fade.

As the flowers fade, the garden’s color palette mutes and isn’t as vibrant.

However, we can keep the garden colorful, blooming, and gorgeous by planting flowers that have an extended bloom time in mid-late summer.

Plant these beautiful garden flowers that help the borders transition from summer to fall.

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5 Late Summer Garden Flowers

If you are looking for plants with mid-late summer bloom times, these garden flowers are my favorite to grow because they are easy-care, low-maintenance, and help the garden transition from summer to fall without skipping a colorful beat.

Plant or divide these summer garden bloomers in spring or fall to keep the color going as summer winds down and fall kicks in.

These late summer blooming flowers are perfect for the cottage garden.

But they are also wonderful blooms to include in a cut flower garden too as they make beautiful additions to flower arrangements.

Sedum Autumn Joy

I’m a huge fan of Sedum Autumn Joy. They are super easy to care for and propagate.

And to me, they are a four-season perennial.

Sedum Autumn Joy adds visual interest in spring while it grows, adds a chartreuse color and texture to the summer garden, starts to flower in late summer, and turns a gorgeous deep burgundy in fall.

And if you leave the seed heads up all winter, it adds interest when the snow sits on it.

Not to mention, I love adding these seed heads in with my winter container designs.

Hardy to zones 3-10, it grows to roughly 18-24″ tall and wide and prefers full to part sun in sandy, loamy well-drained soil.

To learn more about sedum autumn joy and why I love them, watch this video.

Joe Pye Weed

Much like Sedum Autumn Joy, Joe Pye is a great easy-care perennial for the garden.

It adds a lot of color and interest while it grows and blooms spring into summer, the dried seed heads color the fall landscape with additional texture.

Joe Pye Weed is also a butterfly magnet, so if you want to see more pollinators in the garden, you’ve got to grow it.

In general, they are hardy from zones 4-9, prefer full to partial sun and thrive in rich, well-drained soil.

And if you leave those seed heads up in winter, the snow looks amazing on them!

Summerific Hibiscus

Rose mallows are one of my new favorite late-summer blooming flowers.

I picked up a few from Walters Gardens and they were real show-stoppers in the garden.

Grown by Proven Winners, these 8-10″ blooms will pump up the garden with some gorgeous color and interest.

And the foliage is just as beautiful as the flowers!

In general, hardy hibiscus grows best in zones 4-9, prefers full to part sun, and prefers rich to medium-wet soil moisture.

Rose mallows grow very large so leave a lot of room for them in the garden as they can reach 2-4′ tall and wide.

Deer do love to browse so be sure to spray them with deer repellent like this or this.

Dahlias

Dahlias might be my new favorite flower.

I avoided planting them through the years because they are a little more work than I cared to do while I was raising my family.

They need to be staked and in my hardiness zone 6a, they also need to be dug up before winter because they are tender.

But that said, dahlias make gorgeous cut flowers and look totally amazing in the garden, and are wonderful for cutting.

If you plan ahead, you can choose colors that will look good in summer and in fall.

In general, dahlias are hardy to zones 8-10 but I’ve known gardeners in zone 7 that have been able to keep them in the ground without lifting them out for winter.

Depending on the variety, they can grow to be 1-6′ tall and 1-3′ wide.

Dahlias prefer full sun and thrive in loamy, well-drained soil.

The flowers are cut and come again, so the more you cut the more blooms you’ll have to enjoy both in and out of the garden.

Limelight Hydrangeas

There are SO many hydrangea varieties out there but right now, I am loving the limelights!

They start blooming in summer and keep blooming through fall and are even more beautiful as they age.

The gorgeous white blooms change to pink.

They make beautiful cut flowers and are super easy to dry. And you can keep fresh cut hydrangeas from wilting with these simple tips.

In general, limelight hydrangeas grow well in zones 3-9, they prefer full to partial sun in well-drained soil.

Limelight hydrangeas grow 6-8′ tall and wide, so give them plenty of room to grow.

I love to make wreaths from the flowers for my fall decor.

Learn how to make a simple hydrangea wreath for free with these tips.

More About Summer Garden Flowers That Bloom into Fall

Do you have any late summer flowering favorites you would like to share? I would love to know more in the comments below.

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Garden Supplies I Use

I’m often asked about the garden supplies and tools that I use most. From pruners to deer repellents, here are some of my favorites in no particular order.

• I like to use a good-quality garden soil, compost, and perlite when planting.
• I have used this deer repellent with great success. But now, I’m all about this deer repellent that is systemic instead of topical. This means the plant takes it in as opposed to it just smelling bad.
• Hands down this is my favorite hand-weeding tool. You can use to get underneath roots, loosen soil, and it cuts down on the weeding time because you work much faster.
• But I also love this long, stand-up weeding tool to really get around roses from afar.
• I like to use THIS ORGANIC FERTILIZER for roses because the blooms are more prolific and it’s organic.
• You’ll need a sharp set of pruners when working with plants and flowers. I buy a few so I can stash them around.
• Where pest and disease problems are concerned, I generally use this insecticidal soap or neem oil to help control infestations depending on the issue.
• This is my favorite set-and-forget slow-release fertilizer for houseplants, annuals, and container gardens.
• Whenever I stake my peonies or other plants, I generally use these grow through garden supports because they work really well and keep the blooms upright.

Related Posts You May Enjoy

• How to Plant a Fall Garden in a Thrift Store Find
• Best Plants for the Fall Garden
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• 17 Simple Fall Home and Garden Ideas

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Take an Enchanted Evening Garden Tour at My Friend Kim’s!

Take a walk in a gorgeous garden in the PNW at my friend Kim’s Shiplap and Shells.

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Enjoy a beautiful day! xoxo

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I’m a master gardener who’s been gardening and growing things for over 25 years. With a deep passion for gardening, I enjoy helping others find their inner green thumb with all things plants and flowers, as well as find ways to bring the outdoors inside their homes too.

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Former Garden Photos

It’s amazing to look back and see my former garden.

It is much different than the garden I have now.

Here are the perennial flowers I mentioned above in my former garden.