Fall Garden Tour 2025: A Season of Change

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A look back at my fall garden in 2025, from late blooms and fading beds to seasonal transitions and lessons learned.

Fall always feels like a season of reflection in the garden. Growth slows, colors deepen, and the garden begins to reveal what truly carried the season and what quietly faded away.

This fall garden tour of 2025 looks at the garden as it transitions from abundance toward rest, highlighting late-season blooms, structural elements, and the areas that evolved over the course of the year. While this is very much a look back, it also marks a turning point. Several gardens underwent significant changes this fall and will look quite different in 2026, which I’ll share more about as we move through the tour.

Rather than a final showcase, this tour is about noticing what lingered, what changed, and what the garden taught me as another growing year came to a close.

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A lush garden with vibrant pink, red, and purple flowers curves along a neatly mowed lawn. Trees and a small white shed are visible in the background under a clear blue sky. — The Welcome Garden – enough said!

The Welcome Garden and Front Porch Beds

Front Porch Beds

The front porch garden underwent a major transformation in September, just ahead of repaving the driveway. I’ve been saying for years that something needed to be done about the overgrown rudbeckia, periwinkle, and nandina, and this fall I finally took action.

It took a full day to remove what felt like at least one hundred rudbeckia plants. I relocated them to the side yard and driveway gardens, and while I’m not sure those spots are their final resting place, they’re working for now. With a fairly wet fall, the plants seemed to acclimate well before heading into winter.

I had reached my limit with the black-eyed Susans constantly flopping and needing to be staked, and the nandina always looked messy no matter what I did. Clearing everything out felt good, and the space immediately made more sense.

In place of the nandina, I planted a few dwarf Alberta spruces and a cryptomeria, then tucked in sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ and nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’ for perennial color. Where all of the rudbeckia once lived, I planted nine Let’s Dance Sky View hydrangeas, an oakleaf hydrangea ‘Gatsby Pink,’ and relocated a hydrangea paniculata tree that was struggling near the front door. I’m hopeful it will be much happier closer to the porch.

Directly in front of the porch, we removed what I can only describe as a hot mess of plantings and replaced them with Bobo hydrangeas, boxwoods, and divisions of nepeta and sedum ‘Autumn Joy.’ Once everything comes in next spring, I’ll step back and evaluate how to make the space feel fuller as the shrubs establish. I’m hoping the perennials help bridge that gap, but time will tell.

A front door with two yellow wreaths made of colorful flowers, flanked by large potted plants with purple and yellow blooms. Clay pots are placed upside down on garden stakes along the stone path. — Front porch before we removed all that nandina.

And look at how much we are supporting the black-eyed susans from flopping onto the ground. They looked so awkward and unnatural. The flowers were so pretty, but I couldn’t take it anymore.

A lush garden with vibrant yellow, purple, pink, and white flowers, green grass, and tall trees in the background on a sunny day. A wooden bench is partially visible in the foreground.

A curving stone pathway runs beside a lush green lawn and vibrant flowerbeds with yellow, purple, and pink blooms, surrounded by tall trees under a partly cloudy sky.

Since I couldn’t stand the way the porch garden looked this year, I did not photograph much of it. To give you some context of the changes I made, this is how overgrown it was last year!

That’s a lot of rudbeckia!

It was never planted in the right spot in the beds (that was a design flaw that was here when we moved in). The former homeowners had it planted at the very front of the garden beds. And through the years, it reseeded and expanded.

That first season of growing here (2022), I noticed it and thought to myself that it was something I would need to address down the road. Season after season, I let the birds do their thing with the seed and was left with this mess.

So 2025 was the year to fix it!

A charming house with a large porch and white pillars is surrounded by a lush garden full of vibrant yellow and black-eyed Susan flowers. The sun is setting in the background, casting a warm glow over the scene, and a birdhouse hangs from the porch.

It is so pretty, I know. I love the bright yellow flowers too but it was out of control. So the next few photos will show you what it looks like heading into the winter. It doesn’t look like much because it’s late fall, but serious changes were made!

A tan two-story house with white trim and a large front porch, featuring rocking chairs and potted plants. A curved stone path leads through a garden with autumn plants, and tall trees stand in the background. — Fall 2025

A yellow house with white trim, a bare tree in the front yard, a stone path, small plants, and a black urn near a set of white French doors. Sunlight casts shadows across the scene.

A garden with bare soil and a small plant in the foreground, bordered by a stone path. Leafless trees, dry hydrangea flowers, green grass, and houses are visible under a clear blue sky.

The Welcome Garden

This garden far exceeded my expectations this year. It was low-maintenance all season long, produced loads of flowers for bouquets, and kept the charm going!

Aside from the major changes I made near the front porches, I also cleaned up the welcome border overlooking the valley after an incredible bloom season. Playin’ the Blues salvia was a true standout. Pollinators loved it, it paired beautifully with zinnias, lantana, and gomphrena, and it bloomed nonstop from planting until the first hard frost. Looking back, it really pulled the entire garden together, and I’ll be planting much more of it next year.

Here are some photos of these beds in fall.

A garden filled with pink, orange, and yellow flowers in the foreground, with a road, trees, and a blue house with a white fence in the background on a sunny day.

Bright pink zinnia flowers blooming amid lush green foliage in a garden, with sunlight illuminating the vibrant scene and trees visible in the background. — Beautiful uproar rose zinnias in my cottage garden (zone 6b, NJ)

A woman in a sunhat and light summer clothes stands in a vibrant garden full of colorful flowers, smiling while holding gardening shears and a white cup. Lush greenery and blooming plants surround her.

A lush garden with vibrant flowers in pink, orange, and purple blooms, surrounded by green foliage. In the background, a geometric garden sculpture stands among the trees. Sunlight filters through dense greenery.

A colorful garden with yellow and purple wildflowers in bloom, surrounded by lush green foliage and trees in the background on a sunny day.

Tall spikes of vibrant purple flowers bloom in a garden surrounded by lush green leaves, with blurred pink flowers and trees visible in the background under soft sunlight. — Rockin’ playin the blues salvia

A vibrant garden bed filled with a variety of colorful flowers, including pink, purple, orange, and yellow blooms, surrounded by lush green foliage under a clear blue sky. — Agastache Maestro Coral

Colorful flowerbeds with purple, pink, and red blossoms line the edge of a green lawn, surrounded by lush trees with green and golden autumn leaves under a blue sky.

The zinnias started getting their late season powdery mildew in September. We had much cooler nights going from August to September and with the warm days, they started showing signs earlier this year. But they bloomed their little hearts out until well into October!

By the end of October, I was tired of it all and wanted to prepare to plant my tulip garden again like I did in the spring (you can see how they looked in my spring garden tour here). So cleared the beds, divided some perennials, and made some major changes. I can’t wait to see how it comes together in 2026!

A garden bed with various perennial plants and a wooden trellis beside a stone wall, surrounded by green grass and trees with autumn foliage. A road and white house are visible in the background.

A garden with green and brown plants, a wooden trellis, and a stone wall, set against colorful autumn trees. A white house and driveway are in the background under a pinkish sky.

This is the view from the other side of the welcome garden to the potager. What a gorgeous sunrise! The layers and layers of fall color were unbelievable this year.

A vibrant autumn garden scene with colorful orange, yellow, and red foliage, a stone wall, sculptural wooden pole, and a geometric structure. Bare trees stand against a dramatic pink and purple sunset sky.

A vibrant autumn garden with colorful trees, a stone-bordered flower bed, and a tall, honeycomb-shaped wooden sculpture. The sky glows pink and purple at sunset, casting warm light over the scene.

The Driveway Gardens

I haven’t shared much of the driveway gardens in a while, largely because they struggled after the pool construction. The month-long disruption made them difficult to photograph, and some of the plants were understandably stressed. That said, the beds did have a chance to rebound and bloom just before we repaved the driveway. As I’ve mentioned, big changes happened here this year, and this one was both major and much needed.

The hardy hibiscus border thrived through it all and for frame of reference, always starts blooming here in very early August and they flower well into fall. I didn’t manage to get many close-up photos this season, but you can see the blooms peeking through the salvia when they were at their peak.

I also began removing perennials from this area in preparation for the driveway renovation, which is why the beds appear more open and sparse than they have in years past.

A lush garden with tall purple flowers in the foreground, colorful roses in the middle, and large green trees in the background under soft sunlight.

A landscaped garden bed next to a paved path features blooming pink flowers, green shrubs, and mulched soil, with trees and more greenery in the background on a cloudy day.

A standout hydrangea with the prettiest flower form and fall color? Little lime punch. Look at how that color changes since my summer garden tour. This is the in between color before it transitions to a full on punchy pink.

A close-up of brown and pink hydrangea flowers in a garden bed, with green grass, shrubs, and a yellow house in the background under a canopy of trees. — Little Lime Punch Hydrangea

This year, I planted around the quirky tree sculpture in the driveway garden after pulling out all of the pachysandra. I knew the groundcover wasn’t working for me, so I dug and divided sedum, coreopsis, and nepeta, then tucked in SunPatiens to carry color through the season.

And I have to say, those SunPatiens performed incredibly well. Seeing how good they still look this late in the season convinced me that next year I want to choose a color that carries seamlessly from summer into fall. Just look at how beautiful they are even now.

A garden bed with pink and magenta flowers bordered by stones sits beside a paved driveway, with green grass and trees in the background on a sunny day.

A large beige house with white trim and shutters stands behind a lush garden filled with blooming flowers and shrubs, bordered by a stone wall and surrounded by tall trees under a clear sky.

Curved stone pathway surrounds a garden bed with vibrant pink flowers and a tall wooden sculpture. Trees and houses are visible in the background at sunset.

A two-story house with tan siding and white trim is surrounded by a well-maintained garden with blooming flowers, green grass, shrubs, and autumn leaves scattered on the ground.

Pink and reddish hydrangea flowers with clusters of small petals bloom amid green leaves, surrounded by fallen autumn leaves on the ground; a green lawn and more flowers are visible in the background.

A curved asphalt driveway bordered by a low stone edge, with autumn plants and yellow foliage on one side. Trees with fall leaves and a house are visible in the background under a golden evening sky.

A garden with green grass, blooming hydrangea bushes, ornamental grasses, and tall trees in the background. The sky is glowing with a warm sunset, and a wooden trellis stands among the plants.

Shrubs with pink and purple flowers line the edge of a green lawn. Behind them, trees show vibrant autumn colors—red, orange, and yellow—against a backdrop of a dark-roofed house and a blue sky.

My Cut Flower Garden in the Fall

We had an incredible season in the cutting garden, with gomphrena, China asters, dahlias, zinnias, nasturtiums, snapdragons, calendula, borage, and even cosmos, which were a little late to the party. The raised beds my husband built a few years ago continue to be one of my favorite features, and the plants looked especially beautiful this year.

The cutting garden was also a learning experience. Instead of using trellis netting, I tried supporting the plants with twine in a double-layer spider web pattern. While it worked early on, it didn’t provide the same level of support, so I’ll be going back to trellis netting next year. You don’t learn if you never try.

Because the garden was so productive, I hosted two snip-and-sip gatherings with friends and family, giving everyone a chance to cut and enjoy the blooms together.

Here are a few photos from the season.

A vibrant garden with pink and yellow dahlias in the foreground, a small water fountain, patio chairs, and a green shed with white trim in the background, surrounded by lush greenery.

Two vibrant dahlia flowers with pink and yellow petals bloom among lush green leaves, with buds and blurred greenery in the background. — Dahlia ‘Kogane Fubuki’

Bright pink zinnia flowers in full bloom stand out against a green garden background, with sunlight filtering through trees in the distance. — Zinnias in my cutting garden (September 2025)

A woman wearing sunglasses and an apron kneels on a patio, smiling while arranging colorful flowers in a black bucket. She is surrounded by lush greenery and blooming garden beds. — Stacy Ling

A group of nine women smile around a table filled with colorful flowers and vases in an outdoor garden setting. Lush greenery and blooming plants surround them as they enjoy a sunny day together. — First Snip ”n Sip Party!

A close-up of a pale pink dahlia flower in a garden, surrounded by green leaves and other flowers, with sunlight filtering through trees in the background.

Bright orange and purple flowers bloom among lush green leaves, with more colorful flowers visible in the blurred background. — China aster and zinnia

A cluster of large white dahlias with yellow centers surrounded by pink and purple dahlias, set against a backdrop of green leaves and stems in a garden. — Lilac Time Dahlias

A lush garden with blooming flowers in various colors surrounds a stone fountain at the center. Green foliage and vibrant pink, orange, and white blossoms fill the scene, with terracotta pots placed on green stakes.

Four women (including stacy ling) stand around a rustic wooden table outdoors, arranging colorful flowers in jars. The table is filled with vibrant dahlias, zinnias, and sunflowers. Trees and greenery surround the scene, creating a peaceful cut flower garden setting. — Cutting and arranging zinnia flowers in bouquets for a bridal shower in my zone 6b garden

Close-up of vibrant purple and pink dahlias blooming among lush green leaves in a garden, with sunlight filtering through trees in the background.

A lush garden filled with vibrant pink and purple flowers surrounds a stone fountain. Small terracotta pots are placed on green poles among the greenery, creating a lively, colorful, and serene outdoor scene.

A person wearing a maroon sleeve holds a bright purple flower among many similar blooms in a lush garden. A terra cotta pot is seen upside down on a stake in the blurred background. — Gomphrena Qis Purple

A small orange clay pot is upside down on top of a green garden stake, surrounded by blooming magenta and pink flowers with lush green foliage in a garden setting. — Snapdragons and Gomphrena in fall

By mid-October, my supports were totally falling apart so the garden got really messy. It still produced flowers, but it was chugging along and I was done babysitting the plants to keep them upright.

A messy garden can still make beautiful bouquets though. So onward we went.

A vibrant garden filled with blooming dahlias in shades of pink, purple, and peach, surrounded by lush green leaves, with sunlight filtering through the trees in the background.

Light pink flowers with many petals bloom among green leaves and stems. The flowers have yellow centers and are surrounded by lush, vibrant foliage. The overall scene is fresh and natural.

A vibrant magenta dahlia flower in full bloom stands out among green leaves and stems, with a clear blue sky and hints of other flowers in the background.

I couldn’t get over how beautiful the borage and At Last roses still looked. I started these borage flowers from seed kind of late this year (by about two weeks) and they performed much better.

A peach-colored rose blooms in a sunlit garden, surrounded by green leaves and other small flowering plants, with a dark wooden fence in the background.

Bright pink cosmos flowers with yellow centers bloom amid slender green stems, set against a blurred background of soil and foliage. — Double Click Cranberry Rose Cosmos

Since I wanted to focus on dividing perennials, adding new plantings, and getting spring-flowering bulbs in the ground, I cleaned out the raised beds shortly before the first frost and began shutting the garden down for the season. With the number of beds I manage, sometimes it really is a matter of doing what’s realistic.

I also wanted to replant tulips in the dahlia bed. After the dahlias turned into a bit of a hot mess at the end of the season, thanks to my less-than-stellar support system, I decided it was time to move on and make room for something new.

A patio with a table and chairs is surrounded by autumn trees and blooming shrubs. A bicycle leans against a fence, and fallen leaves cover the pavement and ground. The scene is bright with fall colors.

A wooden deck with a table and chairs overlooks a forest with autumn foliage. A vintage bicycle rests nearby, and the sky is glowing pink at sunset. A paved path leads to the cozy outdoor setting.

Flora Lane

Flora Lane has been a work in progress since we moved in. I want it to feel like an easy, low-maintenance cottage garden, and while it’s moving in that direction, this fall made it clear that some adjustments were needed.

A garden bed filled with colorful flowers, including pink, purple, white, and yellow blooms, lines a paved walkway beside a green fence, with lush green trees in the background. — The sunpatiens took off in late july/early August.

I wasn’t a fan of how the rudbeckia looked alongside the hydrangeas in this bed, so they were the first perennials I moved out. They had already taken over the front porch gardens, and I just didn’t want to manage them here as well.

A garden bed along a paved path features lush clusters of blooming flowers in pink, purple, and white, bordered by green fencing and surrounded by trees and greenery in the background.

After my trip to see Proven Winners in Michigan, they sent me a few plants I selected from their samples, and I absolutely love this combination. Jazz Hands fringe flower paired with Dark Side of the Moon astilbe and Pink Lightning phlox is such a striking mix.

The fringe flower isn’t zoned for my area, so I’ll need to lift it and overwinter it in the garage, but that foliage makes it completely worth the extra effort. Don’t you just love it?

A vibrant garden bed with blooming pink flowers, dark-leaved plants, and lush green foliage, set against a green wooden fence in the background. — Phlox Luminary Pink Lightening, Chinese Fringe Flower Jazz Hands, and Astilbe Dark Side of the Moon

The asters put on quite a show this year. I planted them back in 2022, and they’ve grown into something truly beautiful. They’re a bit leggy, but I don’t mind at all. I could have cut them back by half until July 4 to keep them more compact, but I didn’t get to it this year, and honestly, I’m not mad about it.

A cluster of vibrant purple daisy-like flowers with yellow centers, covered in dewdrops, blooms among green foliage in a garden setting.

A vibrant garden with blooming pink hydrangeas, clusters of light pink sedum flowers, and bright pink phlox. Green foliage surrounds the colorful blooms, with trees and a green fence in the background. — Sedum Autumn Joy

Between September and October, I started rehabbing this bed. After digging and dividing several perennials, I moved A LOT around. And I tucked in several evergreens for more structure and seasonal interest plus a few more shrubs. The bed is looking. a bit more tidy and organized now.

A colorful garden with blooming pink, purple, and yellow flowers is bordered by a green fence. Trees with autumn foliage in shades of green, yellow, and orange are in the background. Fallen leaves are scattered on the ground.

A vibrant garden bed features bright pink flowers in the foreground, with red and pale purple blossoms behind. Trees with autumn foliage and a green fence are visible in the background. Some fallen leaves are on the ground.

A vibrant autumn garden with colorful foliage, green fencing, and a mix of plants and flowers. Fallen leaves cover the ground beside a paved path. Trees with orange, yellow, and red leaves fill the background.

A garden with autumn foliage, featuring red and green plants, scattered fallen leaves, a green wooden fence in the background, a wire plant cover, and an orange pumpkin-shaped pot.

Pool Garden

We tackled a major pool patio renovation in July, and the surrounding beds definitely felt the impact. The plants needed time to recover in August, and while they’ll ultimately be fine, they didn’t love the stress.

That said, the disruption made room for a full replanting. I refreshed the entire bed with hydrangeas, roses, camellias, mock orange, evergreens, and more. Looking back, I knowingly sacrificed this year’s garden for what’s to come next, and I’m confident it will be well worth it.

Here’s a look at the shrub order, along with photos of the space and the new plantings.

Cardboard boxes and potted plants line a paved pathway in a sunlit, wooded area, suggesting preparations for planting or landscaping.

A backyard pool surrounded by brick and concrete decking, lounge chairs, and lush green trees. There are potted plants, a white umbrella, and pool floats by the water, creating a relaxing outdoor space.

A close-up of vibrant purple and blue hydrangea flowers surrounded by lush green leaves, with more hydrangeas and a green fence visible in the background. — Let’s Dance Skyview Hydrangeas

A landscaped garden bed with green plants and white flowers runs alongside a green wooden fence and a concrete walkway, with fallen leaves scattered on the soil. Trees and shrubs are visible in the background. — Powerball Hydrangeas, sky pencil holly and some hydrangeas I divided and replanted

The Cottage Garden

It felt fitting to wrap up the tour in the cottage garden. As I mentioned in my summer tour, I loved how the perennials performed, but I could tell the bed needed more structure. There’s an existing holly tree with yellow berries, but it needed additional shrubs and evergreens to truly anchor the planting. After rehabbing the pool garden, driveway, and front porch gardens, I turned my attention here last.

Even so, the garden looked beautiful from summer into fall. For a bed that’s only been planted for one season, it’s settling in nicely, and I love the direction it’s headed. I can’t wait to see how it comes together in 2026.

The Supertunia border was a standout all season long. I do wish I had added a bit more slow-release fertilizer in August, but between the construction and everything else going on, it didn’t happen. Even so, it performed beautifully and added consistent color to the space.

A garden with vibrant purple and pink flowers in the foreground, green shrubs and grass in the middle, and a wooden footbridge crossing over a small stream surrounded by trees in the background.

Clusters of small, pink flowers bloom among green foliage in a garden, with a few purple flowers poking through and a blurred background of more plants and a fence. — Sedum coraljade

Clusters of pink and green flowers grow in a garden with purple blooms, bordered by a green picket fence. In the background, a small tan house with white trim sits among trees and greenery.

When I made these changes, I moved some daylilies out of this bed because the colors no longer felt right for the garden. They were lovely plants, but one was a deep, dark red that didn’t align with my overall aesthetic, and the other was yellow, which I also decided didn’t belong in this space. Both were relocated to the side garden, where they’ll still be enjoyed.

A garden with green plants and fallen autumn leaves is in the foreground. A small wooden bridge crosses a creek in the background, surrounded by colorful fall trees under a partly cloudy sky.

A small yellow house with green shutters and a green picket fence sits amid autumn trees, fallen leaves covering the ground and sunlight casting a warm glow over the scene.

A small tan house with green trim and fencing sits amid autumn trees with vibrant orange leaves. The sky glows pink at sunset, and fallen leaves are scattered on the grass and driveway in the foreground.

A colorful autumn garden with green and red plants, a wooden fence, and a small footbridge in the background. Yellow, orange, and red leaves cover the ground and trees, with a forest visible behind the bridge.

Final Thoughts About My Fall Garden Tour 2025

Writing this now, with the garden fully at rest, makes fall feel like the most honest season of all. It’s when the noise quiets, the beds empty out, and the garden reveals what truly carried the year and what needed to change.

This fall garden tour of 2025 captures that moment of evaluation and transition. Several areas were edited, simplified, or reimagined entirely, setting the stage for gardens that will look and feel very different in 2026.

Rather than an ending, fall feels like a pause. A chance to reflect, reset, and make space for what’s next.

To see how the garden evolved throughout the year, you may also enjoy these posts: