A Splash of Color: Blossoms for the Fall

By Mary Gifford, Colorado Master Gardener

Thank goodness we have reached the beginning of autumn. If you are one who treasures flower blossoms of all kinds – fear not! As the weather and daylight change, you can still enjoy blossoms and color with many fall bloomers. In Colorado, plants such as asters, Sedum ‘Autumn Joy,’ pincushion flowers and dwarf blue rabbitbrush respond to the shortening length of daylight hours or to a certain stage of maturity to initiate late-season flower production. They may take advantage of this timeframe to utilize more available pollinators. Annuals can be planted in containers or in garden beds, whereas perennials are best in a garden bed. Some are shrubs and others are smaller in stature. All plants with fall blossoms need at least 6 hours of daylight.

lavender flowers with yellow centers — *Asters. Photo: Yellowhouseheritageperennials.com.au*

deep purple flowers with yellow centers — *Showmakers*® *‘Blue Bayou’ aster. Photo: shop.milaegers.com*

Asters (Symphyotrichum novi-belgii) are always so showy with their lavender or purple petals and a yellow center. As natives, they do quite well in Colorado’s sun and heat. The CSU Trial Gardens showcased a new cultivar of aster in 2025 – Showmakers® ‘Blue Bayou’ Aster. It boasts deep blue-purple flowers and was listed as one of nine best perennials for Colorado, so this may be worth a try in our gardens. It flowers in October and November.

mauve pink flowers with succulent leaves

Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’. Photo: brighterblooms.com

Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ (Hylotelephium spectabile ‘Autumn Joy’) is one of my personal favorites. This beauty reaches 12 to 24 inches tall and starts with tiny pink flowers in bunches that gradually turn deep red, providing gorgeous color in September and October. Its lovely light green foliage provides a nice backdrop to the pink and red flowers. As a succulent, it does quite well in low water gardens and in Colorado sun.

blue purple flowers — *Pincushion flower (Scabiosa). Photo: birdsandblooms.com*

Pincushion flower / Sweet scabiosa (Scabiosa atropurpurea) can be viewed in the beautiful Colorado Springs Utilities Waterwise Demonstration Garden in Colorado Springs. It gets its name from the “pins” which are the stamens. This lovely flower blooms from early summer to mid-fall. It does well in Colorado’s alkaline soils, and it attracts bees and hummingbirds.

yellow flowering native shrub — *Dwarf blue rabbitbrush. Photo: CO Springs Utilities, Waterwise Demonstration Garden*

Dwarf blue rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa var. nauseosa) is a good, compact shrub that is also native. Its “blue” moniker derives from its silver/blue leaves. It shows off yellow flowers in September and grows from 1 to 3 feet in height and width.

Other fantastic fall bloomers include sunflowers, false sunflowers, black-eyed Susans, monkshood, Joe-Pye weed, blue mist spirea, chrysanthemums, snapdragons, pansies and showy stonecrop.

Sources:

University of Massachusetts Amherst, “Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment”. “Fall Flowers.”
IA State University Extension – Fall Blooming Perennials
CSU. College of Agricultural Sciences. “Nine Best Perennials for Colorado from the 2025 CSU Flower Trials”
University of Illinois/ Urbana/ Champaign, Enroth, Christopher. “What Makes Plants Bloom at Different Times of the Year?” October 2021
Cornell University (2006) Growing Guide. “Pincushion Flower” aka Sweet Scabiosa
Missouri Botanical Garden. “Symphotrichum novi-belgii” – Formerly Aster novi-belgii
CO Springs Utilities. “Waterwise Plants.” Dwarf blue rabbitbrush.