5 Colourful Fall Flowers for an Easy Care Autumn 

Colorful fall flowers for an easy-care autumn garden can brighten your day. Why should summer have all vibrant blooms!  

And what better way to liven things up than with a few low maintenance fall plants.  

Shrub Roses

Roses have a reputation for fussiness, but you’ll find that’s not the case with shrub roses.  These gals are bred to be hardy, resilient and low maintenance, especially the newer hybrids. They make a beautiful addition to any autumn garden.  

Although the flowers are a bit smaller than traditional rose varieties, shrub roses are heavy bloomers. They’ll flower from late spring through fall.  And their fragrant blooms come in a wide array of colours.  

Plant them in full sun, in a moist, well-draining soil.  As the name suggests, this is a shrub, and depending on the variety, can grow anywhere from 1 to 20 feet in height.  So, when planting, plan accordingly.  

Toad Lily

Don’t let the questionable name of these perennials fool you. With unique spotted flowers that bloom late summer through fall, toad lilies are actually quite elegant.  And their lush foliage and exotic appearance can make a great addition to your autumn garden.  

Toad lilies can reach heights of 2 – 3 feet, and colours can range from yellow to purple, pink, blue and white.  

They’re native to the edges of woodlands and creeks, which means by planting them in a rich, well-draining soil you’ll have better results.  They need part sun to shade, and will actually do better in shadier spots that mimic the filtered light of a woodland.  If you live in a northern climate, you can get away with a bit sunnier spot.  

As long as they have a good, moist soil, toad lilies require little maintenance. Which makes them a great choice for a new gardener.  

Turtlehead Chelone

The hardy turtlehead chelone is another perennial with an odd alias. These pretty plants are named so because the hooded flowers are shaped like the head of a snapping turtle.  

Turtleheads bloom from mid-late summer through fall. Their colours range from pinks to purples to whites.  

Like the toad lily, turtleheads are also woodland natives. The do best with filtered sun and a nice, rich, moist soil.  However, they’re resilient. As long as the soil is kept moist, they’ll grow in denser shade and even full sun.  

Turtleheads can reach heights of 1 – 2 feet and form in clusters of 3 feet in width.  One of their nicest features is their attractiveness to butterflies and hummingbirds.  

These guys make a great additio to a backyard, especially sitting beside a water feature or pond.  

Strawflower

This easy to grow annual is so low maintenance, once planted, there’s not much work to do other than provide a little water if no rain is in sight.  

Strawflowers love the sun, and thrive in a sunny spot with well draining soil.  In fact, in southern climates, zones 8-11, they’re considered tender perennials. These gals are hardy, and will tolerate partial shade. But, the plant won’t be as strong.  

Strawflowers come in vibrant shades of yellows, oranges, pinks, reds and whites. They’ll give your garden a boost of colour from summer all the way through to the first frost.  If you deadhead and harvest them throughout the season, they’ll bloom even more profusely.  

Not only do strawflowers liven up your yards, their petals, which are stiff and papery, dry beautifully. This makes thema great option for craft projects or dried arrangements.  

Helenium

Helenium is a perennial native to North and Central America.  These daisy-like flowers come in rich yellows and reds, or combinations of both. They bloom from early summer through fall, so they’ll add a pop of colour throughout the season.  

You’ll sometimes hear helenium called sneezeweed.  But, allergy suffers need not worry.  The name derives from a time when the ground plant was used an ingredient in snuff.  Years ago, people would inhale snuff to induce sneezing.  The sneezing, supposedly, rid the body of evil spirits.  

These days, helenium has a much more pleasant and important usage. Not only do the colours make for a wonderful fall garden, helenium is an attractant to butterflies and bees. 

This hardy plant prefers full sun and a rich, moist soil.  In drier soils, it won’t bloom as profusely.

In Conclusion

These five plants are just some of the easy care options when it comes to colourful fall flowers. So, although the arrival of autumn signals an end to summer, don’t despair.  Whether you’re a new or experienced gardener, you too can benefit from introducing splashes of fall colours into your yards from these low fuss plants.