Shrubs and Perennials to Plant for Fall Color

To add fall color to the garden, try these shrubs and perennials recommended by Mimi Jorling of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. These plants are a great way to expand your planting palette beyond the usual suspects for fall interest, like mums and ornamental grasses.

1. Willow-leaved spicebush (Lindera angustifolia var. glabra)

Native to wooded areas in western Korea, this understory shrub is planted for its loose, natural form and lush, fragrant foliage that turns shades of orange and deep coral-red in fall. By early winter, the leaves fade to an even beige that pops amid evergreens. They persist until early spring, weathering wind, ice and snow with little damage. Full sun to part shade. USDA Zones 6–8.

2. Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia ‘Brilliantissima’)

This shrub native to eastern North American woodlands is double red in fall: Its foliage bursts into scarlet, as does its glossy, berrylike fruit. Its rather flouncy cultivar name, ‘Brilliantissima’, does aptly describe this small shrub. Compared to the straight species, this compact cultivar produces more fruit and has longer-lasting, cardinal-red foliage. Full sun to part shade. Zones 4–9.

3. Creeping Saint-John’s wort (Hypericum calycinum)

Also called Aaron’s beard, this tough groundcover is known primarily for its large yellow summer flowers that explode with showy stamens. However it also has late fall color that’s not to be missed. In the Northeast US it is semi-evergreen, and its leaves turn deep cinnamon-red before the brown winter dieback. Mimi recommends planting it in a mass to make more of a visual impact. Full to part sun. Zones 5–7.

4. Red Bistort (Persicaria amplexicaulis)

This clumping perennial native to the Himalayas adds red to the fall landscape with its flowers, not its foliage. Vivid red flower heads look like clusters of glass seed beads on long stems. They stand upright above rough, puckered foliage from June to October or even November. The flower heads also make a long-lasting cut flower, adding a spiky bright red to autumn bouquets. Full sun to part shade. Zones 4–7.

5. Bigroot cranesbill (Geranium macrorrhizum ‘Ingwersen’s Variety’)

This versatile groundcover, native to southern Europe and Turkey, forms a dense, low mat of foliage in summer months. In late fall, the large, roundish, deeply lobed green leaves become a red carpet as they turn deep crimson. ‘Ingwersen’s Variety’ tolerates humidity better than many hardy geraniums. It also makes an excellent tree-pit plant as it handles dry soils and some shade. Full sun to part shade. Zones 4–8.