Fall Plant Combinations Packed with Texture
We all have our own expectations for the fall garden. Are you looking for an entirely new scene filled with fall-blooming flowers? Or do you seek to appreciate summer plants’ transition from lush and lively to wizened and waning? I love to combine both. Nothing is more celebratory than seeing vibrant flowers against turning foliage and aging seedheads. Take advantage of these unique characteristics and play up the colors and textures the late season has to offer.
Tall sedum shines in the late-season garden
One plant to consider is tall sedum. Sure, we might relegate it as a filler plant, just a placeholder among other, showier flowers. But I have a few examples to show you how it can be a star performer in the late-season landscape. The thick, succulent leaves are key to bringing life to a border of dropping petals and drying leaves. And the dense, flat-topped clusters of flowers are a continual source of texture from early summer on. But just as you’re getting used to their muted green presence, they turn in fall anywhere from a vibrant pink to a moody mauve and recapture your interest. Tall sedum is a dependable choice for creating layers of texture.
It isn’t the only plant that will do this, though. Read on to discover some great combinations that feature plants with unusual flower shapes and distinct leaf patterns. Find a way to strike that beautiful balance in the fall garden.
No-Fail Fall Garden Combos
Combine perennials and trees for multiseason interest
Combine the dome-shaped flowers of tall sedum with slender mealycup sage spikes, which punctuate the combo and echo the silvery dwarf blue spruce. This showy conifer provides year-long color. Trim it as new growth emerges to keep it in bounds. Don’t cut back the faded flowers of the tall sedum in late fall: They usually last through winter and provide extra interest.
A) Dwarf blue spruce Picea pungens ‘Globosa’
Type: Tree
Blooms: Frosty blue evergreen needles
Light: Full sun
Size: 3 to 5 ft. tall, 4 to 6 ft. wide
Hardiness: Cold hardy in USDA zones 2 to 8
B) Tall sedum Hylotelephium ‘Autumn Joy’
Type: Perennial
Blooms: Dusty pink to rusty red flowers bloom from late summer to fall
Light: Full sun
Size: 18 to 24 in. tall and wide
Hardiness: Cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9
C) Tall sedum Hylotelephium ‘Matrona’
Type: Perennial
Blooms: Dusty pink flowers bloom from late summer to fall atop dark leaves
Light: Full sun
Size: 18 to 24 in. tall and wide
Hardiness: Cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9
D) Mealycup sage Salvia farinacea ‘Victoria Blue’
Type: Tender perennial
Blooms: Blue-purple flowers bloom spring through fall
Light: Full sun to part shade
Size: 18 to 24 in. tall, 10 to 18 in. wide
Hardiness: Cold hardy in USDA zones 8 to 11
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A simple but sweet fall garden border
If you have a narrow, stretching space in your garden, take some cues from this raised stone bed. A single row of sturdy and resilient sedum brings the color in fall, while the sweet autumn clematis spends all summer creeping over the fence to flood this pretty scene with cascades of dainty white fragrant blossoms. This vine can reseed prolifically, so you may need to pull seedlings as they appear.
This combo starts out slowly in spring, so there would be room to add spring-blooming bulbs. Their yellowing foliage will be hidden beneath the sedum for the rest of the season.
A) Sweet autumn clematis Clematis terniflora
Type: Perennial
Blooms: White, starshaped flowers in late summer and fall
Light: Full sun to part shade
Size: 15 to 30 ft. tall and spreading habit
Hardiness: Cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9
B) Tall sedum Hylotelephium ‘Autumn Joy’
Type: Perennial
Blooms: Dusty pink to rusty red flowers bloom from late summer to fall
Light: Full sun
Size: 18 to 24 in. tall and wide
Hardiness: Cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9
Mix flower textures for interesting perennial borders
This border follows the perimeter of the backyard. Planted densely together, these tall plants provide privacy and envelop the yard with a mix of bright feathery plumes, climbing burgundy clusters and glowing blue spikes that nod in the breeze. Notice that there aren’t any large-petaled flowers here — only small flowers in a variety of shapes.
Fine-textured flowers can easily lose their impact from a distance, but these large plants hold masses of flowers that you can’t miss. For smaller plants with fine texture, group many together for combined impact. If possible, make sure each plant offers at least one unique characteristic, such as color or flower shape.
Include nectar-rich perennials to support pollinators
Wildlife will love this combo, too. The photo above shows a monarch butterfly fueling up for fall migration by feeding on Joe-Pye weed. Late-blooming flowers are essential to pollinators, and Joe-Pye weed and anise hyssop are two favorites. No deadheading is needed here. Instead, spent flowers will keep their interesting texture deep into the winter.
A) Joe-Pye weed Eutrochium dubium ‘Little Joe’
Type: Perennial
Blooms: Clusters of purple flowers in summer and fall
Light: Full sun to part shade
Size: 3 to 4 ft. tall, 2 to 3 ft. wide
Hardiness: Cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9
B) Anise hyssop Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’
Type: Perennial
Blooms: Lavender blue spikes of flowers in summer to fall
Light: Full sun
Size: 24 to 36 in. tall, 18 to 24 in. wide
Hardiness: Cold hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9
C) Feather reed grass Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’
Type: Perennial
Blooms: Golden beige flowers in summer to fall
Light: Full sun
Size: 3 to 5 ft. tall, 2 to 3 ft. wide
Hardiness: Cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9
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Create an eye-catching combo with firecracker plant
Hot orange and yellow can light up a landscape and quickly steal all the attention. If you love this color scheme but want to tone it down, this combo is a wonderful example. The first tip is to choose plants with small, dainty flowers. Even if their colors are vibrant, their small shape is a more subtle presence. The other trick is to use a variety of foliage colors. The fuzzy blue foliage of the yellow buttons plant lends a cool element, and the golden bronze sedge adds another layer of warmth.
Firecracker plant's long brightly-colored tubular flowers are a favorite of hummingbirds! Try planting them in a container for a close view in the garden.
Good to know
All of these plants are tender perennials grown as annuals where they’re not hardy and bring the color from the get-go. As the season progresses, they fill in and intermingle to create a fascinating collage of autumnal color and texture. As a bonus, these sun-loving plants can take heat and tolerate drought without compromising their gorgeous fall finale.
A) Large firecracker plant Cuphea Vermillionaire®
Type: Tender perennial
Blooms: Orange tubular flowers
Light: Full sun
Size: 18 to 28 in. tall, 12 to 24 in. wide
Hardiness: Cold hardy in USDA zones 8 to 11
B) Leatherleaf sedge Carex buchananii ‘Red Rooster’
Type: Tender perennial (usually grown as an annual)
Blooms: Bronze-brown leaves all season long
Light: Full sun to part shade
Size: 16 to 24 in. tall, 18 to 24 in. wide
Hardiness: Cold hardy in USDA zones 7 to 9
C) Yellow buttons Chrysocephalum apiculatum Flambe® Yellow
Type: Tender perennial (usually grown as an annual)
Blooms: Round yellow flowers from spring through fall
Light: Full sun
Size: 8 to 14 in. tall, 15 to 24 in. wide
Hardiness: Cold hardy in USDA zones 9 to 10
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