7 Showy Fall Blooming Shrubs
Embrace the vibrant hues of autumn with our guide on showy fall blooming shrubs, perfect for adding a splash of color to your garden during the cooler months. These bushes will help to keep your outdoor space lively and picturesque as the seasons change.
If your garden is like mine, by the time late summer and fall roll around, it’s not looking its best.
Which is why I like to plant some shrubs that bloom in the fall.
They add structure to the landscape as well as providing a pop of color when most other plants are winding down.
And since I usually don’t feel like working in the garden this time of year, low maintenance bushes are definitely a priority.
So here are my favorite fall blooming shrubs that are sure to put on a show.
Looking for more fall plants? You'll love Bulbs To Plant In Fall.
1 | Rose Of Sharon
Scientific name: Hibiscus syriacus
Zones: 5 to 9
Exposure: Sun
Height: 6′ to 12′
Width: 6′ to 8′
Bloom time: summer to fall
Flower color: blue, purple, pink, red, whiteRose of Sharon is a deciduous flowering shrub that blooms from late summer into fall.
It grows well in the heat and is fairly drought tolerant, both of which are requirements for my garden.
Depending on the variety, the flowers can have double blooms (like the one above) or single blooms (like the one below).
And the butterflies love them!
Their blooms are generally in shades of pink, red, purple or white.
Since I’m partial to purple and blue flowers, Hibiscus syriacus ‘Bluebird’ is one of my favorites.
But I also love Hibiscus syriacus ‘Sugar Tip’.
It has beautiful variegated leaves, pretty pink flowers and is covered in blooms for about 2 months!
Some Rose of Sharon varieties are prolific self-seeders, so you may want to look them up before purchasing. Otherwise, you could end up spending a lot of time pulling up seedlings in the spring.
2 | Pannicle Hydrangea
Scientific name: Hydrangea paniculata
Zones: 3 to 9
Exposure: Sun, Part Shade
Height: 6′ to 10′
Width: 6′ to 10′
Bloom time: late summer to fall
Flower color: green, pink, red, whiteWhile there are many beautiful hydrangeas available, if you want the ones that bloom from late summer well into the fall, look for Hydrangea paniculata and Hydrangea quercifolia.
They have large cone shaped flower clusters that change colors as they get older.
Most start the season with white blooms.
That then turn green, pink or even red as they mature.
The plants can grow into quite large bushes, are very cold hardy, don’t require a lot of maintenance and are fairly drought tolerant once established.
Oakleaf Hydrangea also has bright red foliage that adds to your garden’s fall colors.
Many other types of Hydrangeas (such as Hydrangea macrophylla) will bloom all summer and into the fall. However, if you live in a location where the summer weather is really hot (like mine), they usually look a little bedraggled by the end. So mixing in some Hydrangea paniculata or H. quercifolia plants is a great way to make your garden look a little fresher as cooler weather approaches.
3 | Crepe Myrtle
Scientific name: Lagerstroemia
Zones: 6 to 10
Exposure: Sun
Height: 15′ to 30′
Width: 10′ to 20′
Bloom time: late summer to fall
Flower color: pink, white, redIn my area of the country, Crepe Myrtle is the go-to plant for fall color.
It’s very easy to grow, has big beautiful clusters of blooms usually in white or pink and doesn’t take much work to maintain.
So there’s a good reason why you see them everywhere!
They grow a little taller than the other shrubs on this list.
But look beautiful planted above other fall blooming shrubs (like the Hydrangeas and Rose of Sharon in this picture).
4 | Camellia
Scientific name: Camellia sasanqua or Camellia japonica
Zones: 6 to 10
Exposure: Part Shade, Shade
Height: 2′ to 25′
Width: 2′ to 10′
Bloom time: fall, winter, spring
Flower color: pink, red, yellow, whiteCamellias are large bushes or small trees with evergreen leaves and absolutely gorgeous flowers.
They don’t require much maintenance, are drought tolerant once established and are fairly deer-resistant.
Plus they bloom in the autumn and winter (a time when very few other plants are blooming). So it’s hard not to have at least one in your garden if they grow in your zone.
To make sure you are getting a fall-blooming Camellia, check the zone and flowering time can vary considerably depending on the variety. ‘Pink Perfection’ and ‘Pink Snow’ are 2 popular fall-flowering Camellia varieties.
It’s best to plant Camellias in their forever home from the start. They have deep tap roots, so they are hard to dig up after they have been growing in one location for a while. Although they are very tough and will probably survive being moved, it is a back-breaking project!
5 | Ben Franklin Tree
Scientific name: Franklinia alatamaha
Zones: 6 to 9
Exposure: Part Shade, Shade
Height: 10′ to 15′
Width: 10′ to 15′
Bloom time: late summer to fall
Flower color: whiteThe Benjamin Franklin tree is a native plant that is believed to be extinct in the wild.
It has beautiful white flowers in the fall that are very fragrant and last until the first frost.
As an added bonus, the leaves also turn brilliant red.
Although it is called a tree, its growth habit is more like a large shrub, since it usually has multiple stems.
6 | Encore Azalea
Scientific name: Rhododendron
Zones: 6 to 10
Exposure: Part Shade, Sun
Height: 2′ to 8′, Officially, these Azaleas grow to 6 feet high, but I have a couple in my garden that are up to 8 feet, so I think it depends on your growing environment.
Width: 2′ to 6′
Bloom time: spring to fall
Flower color: pink, red, white, peachEncore Azaleas are another shrub with beautiful flowers in the fall.
They are evergreen bushes with pink, white or purple flowers that put on a big show in the spring and a slightly smaller one in the fall. Plus sporadic blooms throughout the summer.
They are really easy to care for that don’t even require pruning (unless you want to keep them smaller).
Although most of the literature says they produce more blooms if they have more sun, I grow most of mine in the shade and they are still covered in flowers.
7 | Polyantha Roses
Scientific name: Rosa multiflora
Zones: 4 to 9
Exposure: Sun
Height: 4′ to 6′
Width: 4′ to 5′
Bloom time: late spring to fall
Flower color: purple, pink, orange, red, yellow, whitePolyantha roses are another shrub that flowers from spring to fall, giving you all-season blooms.
These are heirloom varieties with clusters of small blooms that are usually fragrant.
And the plants are super low maintenance, especially compared to other types of roses.
They are disease-resistant and don’t require fertilizing or extra watering.
Which is why these are my favorite types of roses!
Have comments or questions about our fall blooming shrubs? Tell us in the section below.