Plants for fall color – 5 ideas for beautiful borders

Tending to your plot is a year-round activity, so for a backyard that looks good in fall and winter it’s important to consider plant choices that work through the seasons. 

Having a planting plan to create multi-layered borders that provide interest through every season, and particularly in the colder months, is a smart idea. There are so many interesting shrubs with great color and shapely foliage that can create texture within your backyard ideas. We always recommend including evergreen shrubs, too, as they are great for adding structure and year-round color in the garden.

Plants for fall color – 5 picks for an autumnal border

For a fall border that's filled with color, choosing the best evergreen shrubs is just the start. You'll also want to look at what to plant around and beneath them, which might be the prettiest evergreen plants or perennials known for their late-flowering blooms.

'Larger and mature shrubs can have their lower branches pruned back, thereby raising the canopy,' says garden designer Nikki Hollier. 'This is called a crown lift, and it’s when all the leaves are located in the top section of the plant. This pruning technique can also improve the health of surrounding plants due to increased light and air circulation.'

Here we have selected five of the best plants for fall color, which could all work together when planted in a border to create a dramatic seasonal effect. 

Nikki Hollier

Nikki Hollier is a gardening expert and landscape designer who specializes in off-the-shelf planting schemes via her company, Border in a Box. Nikki created this bespoke selection of plants for fall color to help you put together a beautiful border.

1. Photinia x fraseri 'Red Robin'

'Photinia are commonly used in hedges, but I love the lollipop tree versions as they’re great for adding height and interest in a small garden,' says Nikki. 'In the spring the new foliage is bright red, turning green as it matures.'

Bay trees are a good alternative – in fact, bays are some of the best trees for small gardens and tiny yards. Photinia and bay trees work well if you're considering clipped evergreens and topiary in your garden.

'Both trees are happy in a sunny or part-sunny spot,' Nikki says. 'Bay leaves have an added benefit as they can be used in cooking. Keep them clipped to the desired height and shape.'

Red tip photinia shrubs are available at Nature Hills. 

2. Colchicum 'The Giant'

'This fall-flowering crocus would look wonderful planted beneath a lollipop Photinia. As the name suggests, it’s a tall variety – growing to around 8 inches high, with narrow leaves and purple-violet flowers,' says Nikki. 

As well as providing a welcome bolt of color, the flowers provide pollen for honeybees when the garden larder is sparse.

3. Carex oshimensis 'Evergold' 

Knowing how to grow ornamental grasses, and when and where to introduce them to your planting plan, is key to creating a garden full of movement and depth.

'Plants with different heights create interest, and low-growing evergreen grasses such as Carex oshimensis 'Evergold' provide beautiful movement in the border,' confirms Nikki. 'It will grow to around 20 inches tall and wide when mature, and looks fantastic planted around a cornus.'

4. Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire'

Also known as red twig dogwood, this deciduous shrub is grown for its colorful winter stems – a stunning bright orange or red that will sing out from the border on a gloomy winter’s day. 

The cornus shrub will grow to around 6.5ft tall and wide, and can take a decent prune in the fall. 

5. Abelia × grandiflora 'Hopleys'

There are lots of different Abelia plants – including the Radiance Abelia Shrub at Perfect Plants, which offers evergreen foliage all year round.

'I also like the Abelia x grandiflora 'Hopleys' variety,' says Nikki Hollier. 'This evergreen shrub grows to around 3ft tall and wide but can be easily cut back to the desired height. 

'It has a pretty variegated leaf, with white flowers in spring. It is one of those plants that I just leave to do its thing in my garden and it always looks good.'

What are some of the best trees for fall?

Trees and deciduous shrubs are the obvious choice when it comes to fall color – the turning of their leaves from green, through yellow, gold, orange, red and russet brown is one of the most beautiful sights at this time of year.

If you're considering best trees for fall color, yellow Gingko Biloba, red maples and gumtrees, and berry-rich trees such as rowan and crab apple are all beautiful options.

FAQs

Whether you use just one or all of these plants for fall color ideas, planning a border that works throughout the seasons is like designing a tapestry. Consider how to grow a ginkgo tree, for a striking tree that will add fall color to your yard. 

If you like attracting pollinators to your yard, you might also be interested in how to plant a winter border for bees.