15 Flower Seeds to Plant this Fall for Beautiful Blooms Next Season

Summer is ending, and it’s the perfect time to think about flowers for next year’s garden. Usually, when I think of spring blooms, I think of bulbs. But fall sowing is another way to plan ahead for gorgeous spring and summer blooms. Below I list 15 annual and perennial flower seeds to plant in fall.

First I’ll go over the benefits of fall sowing and tips for choosing the right flowers for you and your garden. Then I’ll get into 15 of my favorite annual and perennial flowers that do well when sown in the fall. Many of them are native to North America (so we, here in the US and Canada, call them wildflowers), and all are drought-tolerant since those are the varieties I know best.

At the end of the post, I provide a table with additional information for each species, which you might find helpful when planning your fall seed sowing plan.

Benefits of Planting Flower Seeds in Fall

Most seed packet instructions are for spring sowing only, but we can sow many flowers in fall as well. In fact, fall sowing has many advantages over spring sowing. 

Stronger Plants & Earlier Blooms

By planting seeds in the fall, we simulate nature. Fall is when plants naturally drop their seeds. When seeds are already on the ground come spring, nature takes over and the seeds germinate as soon as conditions are favorable. The result is robust plants that bloom earlier than many spring-sown seeds.

Less Work

Seeds started indoors need careful looking after to maintain the right amount of moisture and enough light. By planting directly in the ground, and in the fall, nature does much of the work for us. Light is abundant outdoors and cool fall and winter temperatures and winter rains and snow reduce the need for watering.

Simple Stratification and Scarification

Some perennials require cold stratification, a period of moist and cold conditions that primes seeds for germination in spring. When we collect these seeds and store them in climate-controlled conditions, we must simulate the natural occurrence of cold stratification by refrigerating the seeds for a few weeks before planting. By sowing these seeds in the fall, winter freezes take care of stratification for us.

Scarification is another process that some seeds require for germination. Seeds that have tough outer shells need those shells softened and weakened enough for the tiny seedling to emerge. Manual scarification techniques scratch the outer seed layer with tools such as sandpaper, metal file, or knife. In nature, winter freeze-thaw cycles take care of scarification for us.

Tips for Choosing Fall Sown Flower Seeds

One of the major advantages of planting flower seeds in fall is that it allows nature to take over the process, resulting in less work for us. This also means that seeds not suited to your location and conditions may not germinate well or at all. So set yourself up for success by picking the right flowers from the beginning.

Choose Seeds that Will Thrive In Your Garden

• Read growing information on the seed packet or in the catalog. Make sure that the flower seeds you select are appropriate for your climate. (Visit this handy page to find your plant hardiness zone if you live in the US, and this one for Canada)

• To get the best results, choose not only plants that grow in your hardiness zone but also plants that thrive in your local area.

• Consider the specific conditions of your site. Is it sunny or shady, humid or dry, poor soils or fertile loam? You’ll probably have a range of microclimates available to you to plant in, so consider specific areas of your yard you want to fill in.

• Dig deeper than the expectations of what will grow well based on climate and local conditions. Observe what actually thrives in your area. Take a walk around your neighborhood throughout the year and notice what thrives and what you like. If you’re not sure what the different plants you see are, then get a plant ID app like Picture This or Plant Net.

• Experiment. Try sowing several varieties of flower seeds and see what takes off. Some will do better than others. Some might not germinate at all, but many will. Often, the best way to learn what grows best in your garden is through experimentation.

• On a related note, be aware of possibly invasive species in your area. Check the invasive species resource and don’t plant flowers considered invasive in your area.

Design Your Flower Garden Aesthetics and Function

• Choose flowers with colors that complement and balance each other. You might wish to go with a cool color theme, such as blues and purples, or choose eye-catching complementary colors, such as blues and oranges. Make sure that the flowers you pair together have similar bloom times.

• Plan for mature plant sizes in your planting layout with shorter flower varieties in front of taller varieties. Stepping progressively taller on either side of a path or in front of a wall creates a lovely effect.

• Balance bloom times so that you have something blooming in your garden throughout the season.

• Consider additional features of your flower garden and choose species accordingly. For example, you might wish to plant a pollinator garden or select species that are deer-resistant. Because I’ve lived in dry areas all my life, I’ve developed a love for many of the drought-tolerant species, and as a result, most of the flowers in this post are drought-tolerant.

When to Fall-Sow Flowers

Planting time depends on what type of seed you’re sowing — annual or perennial, and whether it requires a cold stratification period or scarification. Always read the seed packet for more plant-specific information, but don’t limit yourself to spring planting just because that’s all the package recommends.

Sow annual flowers after a hard frost and before a snow. Waiting to sow annuals until after a hard frost ensures that the seeds won’t germinate early only to meet a killing freeze weeks or days later. Snow cover and winter rains help keep seeds moist and protected. In mild climates, you can sow annuals in early fall for winter blooms.

Sow perennials that benefit from cold stratification or scarification after a hard frost and well before spring. Cold winter temperatures will stratify and scarify the seeds, preparing them for germination when conditions are right in spring. The length of chill time required for stratification varies by plant, but a solid 4-5 weeks is usually plenty of time.

Most, if not all, of the perennial fall-sown flowers I list below benefit from a period of cold stratification.

For perennials that don’t require cold stratification, sow 8-10 weeks before your first average frost date. This gives time for the plants to germinate in fall and mature enough to survive winter, gaining a head start over their spring-sown counterparts. Or, sow later in fall or winter for spring and summer blooms.

Where to Sow Fall Sown Flowers

Most of these flowers grow best in well-drained soil, so avoid poorly drained locations if possible. Germination rates will be best if you sow them on a good seedbed of nutrient-rich soil.

You might like to prepare a no-dig garden bed for these flowers, which will provide lots of nutrients from the compost and other organic matter. However, if you’re sowing over a larger area, it’s fine to prepare the seedbed simply by mowing and raking.

Annual Flower Seeds to Plant in Fall

1. Bachelor’s Buttons (Cornflower)

Bachelor’s buttons are an easy-to-grow annual, also known as cornflower. They’re typically blue (cornflower blue) but come in a variety of other colors, including dark purple, pink, and white. These button-shaped flowers are named for their traditional use of adorning a young man’s lapel for courting. They make long-lasting cut flowers and dry well. Bachelor buttons are also edible. Sprinkle some petals on a green salad for a splash of color or use it on a platter as a garnish.

2. Bluebells

These small, upward-facing bell-shaped blue-purple flowers with dark green foliage look stunning planted over wide areas or filling in small spaces. Plant these tough, frost- and drought-resistant flowers in rock gardens, between stepping stones, or in containers for pretty spring blooms. They contrast well with vivid red or orange flowers such as the California poppy.

3. Coreopsis

An annual that often reseeds itself, coreopsis attracts bees, butterflies, and birds. The seeds provide fall and winter food for birds. They are moderately drought and heat-tolerant, and require little care but watering. Shake the dried seed heads on the ground in the fall for an explosion of low-care flowers the following year.

4. Love-in-a-Mist

These delicate annual flowers with paper-thin petals and unique seed pods make an intriguing addition to cut flower bouquets. In the garden, love-in-a-mist blooms early, attracts pollinators, and readily reseeds itself.

5. Lupine

With its nitrogen-fixing superpower, lupine improves the fertility of the flower garden. It has both annual and perennial varieties.

Lupine not only attracts bees and butterflies, but it’s also a larval host plant for many butterfly species.

A more difficult seed to germinate, lupine requires both stratification and scarification, so fall sowing is ideal.

6. Poppy

Poppies add a “pop” of warm color to garden edges and beds. They are stunning, planted in mass, or inter-planted with complementary colored blooms such as lupine, salvia, or bachelor’s buttons.

Perennials in zones 8-10, these beauties grow as reseeding annuals in cooler climates.

Sun-loving poppies are both drought and heat-tolerant. They open their faces to the sun and close under overcast skies.

Perennial Flower Seeds to Plant in Fall

7. Coneflower (Echinacea)

Coneflower, or echinacea, has large 3″-4″ diameter daisy-shaped flowers with large central cones. Stalks grow 3′-4′ tall, although smaller dwarf varieties exist.

They have a long bloom time, from summer to fall. Leave the dried stalks and flower heads because they provide food for birds, and give structure to the winter garden.

Coneflowers also attract pollinators, make excellent cut flowers, and have medicinal properties.

8. Feverfew

Feverfew gets its name from its traditional use in treating fevers.

Its many small white flowers with yellow centers resting on fern-like green foliage resemble chamomile flowers.

This low-maintenance plant has lovely sent, attracts pollinators, and is fairly drought tolerant. It’s a short-lived perennial that readily reseeds itself.

9. Flax

Delicate lavender-blue flax flowers only last a day, but the plants blossom profusely for 2-3 months. It tolerates partial shade and blooms for a longer season when in part shade.

Flax is a short-lived perennial that easily reseeds itself for blooms year after year.

10. True Hyssop

An easy-to-care-for perennial, hyssop thrives in a wide range of climates, from US hardiness zone 3-11.

Bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects love hyssop, making it an excellent addition to a pollinator garden. The blooms last through late summer, and plants bloom in their first year.

11. Milkweed

A host plant for monarch caterpillars (the only food these caterpillars can eat), milkweed plays a critical role in the re-establishment of endangered monarch butterfly populations.

If you live in the US, choose a species native to your location.

Milkweed sap is toxic, so do not ingest it and avoid skin and eye contact.

12. Penstemon

Though typically blue, penstemon comes in a variety of colors. It attracts hummingbirds and other pollinators to the garden.

A smaller perennial at about one foot high, it goes well at the front of borders, in rock gardens, and in containers.

It’s very drought-tolerant and heat-tolerant but handles moderate moisture well.

13. Salvia

Salvia is another flower that attracts hummingbirds along with other pollinators. Grow in mass, mixed with multi-colored annuals, or in containers. Remove spent flower spikes for continual blooms all summer, and take cuttings for indoor arrangements.

14. Yarrow

A quintessential wildflower for high desert gardens, yarrow is a low-maintenance flower with long-lasting blooms. Tiny flowers grow in flat-topped clusters atop 2′ tall stalks, with soft, fern-like foliage that spreads like a ground cover. Native yarrow is white, but cultivars exist in an array of warm colors.

15. Verbascum (Mullein)

This unique short-lived perennial, or biennial, adds visual interest to the garden with blooms growing on the sides of tall spires.

Verbascum blooms vary by cultivar and can be yellow, pink, white, or shades of purple and violet. Its foliage is low to the ground, sage green, and velvety soft.

If this article is helpful to you and you choose to purchase any seeds through Botanical Interests, please consider going through my affiliate link, Flowers by category – Fall Sown Flowers. By doing so you’ll help support me so that I can continue to create content like this.

Table of Annual and Perennial Flower Seeds to Plant in Fall

Flower	Botanical Name	Annual / Perennial & USDA Zone	Plant Size	Bloom Period	Features
California Bluebells	Phacelia campanularia	Annual	8″–16″ tall, 6″ wide.	Spring	Attracts Pollinators, Drought Tolerant, Good for Containers
Coneflower	Echinacea purpurea	Perennial in zones 3-8	3’–4′ tall Dwarf varieties are 18″–22″ tall	Summer to Frost	Attracts Pollinators, Cut Flowers, Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Heat Tolerant
Plains Coreopsis	Coreopsis tinctoria	Annual	12″–24″ tall	Summer to frost	Attracts Pollinators, Cut Flower, Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Heat Tolerant
Feverfew	Tanacetum parthenium	Short-lived perennial in zone 5-8	12″–24″ tall and wide	Summer to frost with regular deadheading	Attracts Pollinators, Cut Flower, Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Edible Flower
Flax	Linum perenne	Perennial in zones 5-8	18″–30″ tall	Spring to Summer	Attracts Pollinators, Drought Tolerant, Heat Tolerant, tolerates poor soils, tolerates part shade
True Hyssop	Hyssopus officinalis	Perennial in zones 3–11	12″–24″ tall	Summer	Attracts Beneficial Insects, Attracts Pollinators, Cut Flower, Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant
Love-in-a-Mist	Nigella damascena	Annual	18″-36″	Summer to Fall	Attracts Pollinators, Cut Flower, Drought Tolerant
Lupine	Lupinus mexicanus	Annual	12″-14″ tall	Spring to summer	Attracts Pollinators, Deer Resistant, Good for Containers, Fixes Nitrogen
Milkweed	Asclepias syriaca	Perennial in zone 3 and warmer	24″–36″ tall	Summer	Attracts Pollinators, Drought Tolerant, Deer Resistant,
Penstemon	Penstemon barbatus,	Perennial in zones 4–8	12″ tall	Spring to summer	Attracts Hummingbirds, Attracts Pollinators, Cut Flower, Drought Tolerant, Good for Containers, Heat Tolerant
California Poppy	Eschscholzia californica	Perennial in zones 8–10, usually grown as an annual	6″–12″ tall and wide	Spring to frost	Attracts Pollinators, Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Heat Tolerant
Salvia	Salvia x superba	Perennial in USDA zones 3–9	24″ tall and wide	Summer to frost	Attracts Hummingbirds, Attracts Pollinators, Cut Flower, Drought Tolerant, Deer Resistant
Yarrow	Achillea millefolium	Perennial in zones 2-9	24″ tall, 12″–24″ wide	Summer to frost	Attracts Beneficial Insects, Attracts Pollinators, Cut Flower, Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant
Verbascum (Mullein)	Verbascum phoeniceum	Short-lived perennial in zones 4–8	2’–4′ tall, 1’–2′ wide	Late Spring to Summer	Attracts Pollinators, Cut Flower, Deer Resistant, Fairly Drought Tolerant

Conclusion

Sowing seeds in fall is a low-effort, low-cost way to invite diversity, beauty, and beneficial insects to your garden. For many annuals and perennials, fall is an ideal time for planting — the same time of year that nature sows its seeds.

So pull out those leftover seed packets or pick up some new ones and get planting. And while you’re at it, you might like to sow some winter cover crops, which I talked about last week. Just remember to keep it fun.

Happy sowing!