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As the weather cools and autumn rains break the late summer dry spell, gardeners can once again start planting in the garden. While fall is a wonderful time to plant perennials and deciduous shrubs, there are also numerous annuals that can be planted in September and beyond. These include cool-season flowers, hardy herbs, and cover crops for the vegetable garden. Fall is also a good time to sow seeds of several early-spring blooming annual flowers. Southern gardeners have many options when it comes to fall planting. Here are a few tried-and-true annual flowers, herbs, and cover crops that can be planted in fall, from September onward. Note that for some of these plants, planting times and culture may vary depending on your location and typical winter climate.
Whether you’re installing winter bedding plants or getting a jump-start on spring, fall is a great time for planting a variety of annuals. Remember that plants behave differently depending on location and associated winter weather. Match planting times to your hardiness zone and get to know typical winter conditions for your area. As a general rule, fall planting times tend to be earlier in the Upper South and later in the Deep South.
Violas
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- Botanical Name: Viola spp. and hybrids
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Soil Type: Rich, moist, well-draining
- Soil pH: Acidic to neutral (5.5-7.0)
For winter blooms, you can’t beat Violas. This group includes pansies and Johnny-jump-ups, two commonly available cool-season bedding plants. Pansies flower in a range of colors with many two-toned varieties available, while Johnny-jump-ups produce tricolored blooms featuring a mix of purple, yellow, and white. Both plants bloom for months on end. Though technically perennial, pansies and Johnny-jump-ups are grown as annuals because they wither in the summer heat. They are perfect for winter containers.
Calendula
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- Botanical Name: Calendula officinalis
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Type: Rich, medium moisture, well-draining
- Soil pH: Slightly acidic to neutral (6.0-7.0)
Calenda thrives in cool weather, but its culture varies in different areas of the South as the plants do not tolerate hard freezes. Often called pot marigold, calendula can be grown as a winter annual in frost-free regions (USDA Hardiness Zones 9-11) for vibrant winter blooms. In cooler areas, calendula can be grown in spring and fall, for summer and autumn blooms, respectively. A simple frost blanket on cold nights can extend the fall bloom season well into the winter months.
Cilantro
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- Botanical Name: Coriandrum sativum
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Soil Type: Rich, moist, well-draining
- Soil pH: Slightly acidic (6.2-6.8)
Cilantro performs best in cooler weather and tends to bolt or set flowers when temperatures rise. Throughout the South, the shoulder seasons of spring and fall are the ideal time to sow cilantro. In winter hardiness zones 8 through 10, fall planting provides harvests from late fall to early summer the following year, until plants bolt in the summer heat. In cooler areas of the South, September planting will provide plentiful harvests by November.
Bachelor’s Buttons
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- Botanical Name: Centaurea cyanus
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to light shade
- Soil Type: Average, medium, well- draining
- Soil pH: Adaptable (6.0-8.0)
Also known as cornflower, Bachelor’s buttons are an old-fashioned cut flower that can easily be sown directly into the garden in fall for blooms the following spring. This is much easier than starting seeds indoors and transplanting them into the garden. In mild climates, fall sown seed produces winter blooms. Pollinators adore these frilly blooms, while songbirds eat the seeds.
Love-in-a-Mist
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- Botanical Name:
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Type: Average, medium to moist, well-draining
- Soil pH: Adaptable (6.0-8.0)
This garden classic features unique blooms and seed pods that sit in a lacy cup of threadlike foliage. The blooms make gorgeous cuttings, as do the egg-shaped seed pods which are commonly dried for everlasting arrangements. Varieties include purple, pink, lavender, rose, and white blooms, though blue is most traditional. Fall sowing encourages sturdy plants and earlier blooms, which can be quite beneficial in hot Southern climes.
Parsley
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- Botanical Name: Petroselinum crispum
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun
- Soil Type: Moist, Well-draining, Rich
- Soil pH: Slightly Acidic to Neutral (6.0-7.0)
Parsley plants struggle in the heat of summer and are commonly planted in the spring for an early summer harvest, however, fall planting is far more productive. Plants can be started from seed September through February for transplant into the garden, or you can purchase transplants from the garden center. Begin harvesting the larger, lower leaves when plants reach about eight inches in diameter. Remove no more than one-third of the leaves at a time for ongoing growth and continued harvests.
Austrian Winter Pea
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- Botanical Name: Lathyrus oleraceus
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Soil Type: Average, medium, well-draining
- Soil pH: Adaptable (6.0-8.0)
Austrian winter pea is a cool-season annual grown as a cover crop. It is among the easiest cover crops to manage in the home vegetable garden, as plants can simply be cut at the base to terminate growth in spring. This is typically done before plants set fruit. Austrian winter pea provides several benefits including nitrogen fixation, erosion control, and weed management.
Larkspur
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- Botanical Name: Consolida ajacis
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Type: Rich, medium to moist, well-draining
- Soil pH: Neutral (6.5-7.5)
With lacy foliage and tall spikes of delicate blue, pink, or white blooms, larkspurs make a lovely addition to cutting beds and cottage gardens. Butterflies and other pollinators are common visitors, while deer and rabbits leave this plant alone. Fall-sown seeds produce blooms the following year in late spring to early summer. Plants tend to die out my mid-summer in hot Southern gardens.
Cape Marigold
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- Botanical Name: Dimorphotheca sinuata
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun
- Soil Type: Dry to Medium, Well-draining, Rich
- Soil pH: Slightly Acidic to Slightly Alkaline (6.0-8.0)
Cape marigold flowers resemble large daisies with vibrant orange, yellow, purple, pink, or white ray petals surrounding a pollen-rich eye that attracts bees and butterflies. Individual blooms face the sun during the day and close at night. Sow seeds in late summer to early fall. Foliage remains evergreen through winter, with flowers starting to open in late winter and erupting through spring.
Dusty Miller
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- Botanical Name: Jacobaea maritima
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun
- Soil Type: Rich, moist, well-draining
- Soil pH: Acidic to neutral (5.5-7.0)
The woolly, deeply-lobed foliage of dusty miller is covered in tiny silver hairs that give leaves a silver to white sheen. Depending on your climate, dusty miller may be planted as a summer or winter annual. Plants tolerate light frost, but do not survive hard freezes. As such, they are reserved for spring planting in frost-prone areas. In milder climes, (Zones 8 to 11), dusty miller can be planted in fall for winter and early spring color.
Snapdragon
- Botanical Name: Antirrhinum majus
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Soil Type: Rich, medium to moist, well-draining
- Soil pH: Slightly acidic to neutral (6.2 and 7.0)
Though technically a perennial, snapdragon is treated as an annual bedding plant, with gardeners in zones 8 to 11 commonly planting it for winter color. Plants are available in a great diversity of flower colors with stems ranging in height from six inches to three feet. Plants produce flowers as long as temperatures are above freezing, providing gorgeous color for winter containers and lovely winter cut flowers to brighten vases indoors.
Polyanthus Primrose
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- Botanical Name: Primula x polyantha
- Sun Exposure: Part sade
- Soil Type: Rich, moist, well-draining
- Soil pH: Acidic (5.5-6.5)
This frost-tolerant primrose is grown as a winter annual in mild Southern gardens, where plants bloom from early winter through spring. Note that plants go dormant in areas that experience hard freezes. Polyanthus primrose produces velvety blooms in rich blue, purple, burgundy, and golden hues above lush green foliage.
Crimson Clover
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- Botanical Name: Trifolium incarnatum
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Soil Type: Rich, well-draining
- Soil pH: Acidic to neutral (5.5–7.0)
Crimson clover is a cool-season annual commonly used as a cover crop in vegetable gardens or a companion plant beneath fruiting trees and shrubs. The foliage protects soil during the winter months while root nodules fix nitrogen, making it available to nearby plants. In early spring, a flush of red flowers provides a rich source of pollen and nectar to native bees. Crimson clover can become weedy in landscape beds, restrict use to production gardens, orchards, and other large acreage.
Red Poppy
- Botanical Name: Papaver rhoeas
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Type: Rich, medium, well-draining
- Soil pH: Acidic to neutral (6.0-7.5)
Red poppy goes by many names, including corn poppy, field poppy, and Flanders poppy. They are a beloved cut flower, though short-lived, and are commonly planted in meadows and cottage gardens where plants can reseed freely. Plants are sensitive to heat and do not tolerate drought. In Southern gardens, they are best suited to being sown in fall for springtime blooms.
Sweet Alyssum
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- Botanical Name: Lobularia maritima
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Type: Average, medium to moist, well-draining
- Soil pH: Adaptable (6.0-8.0)
This cool-season annual makes a lovely edging plant or companion plant to pansies, sweet William, snapdragons, and primroses. While sweet alyssum is best known for its masses of white blooms, commercial varieties also include cultivars with lavender, pink, and purple blooms. Sow seeds in September for flowers starting in late fall and lasting through winter.