These 17 wildflowers can go in the ground this fall as seed or potted plants. Most bloom the following spring or summer, and a few carry color into the next fall. Fall sowing does not suit every species in every region. Several cool-season annuals only overwinter where winters are mild, so each entry lists where fall planting works, what the plant needs and any invasive or toxicity warnings.
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See Today's Price1. California poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
California poppy is a good fit for fall sowing where winters are mild and wet, which covers most of California west of the Sierra. Scatter seed in fall, cover it about 1/16 inch deep, and let winter rain do the watering. Fall-sown plants bloom in spring into early summer. In mild climates the plant can live a few years; where winters are cold, grow it as an annual and sow in spring instead. The orange flowers close at night and on cloudy days. It needs full sun and lean, well-drained soil, and it does not like rich garden beds.
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2. Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)
Cornflower, or bachelor’s button, is a hardy annual from Europe with bright blue flowers. Fall-sown seed can overwinter as small plants and bloom in late spring. Grow it in full sun and ordinary, well-drained soil. Check your state list before sowing. Cornflower has escaped cultivation across much of the US and is listed in the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States and on Tennessee’s invasive plant list. Keep it in a contained bed, deadhead to limit seed spread, and skip it near meadows or natural areas. A native such as plains coreopsis is a safer pick for a wild patch.
3. Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Black-eyed Susan is a North American native that grows as an annual, biennial or short-lived perennial depending on conditions. It is easy from seed. Fall sowing lets winter cold break seed dormancy naturally; if you sow in spring, give the seed a cold treatment first. Plants want full sun and tolerate average to dry soil. The yellow flowers bloom from summer into fall and draw bees and butterflies. Leave the seed heads standing after bloom, since birds eat the seeds. Plants reseed readily, so a patch tends to persist even when individual plants do not.
4. Lupine (native Lupinus species)
Lupines are legumes that add nitrogen to the soil, and fall sowing gives the hard seed a winter to soften. Choose a species native to your region. In the East and Great Lakes, that means sundial lupine (Lupinus perennis), the only host plant for the endangered Karner blue butterfly. In Texas, sow bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) in fall. Avoid bigleaf lupine (L. polyphyllus) and Russell hybrids in the Northeast and Upper Midwest. They spread into roadsides and fields and can hybridize with sundial lupine, according to UNH Extension. Most lupines want sun and sharp drainage.
5. Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Purple coneflower is a native perennial of the central and southeastern US that grows 2 to 4 feet tall. Fall is a good time to set out potted plants, and seed sown in fall gets the winter chill it needs to sprout well. It likes full sun to light shade and average, well-drained soil, and once established it handles dry spells. Flowers open in summer and hold into fall. Leave the cones standing through winter. Goldfinches and other birds pick seeds from them, and the plant self-seeds freely.
6. Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella)
Indian blanket, also sold as annual blanket flower, is a native annual of dry, sandy ground from Virginia and Minnesota south to Florida and Arizona. Its red-and-yellow flowers bloom from late spring into fall. In the South and Texas, sow seed in fall for bloom the next year. In colder regions, sow after the last spring frost. It needs full sun and fast-draining soil and does poorly in heavy, wet clay. For a true perennial, look to Gaillardia aristata or the hybrid G. × grandiflora instead.
7. Corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas)
Corn poppy, the red field poppy, is a European annual that does well sown in late fall in cold climates or in winter where winters are mild. Scatter the tiny seed on the surface and press it in, or cover it only lightly. Poppies have a taproot and do not transplant well, so sow them where they will bloom. Plants flower in late spring and early summer, then go to seed. Expect them to reseed. Corn poppy is a weed of grain fields in Europe, so keep it out of natural areas.
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8. Plains coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria)
Plains coreopsis is a native annual with yellow petals and a dark red center. It grows well in poor, sandy or rocky soil where richer-soil flowers struggle. Seed can be sown in late fall or spring and does not need a cold treatment to sprout. Plants bloom over a long stretch from late spring into fall, especially if you shear them back once. Give it full sun. It reseeds, so one sowing often keeps a patch going for years.
9. Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum × superbum)
Shasta daisy is a garden hybrid, not a true wildflower. Luther Burbank bred it in the 1890s, and one of its parents is oxeye daisy. It still earns a spot in an informal planting. Plants grow about 2 to 3 feet tall with white daisies in early to midsummer. Fall is a good time to set out potted plants or divide older clumps. Give it full sun and well-drained soil, since wet winter soil can rot the crowns. The Missouri Botanical Garden lists it among plants deer tend to avoid.
10. Larkspur (Consolida ajacis)
Larkspur is a cool-season annual that sprouts best in cool soil and poorly once soil tops about 55°F. That makes fall a natural sowing time in zone 5b and warmer, roughly four to six weeks before your first frost. Cover the seed about 1/4 inch, because it needs darkness to germinate. Seedlings overwinter and bloom in late spring. Sow in place, since plants resent transplanting. All parts of larkspur are toxic if eaten, so site it away from where pets or livestock graze.
11. Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena)
Love-in-a-mist is a hardy annual with blue, white or pink flowers set in lacy green bracts. It has a taproot, so sow it directly where you want it. Fall sowing works in the southern half of the US; in the North, sow as early in spring as you can work the soil. Give it sun and average, well-drained soil. After bloom, the plants form papery, striped seed pods that dry well for arrangements. It self-sows, so you will likely see it again next year.
12. Lacy phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia)
Lacy phacelia is a native annual of California and the Southwest with curled clusters of lavender-blue flowers. Bees work it heavily, and farmers plant it as a cover crop. Fall sowing only makes sense in mild-winter areas. The plant is not hardy much below about 20°F, so in cold regions it freezes out and should be sown in spring instead. In California, fall-sown stands bloom from about April into June. It grows in sun and tolerates poor, dry soil.
13. Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
Foxglove is a biennial or short-lived perennial. From seed it makes only a leafy rosette in year one and sends up flower spikes the following late spring. Fall-planted rosettes will bloom the next year. It prefers part shade and moist, rich, well-drained soil. All parts are poisonous to people, dogs, cats and horses. Foxglove is also listed as invasive by the California Invasive Plant Council and has naturalized widely in the Pacific Northwest. Skip it in those regions, and elsewhere cut spikes before they drop seed.
14. Wallflower (Erysimum)
Wallflowers are mostly grown as biennials, and timing matters. Seed sown in fall will not bloom the next spring. The usual method is to sow in late spring or early summer, then set the young plants out in late summer or early fall. They overwinter and bloom in spring with fragrant flowers in orange, yellow, red and purple. That makes wallflowers a fall-planting choice, using transplants rather than seed. Give them full sun and well-drained soil that is neutral to slightly alkaline.
15. New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
New England aster is a native perennial that grows 3 to 6 feet tall and blooms from late summer until frost. Its purple flowers are an important late nectar source for migrating monarchs and other butterflies. Fall is a good time to set out potted plants, and seed sown in fall gets the winter cold it needs. Expect little bloom the first year from seed; plants reach full size in a season or two. It likes full sun and moist soil. Pinch the stems back once in early summer for shorter, bushier plants.
16. Goldenrod (Solidago species)
Goldenrod gets blamed for fall allergies, but its pollen is heavy and carried by insects rather than the wind. Ragweed, which blooms at the same time, is the usual culprit. Goldenrod is a keystone native plant. Many specialist bees, such as some mining bees and cellophane bees, rely on its pollen, and its late flowers feed many other insects. Choose carefully. Canada goldenrod spreads aggressively by roots, so smaller gardens do better with clump-forming species such as showy goldenrod or zigzag goldenrod. Plant potted goldenrod in fall in full sun.
17. Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum)
Joe-Pye weed is a tall native perennial that reaches about 4 to 7 feet. Domed clusters of pinkish-purple flowers open from midsummer into early fall and pull in butterflies and bees. It wants moist, fertile soil in full sun to part shade, so it suits rain gardens and low spots. Set out potted plants in fall and keep them watered until the ground freezes. Plan the space, since mature clumps are big. Seed heads left standing add winter structure.
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