You may think that Fall isn’t the best time to plant. If you live in a place that gets ice or snow over the winter months, you are definitely thinking “no way am I planting anything now!” But if you want gorgeous color in the early Spring, most of those typical flowers you think of when you think of Spring, then you need to plant now.

Why plant in the Fall

Many bulbs and seeds need something called cold stratification in order to bloom after the snow melts. Native wildflowers re-seed naturally in the wild and the thick seed coating helps them stay dormant until the proper time to start sprouting. That’s cold stratification. This helps protect them from germinating too early in the spring or too late in the summer. If you miss the late Autumn window to get the seeds outside, there’s ways to recreate the stratification with your refrigerator and a little bit of planning ahead. If you’re interested in that process, leave a comment and I’ll write up a detailed how-to.

The best flowers by zone, and for any zone

Below is a list of my top ten blooms you need to have for Spring. Some of them you can plant now, and some depend on where you live, so I’ve organized by grow zone and noted any major changes for other zones. If you don’t know your grow zone, you can look it up by zip code at the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.

Grow Zones 3-5

Tulips

Zones 3-8, depending on variety. A standard in a Spring garden, they come in a wide variety of colors and shapes. They also have specific bloom times (early, mid, and late season) and a range of heights, so you can pair them with lower growing hyacinth or early blooming daffodils for color the whole length of Spring. Pro tip: make sure to plant fairly deep – six to eight inches – in order to protect from critters and to help the stems stay strong and sturdy.

Daffodils

Zones 4-9, depending on variety. Another classic Spring garden flower. Their sunny yellow faces are one of the first pops of color after the winter thaw. But yellow isn’t the only color – there’s white as well, and both types can have orange centers. They will naturalize and come back for years to come. Pro tip: they look best planted in groups of 5, 7, or 9, and six inches apart to give them room to grow each year.

Grow Zones 5-7

Crocus

Zones 4-8. You notice these short purple blooms peeking through a snow drift. They’re hardy, so you don’t have to worry about a late season snowfall. Their most known for bright purple petals, but they can also be pale lilac, white, or even yellow. The variety Crocus tommassinianus is known for being deer and squirrel resistant. Pro tip: the blooms and foliage die back before you ever have to mow a lawn, so you can plant them in your yard for a magical purple pathway.

Peony

Zones 4-7, can be grown in 8 & 9 with afternoon shade. Peonies should be a priority for all gardeners. They’re easy to grow and maintain, and can keep blooming for 20, 30, or more years if planted in a good location. They have big showstopping blooms in a variety of pinks, reds, magentas, and whites. Their scent is legendary, with ‘Duchesse de Nemours’ [pictured] being one of the most fragrant. 

Grow Zones 7-9

Poppies

Zones 7 and up, direct sow in prepared bed/soil. Zones 6 and below, best sown in the early spring when the soil has thawed. What’s not to love about poppies. A wide range of colors beyond the typical red of the Oriental poppies, their lovely papery petals glowing in the morning sun. Although Iceland poppies are the best for cut flower arrangements, they can be more difficult to grow from seed than the Shirley variety. Pro tip: the seeds are no bigger than the tip of a toothpick, so the easiest method is to just scatter them where you want them to grow, then thin out the seedlings as necessary.

Snapdragons

Zones 7 and up can sow seeds in the fall, zones 6 and under need to wait until the soil can be worked (approx. four to six weeks before last frost date in the Spring). Snapdragons are fun stalks of color. Bees love them, and will even take a nap in a bloom, their fuzzy bottoms sticking out. They are cold hardy, so you will see them continue to bloom even after the first Fall frost. Pro tip: in order to get even more blooms from each plant, pinch just above the 3rd set of leaves to encourage branching and deadhead to encourage a second or third bloom.

Any grow zone

Natives for your area

For my area (New England, zone 6b), most of the native pollinator-friendly flowers need to be seeded in the late Fall, as the temperatures drop and the ground starts to harden. Wild Bergamot, Wild Geraninum, Milkweed, and Black-Eyed Susans are just some of the varieties you can scatter now before the leaves cover the ground. And remember to leave the leaves to help out your local beneficial insects!

Sweet Peas

Technically a hardy annual, sweet pea vines enjoy cooler temperatures, and in zones 8 and 9 they can be direct sown in the fall. For most other zones, sow seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before your last frost date or direct sow as soon as the soil can be worked in the early spring. You can also set up a minimally heated greenhouse to overwinter them, and enjoy their beautiful color and heady fragrance before the last frost.

Hollyhocks

Tall spikes of pinks and reds that make up the typical cottage garden are the reward for waiting almost two years after you first plant hollyhock seeds. They love a sunny location where they can get cold over the winter months, and except for a little watering now and then, are ok with being ignored. They may only bloom every other year, but they will also keep dropping their seeds and self-sow, especially if you leave the seedheads on the stalk or lay the cut stems on the ground. 

Bachelor Buttons

Another easy flower that keeps bringing fresh blooms all summer long. They add lovely pops of color to your garden and a cut flower bouquet. In mild climates, you can sow in fall for winter bloom; elsewhere, sow in place 1 to 2 weeks before your average last frost date.

The magic of Spring starts in the Fall

Whether you want a typical Spring garden full of tulip and daffodil color, or you’re thinking ahead to summer and beyond where sweet peas and peonies fill your yard with fragrance, and native wildflowers draw bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to your yard, the Fall is an important time to not only plan your garden, but to also get your fingers in the dirt and make those dreams happen next year.