Designer Tips for the PERFECT Fall Garden!

Is your garden looking a little... sad? Like the party's over just because summer ended? It doesn't have to be that way. In fact, for landscape designers, fall isn't the end of the season—it's just the beginning–when the garden gets a second life full of color, texture and light.

Today, we’re not just sharing a list of pretty fall plants–we’re sharing our designer "must-have" list—the plants we rely on to make a landscape look spectacular now and throughout the winter. And for each plant, we’ll be giving you a designer tip on how and where to use it for maximum impact. By the end of this video, you'll know how to create an autumn landscape that truly glows. Let's get started!

First up, Deciduous Trees. The all-around all-stars of Fall!

Nothing provides that "wow" factor like some of our Native Trees in Fall. You can rely on species like Red Maple for its vibrant scarlet hues, Sassafras for its multi-colored mix of purple, red, and yellow, or Scarlet Oak  for its deep, rusty-red.

By choosing native species, you're not just getting a beautiful, low-maintenance show; you're also providing critical food and habitat for local wildlife. These trees have leaves that transform into a fiery spectacle, lighting up the landscape like a beacon. This isn't just a gentle fade; it's an electric explosion of color that almost seems unreal. 

A towering Red Oak can anchor an entire garden, with its blazing canopy providing a stunning contrast against fading hues and steady evergreens. single-handedly creating the show-stopper everyone looks for in a fall garden.

Here's the Designer Tip: A Tree is a specimen, and it needs space to shine! The most common mistake made with larger trees is planting them too close to the home or crowding them with other “busy” plants. 

Next, you need flowers, and while so much else is fading, these babies are just getting started! Our two favorites are Asters and Perennial Mums. Asters are native powerhouses that bring in beautiful pinks, purples and blues which are rare in the fall. And mums? They’re classic cushions of color.

My tip to you: Don’t forget to do the Chelsea Chop in Summer before the 4th of July. This encourages more branching, shorter & more compact plants, and of course, more flowers. Do this on all late summer and fall bloomers like asters, mums, rudbeckia, helenium, goldenrod, phlox, and nepeta to ensure the perfect autumn display. 

This next one is a workhorse: Sedum 'Autumn Joy'. I love this plant. It looks good all year, but in fall, its flower heads go from pale pink to a deep, rusty-red. It provides structure and mass in the garden bed when other perennials are collapsing.

Here's the Designer Tip: The most important rule for this plant is... do not cut it back! Leave those seed heads standing all winter. They provide incredible structure and texture, especially when they catch the frost and snow. They are the definition of "winter interest" and a critical food source for birds.

Now for the jewels of the garden: Berries! And my top pick for sheer "wow" is Beautyberry. Seriously, look at this color! It’s not something you see in nature every day. After the leaves drop, you're left with these graceful, arching stems just loaded with vibrant purple berries. It's a showstopper.

Here's the Designer Tip: Make a statement by planting in groups. Plant Beautyberry in a drift of three or five, as their arching form looks best when nicely layered. And try planting them near something with a pop of yellow Fall color, like Witch Hazel for an artistic purple and gold combo. 

Sticking with berries, here’s a classic: Winterberry (Ilex verticillata). Once this deciduous holly loses its leaves, it reveals a silhouette of branches absolutely covered in brilliant berries lasting for months.

However, you need at least one male plant for a group of female plants to get berries, so be sure to check the tags at the nursery!

Finally, my secret weapon for capturing that magical autumn light: Ornamental Grasses. I'm talking about species like Switchgrass, Little Bluestem and Fountain Grass. In the fall, they turn beautiful shades of gold, amber, and red. But their real magic is their texture and movement. They sway in the breeze, they rustle, and they catch the light.

Here's the Designer Tip: Don't just stick them in any old spot. Plant your grasses in masses where the low afternoon sun will shine through them. When the sun hits those plumes from behind, the entire plant will look like it's glowing, creating a soft, hazy, magical effect that captures the essence of autumn.

So there you have it! Our "must-have" list for a truly stunning fall landscape.

It's not just about the plants; it's about how you use them. Think about focal points, use complimentary backdrops, plant with golden hour light in mind, and most importantly, Fall and Winter interest.