Perennials with autumn foliage colour changes.

[Mattb]

While all eyes up there in the northern hemisphere are (understandably) looking forward to spring this antipodean is looking excitedly to autumn 👀 and I'm wondering if anyone can recommend some good perennials for autumn foliage displays? I thought it might be worthwhile trying to get a nice list happening of perennials that put on a show, to encourage more colour around the ground level in autumn, rather than trees and shrubs.

There always seems to be the same few that come up on a web search, and no doubt there's probably heaps that I've no idea about. Of course climate and specific garden conditions can play a role the intensity of autumn colour, but I would gratefully receive any and all info!

These are some that have proven themselves to be reliably lovely for me in my regional Tasmanian garden (mild summers, max 32c/89f and long autumns - colour is just starting to creep into the garden already in the 2nd month of summer):

Aralia racemosa (lovely clear butter yellow, every year)
Liatris spicata (fiery red, every year)
Miscanthus sinensis sp and cvs, particularly Yaku Jima and Gracilimus (mix of yellows and coppers, every year)
Lythrum salicaria (orange and yellow, every year... if I keep it moist enough and summer doesn't scorch the hell out of it!)
Amsonia hubrechtii (vibrant yellow, every year)
Amsonia tabernaemontana (vibrant yellow, every year)
Kirengeshoma palmata (yellow, intensity varies from year to year)

I'll post others...once I remember them!

[Maggi Young]

Some ideas ....

Bergenia

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides

Dryopteris erythrosora                                         

Epimedium

Euphorbia   

Geranium

Mukdenia

Polemonium

Sedum

[Carolyn]

Hostas and Polygonatum turn a nice yellow. Hakonechloa m’ancra grasses become bleached or pale brown, depending on cultivar and look good until late winter. Hakonechloa ‘Nicholas’ is supposed to have red tints in autumn - mine never does!

[Mattb]

Euphorbia   

Geranium

Thanks for the tips, Maggi. Can I ask which Euphorbias and Geraniums colour up for you? You've jogged my memory - the second foliar flush of Euphorbia dulcis 'Chameleon' colours up for me nicely in autumn. Sometimes quite fiery red, or at least bright yellow... but only if I cut it down in late spring (after it flowers). If not that first flush turns 'meh' brown by the end of spring and that's it for the season...

[Mattb]

Hakonechloa ‘Nicolas’ is supposed to have red tints in autumn - mine never does!

H, 'Nicholas' sounds amazing. Pics online look gorgeous. Shame it doesn't turn for you. Buckley's chance of me getting that one down here in Aus though, I would imagine. Alas.

I just remembered I get good colour out of Panicum 'Rotstrahlbusch' and, to a lesser extent, other Panicum virgatum cvs.

[Leena]

I was surprised last autumn of the brilliant orange colour of Gillenia trifoliata.
Geranium wlassovianum has the best purplish red autumn colour in my garden, of the Geraniums.

[Maggi Young]

Thanks for the tips, Maggi. Can I ask which Euphorbias and Geraniums colour up for you? You've jogged my memory - the second foliar flush of Euphorbia dulcis 'Chameleon' colours up for me nicely in autumn. Sometimes quite fiery red, or at least bright yellow... but only if I cut it down in late spring (after it flowers). If not that first flush turns 'meh' brown by the end of spring and that's it for the season...

Good question - I was just  thinking of  what I'd seen in friends' gardens over the  years!  I think quite  a few  of the  larger  geraniums spies coliour  well, but  I don't  grow  them.   It's the E. dulcis 'Chameleon' I have  - colours quite nicely  in Aberdeen.  I expect there  are  others!

[Véronique Macrelle]

Lysimachia clethroides
 



Perennial Oenothera 


 Pulmonaria

[Rick R.]

I second Geraniuim vlassovianum.  Mine is usually fiery red-orange in the fall, and purple in spring, before the summer green.  Here it is in May and October:
     

For me, it's kind of hard to find a deciduous perennial that does not have  nice fall color.  Particularly nice are the ones with interesting foliage to start with, like Aconitum, Geranium, Syneilesis, Thalictrum, Ampelopsis, Clematis, Aruncus, Lespedeza, Uvularia, Triosteum.  The fall color really accentuates their character.

Oh, finally thought of a deciduous perennial with fall color that is generally ... meh: Iris.  And daylilies.

[Gail]

Some peonies have good autumn foliage - the Japanese-type Doreen goes a good red and in some years Cream Puff does the same.

[Mattb]

I was surprised last autumn of the brilliant orange colour of Gillenia trifoliata.
Geranium wlassovianum has the best purplish red autumn colour in my garden, of the Geraniums.

I've never heard of G. wlassovianum. But photos online look quite incredible - thanks for the tip. I'll have to keep an eye out for some seeds.

I have one second year and half dozen first year seedlings of G. trifoliata that I am itching to get into the garden, as I hear it's a stunner. They've been quite slow growing for me, though. The first years seedlings managed only one true leaf this season, which was a bit pathetic of them! 

[Mattb]

(Attachment Link)
Lysimachia clethroides

They look lovely, Véronique. Lysimachia seems to be quite variable. My form rarely colours up in the garden, however, does and dramatically so when in pots. Whereas a friends 5 minutes up the road colours up beautifully like yours!

[Mattb]

For me, it's kind of hard to find a deciduous perennial that does not have  nice fall color.  Particularly nice are the ones with interesting foliage to start with, like Aconitum, Geranium, Syneilesis, Thalictrum, Ampelopsis, Clematis, Aruncus, Lespedeza, Uvularia, Triosteum.  The fall color really accentuates their character.

Cool, thanks for the suggestions, I forgot about Aruncus. Surely one of the best. Early and fiery red for me too!

You must have great conditions for autumn colour. Out of curiosity, do you have quite a large diurnal range where you are?

[Rick R.]

Not in particular. I am at an elevation of about 950ft (290m) in Minnesota - central USA and near the Canadian border.  Although I do have drier air than farther east, I don't have the dry air that can fluctuate so wildly like in the mountains.  I am thinking nights in general about 4-5°C cooler than the day's high.

I have one Aruncus aethusifolius with yellow fall color, and one with pink-orange.

[Véronique Macrelle]

Gilenia trifolia did not germinate in me.

Telima grandiflora turns pink.