12 Fall Annuals That Thrive in Full Sun

Colorful snapdragon flowers in a garden — Photo:
baona / Getty Images

When summer's vibrant perennials begin to fade, the garden can start to look a little tired. Luckily, there are plenty of fall annuals you can plant to fill your landscape with color until winter arrives. Even better? Many varieties can flourish in full-sun locations where some plants may wilt under autumn's golden rays. Ahead, gardening experts share their favorite fall annuals that will thrive in full sun—as well as their tips for success with these beautiful plants.

Kathy Purdy, garden writer, speaker, and cold-climate gardening expert
Kathy Jentz, GardenDC Podcast host and author of The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City

01 of 12

Pansies

They may be small, but pansies (Viola) are mighty. This species is cold-tolerant and even slightly frost-tolerant, which makes it a superb choice as a fall annual. “Pansies now come in dozens of colors, color combinations, bloom sizes, and growth habits,” says Kathy Jentz, GardenDC Podcast host and author of The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City. “My favorites are the trailing types that spill over the edge of a container or walkway.”

Zones: 3 to 8
Size: 6 to 12 inches tall x 4 to 12 inches wide
Care requirements: Full to partial sun; well-drained soil

02 of 12

Flowering Kale

An outstanding choice for the fall garden, flowering kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) loves full sun and cool temperatures. It puts on a brilliant display of purples and greens, and the colors only improve as the temperatures drop. “I love flowering kale/cabbage,” says garden writer and speaker Kathy Purdy. “It looks great right up until it's buried in snow.” If you’re looking for a stunning plant to brighten your autumn garden, you’ve found it.

Zones: 2 to 11
Size: Up to 18 inches tall x 12 to 18 inches wide
Care requirements: Full sun; fertile, well-drained soil

03 of 12

Flowering Tobacco

Persian tobacco Nicotiana alata white flowering plant growing in the garden — Getty Images

Tall, white flowering tobacco (Nicotiana alata and Nicotiana sylvestris) are cold-tolerant and mingle well with other plants, says Purdy. The plants reach heights of 3 to 5 feet tall and brighten the garden by blooming in late summer and into fall. Plus, it's quite fragrant and will fill your landscape with a pleasant scent.

Zones: 10 to 11, but grown as an annual elsewhere
Size: 3 to 5 feet tall x 1 to 2 feet wide
Care requirements: Full sun to partial shade; rich soil

04 of 12

Marigold

You can’t go wrong with marigolds (Tagetes) in a fall garden. The color palette of Tagetes seems made for the autumn season, and while they aren’t quite as cold-hardy as pansies, marigolds hold their own quite well in mild fall weather. “Marigold flowers can last into late fall, and the colors lend themselves well to the fall seasonal themes,” says Jentz. “I like to dry them and make them into garlands strung on thin wire to hang as decorations,” she says.

Zones: 2 to 11
Size: 6 to 12 inches tall x 6 to 12 inches wide
Care requirements: Full sun; well-drained soil

05 of 12

Calendula

Calendula officinalis doesn’t handle the heat of summer very well, which means autumn is its time to shine. The flowers are beautiful and come in shades of yellow, orange, and pink, and will easily transform your autumn garden. “I really like calendula, also known as pot marigold or poet's marigold,” says Jentz. “It was named Herb of the Year in 2008 as it is both edible and beneficial.”

Zones: 2 to 11
Size: 12 inches tall x 12 inches wide
Care requirements: Full sun; well-drained soil

06 of 12

Dusty Miller

Dusty miller (Jacobaea maritima) is grown primarily for its beautiful foliage. The delicate patterns made by the curving leaves somewhat resemble frost on a window, and this effect is amplified by the silvery coloring of the leaves. Best of all, dusty miller can tolerate a real frost on its leaves, so it lasts well into the autumn. It's a great addition to give your garden some visual interest at ground level.

Zones: 7 to 11, grown as an annual elsewhere
Size: 12 inches tall or more x 12 inches wide
Care requirements: Full sun to partial shade; slightly moist, well-drained soil

07 of 12

Sunflowers

You can’t talk about sun-loving autumn flowers without exploring the obvious sunflower! Besides being easy to grow, Helianthus annuus come in a fun variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. There are the impressively tall Mammoth sunflowers that climb to over 10 feet, or petite Teddy Bear sunflowers standing at just 2 feet. No matter the variety you grow, sunflowers will thrive in the early fall sun until frost.

Zones: 2 to 11
Size: Depends on variety
Care requirements: Full sun; accepts many soil types

08 of 12

Snapdragons

Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus) are delightful composite flowers that come in many different colors, so you can sprinkle the edges of your garden with a rainbow of hues. “They do fine all summer and through the first light frosts,” says Purdy. “Just keep watering and fertilizing them as you do all summer.” Snapdragons are also deer-resistant.

Zones: 7 to 10, but grown as an annual elsewhere
Size: About 36 inches tall x 8 inches wide
Care requirements: Full sun; slightly moist, well-drained soil

09 of 12

Chrysanthemums

No discussion of fall annuals would be complete without a nod to the colorful autumn star: Chrysanthemum. It’s important to understand the difference between florist mums (potted mums, grown as annuals) and garden mums (somewhat hardier, may be grown as a perennial in some regions), but both types are stunning in containers and will bring brilliant color to the garden during this gorgeous time of year.

Zones: 5 to 9 for garden mums; grown as an annual in zones 2 to 11
Size: Approximately 2 feet tall x 2 feet wide
Care requirements: Full sun; well-drained soil

10 of 12

Dill

It’s not always possible to combine form with function in the garden, but you can do so with dill (Anethum graveolens). Not only are the unique flowers and foliage of mature dill impressive in the garden or in cut flower arrangements, but dill also has culinary uses in soups, breads, or dips. Plus, the wonderful fragrance is reason alone to plant this colorful herb. Dill is somewhat cold hardy and can usually withstand a light frost, leaving those firework-like blossoms to dazzle your garden throughout fall.

Zones: 2 to 11
Size: 18 to 48 inches tall x 12 to 18 inches wide
Care requirements: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil

11 of 12

Calibrachoa

Calibrachoa is widely known as an abundant and prolific producer of colorful blooms. These sun lovers are a little particular about soil pH levels, so this might be a nice one to try in a container where you can better control its environment. It’s somewhat cold-tolerant as well.

Zones: 2 to 11
Size: 6 to 12 inches tall x up to 24 inches wide
Care requirements: Full sun; acidic, well-drained soil

12 of 12

Petunias

The bright and vibrant Petunia can start looking a little tired late in the season, but with a bit of extra attention (cutting back and fertilizing), you can revive them so they’ll continue producing beautiful blooms into the autumn months. The ‘Laura Bush’ cultivar is said to be more cold tolerant than some varieties of petunia and could be a smart choice for the fall garden.

Zones: 2 to 11
Size: 6 to 12 inches tall x 20 to 30 inches wide
Care requirements: Full sun; well-drained soil

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