Build Your Fall Palette: 10 Plants That Deliver Color and Consistency

1. Abelia grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope'

This compact, semi-evergreen shrub lives up to its name with golden foliage that shifts to warm orange-red in fall. Kaleidoscope Glossy Abelia also produces delicate white blooms that linger late into the season, adding subtle fragrance and texture when most plants are fading.

🌿 Light: Full sun to partial shade
🌿 Height: 2–3’ tall x 3–4’ wide
🌿 Notable Feature: Color-changing foliage with long-lasting blooms

3. Loropetalum chinense 'PIILC-III'

Purple Daydream® Dwarf Chinese fringe-flower is a compact evergreen with rich plum foliage that holds its color year-round. Bright pink fringe flowers appear in spring and again in fall, adding lively contrast to any landscape palette.

🌿 Light: Full sun to partial shade
🌿 Height: 2–3’ tall × 3–4’ wide
🌿 Notable Feature: Evergreen color and long-lasting seasonal blooms

5. Camellia sasanqua 'Setsugekka'

Photo Credit: Monrovia

Setsugekka Camellia offers large, semi-double white blooms from October through December. Its dark, glossy foliage stays lush all year, providing elegant structure and late-season interest in shaded landscapes.

🌿 Light: Partial shade
🌿 Height: 6–10’ tall × 6–8’ wide
🌿 Notable Feature: Fall and early-winter blooms with evergreen foliage

7. Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood'

Few trees match the fall brilliance of the Bloodgood Japanese Maple. Its deep red foliage turns vibrant crimson before dropping, revealing a graceful branching pattern that adds structure even in winter.

🌿 Light: Full sun to partial shade
🌿 Height: 15–20’ tall × 15–20’ wide
🌿 Notable Feature: Brilliant scarlet fall color and refined, upright form

9. Muhlenbergia capillaris

Pink Muhly Grass produces airy pink plumes that rise above fine green blades in late summer and glow through fall. It adds instant softness, motion, and color to any design.

🌿 Light: Full sun
🌿 Height: 3–4’ tall × 3–4’ wide
🌿 Notable Feature: Drought-tolerant ornamental grass with show-stopping fall texture

10. Acorus gramineus 'Ogon'

Photo Credit: Monrovia

Golden Variegated Sweet Flag features golden, grass-like foliage that brightens low borders and pond edges alike. This semi-evergreen perennial tolerates wet soil and shade, keeping color through much of winter.

🌿 Light: Partial sun to shade
🌿 Height: 1–1.5’ tall × 1–2’ wide
🌿 Notable Feature: Evergreen texture and reliable color for moist or shaded areas

Bonus: Thuja occidentalis ‘Art Boe’

North Pole Arborvitae is a narrow, columnar evergreen with deep green foliage that stays vibrant through winter. It’s an excellent choice for screens, borders, or vertical accents in tight spaces.
🌿 Light: Full sun
🌿 Height: 10–15’ tall × 3–5’ wide
🌿 Notable Feature: Cold-hardy, space-saving upright habit