Favorite Fall Fillers & Foliage

As the seasons change, so do my bouquets. In the spring it's all about the jewel and blush tones, from purple anemone to light pink peonies. As summer arrives, bouquets take on a bold, 'juicy' look with the addition of coral zinnias, lime lisianthus and multicolored celosia. And as the leaves begin to change, swapping out bright greens like basil and mint for moodier tones instantly takes the color palette from summer to decidedly fall. By changing up fillers and foliage, I transform my summery blooms into gorgeous fall-toned bouquets.

This isn’t coincidence! When planning my field at the beginning of the year I take into account when each variety will bloom and strategically plant flowers in tones that coordinate with each other and the season at hand.

When planning for fall, I make sure to include my favorite fall fillers and foliage:

Mahogany Hibiscus: it takes all summer to mature but when it does, this bush gives of dozens of stems of gorgeous burgundy foliage.

Ninebark “Diablo”: in the spring this perennial gives off adorable puffs of blush pink blossoms, and in the fall will reward you with graceful stems of deep red foliage.

Celosia: a summer staple turned autumn with the right varieties. For fall I like "Celway Terracotta", "Flamingo Purple" and "Sunday Wine". 

Sedum “Autumn Joy”: part filler, part foliage, sedum fills out a bouquet when I’m over the brighter fillers like ageratum.

Amaranth: one oversized stem of amaranth makes a serious statement in a fall bouquet. I like "ed spike".

Eucalyptus: it’s a favorite year-round, but I’m especially drawn to the blue-gray tones of eucalyptus when the days grow shorter.

Foraged Fillers: corn tassels, grasses, matured hydrangea, cattails and dried elements foraged from the farm are the ultimate “fall” fillers and make our bouquets truly one of a kind.

All of the fillers and foliage mentioned here will pair beautifully with your end of summer flowers, especially dahlias, zinnias, marigold and sunflowers. The key to timing your fall flowers is in succession planting. While the first summer annuals are planted mid-May, I often wait until June to plant the fall tones. This means that coral zinnias will be planted first, with the deep wine tones planted in the second or third succession. You might sow bright yellow sunflowers early on, but change to plum or golden tones as fall approaches.

Dahlias are planted in one go in the spring, but I make sure that my lineup includes a mix of bright summer colors as well as a few varieties that will pair well for fall (I especially love cafe au lait, sweet nathalie and cornell bronze).

As you're planning your 2025 flower season, map out your planting schedule and make sure the lineup aligns with the season and add a few of these fall fillers and foliage to make your bouquets pop!