Beyond Mums

10 underused perennials that bloom in autumn

- MAX J. EBER

An orange sulfur butterfly visits New England aster.

North American gardens certainly have a few traditional seasonal icons—royalty, if you will.

Spring has daffodils or tulips; summer, roses or hydrangeas; and, whether you love or hate them, autumn belongs to chrysanthemums.

We've all seen the sight each September (or even August these days), when those waxy green spheres begin to trickle into garden centers and grocery stores. Soon enough they erupt into gumballs of riotous, button-nosed blossoms in colors both hard to resist and addicting to collect, like a gardener's Labubu (for those in the know), or the Beanie Babies of the past.

Regardless of how one feels about mums, their popularity is a bit warranted. In most of the continental United States, not much else can truly compete with their combined ease of culture, broad color palette, late bloom time and cold tolerance.

That said, talent often runs in families, and many distant mum relatives also lean toward a late-season bloom. These fellow Asteraceae members might never eclipse their cousin’s commercial success, but they could be just the thing to bolster your autumn garden.

Asters need little introduction. They’ve been heir to the mum’s throne for years, and rightfully so, with their cold hardiness and ease of care. For North America-native species, look at the genus Symphyotrichum, which includes New England aster (S. novae-angliae) and New York aster (S. novi-belgii).

Though not a surprising choice, asters deserve a shout-out for their soft, Monet-like palette of purple-blue, pink and white and their support of pollinators in the late season. Mums, being nonnative and often double-petaled, don’t offer an equal benefit.