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Get It Growing for 10/17/25
If you still have any warm-season annuals in your garden beds, they’re probably on their last legs and not looking so great. But it’s still a bit early — and warm — to do a complete overhaul with cool-season plants.
The solution to this dilemma? Bridge the seasonal gap with plants that can handle our lingering heat while lending an autumnal vibe to the garden. Your local garden center likely is awash with colorful, beautiful selections that will fit the bill.
Here’s what LSU AgCenter horticulturist Jason Stagg suggests planting this time of year. All of these will last at least until first frost, which normally arrives in mid-November in most of Louisiana and as late as early December in the southernmost parishes.
These flowers thrive in the kind of warm, dry weather that Louisiana is experiencing so far this fall. Their yellow, orange and red blooms as well as their fine-textured foliage are stunning.
You’ll probably find both African and French marigolds at the garden center. African marigolds typically grow to 1 to 2 feet tall, but some varieties can reach up to 4 feet tall and have large, ruffled blooms. Their French counterparts are more compact, usually staying under 1 foot tall, making them ideal plants for borders and fronts of beds.
These classic fall plants are triggered to bloom when days get shorter. With their signature mounded shape and flower colors ranging from white and yellow to red and purple, mums work wonderfully in almost any seasonal display.
When shopping for mums, avoid plants that are in full bloom (unless you’re buying them to decorate for a special occasion or have some other need for instant flower power). Instead, pick plants that have tightly closed buds. This will extend the amount of time you can enjoy these pretty flowers. Mums can stay in bloom and look attractive for several weeks.
Most people keep mums in containers, but they can be planted into the ground, too, and sometimes will perennialize this way. Just be careful when handling mums; they tend to be quite fragile.
With leaves featuring vivid streaks of red, orange, yellow and green, crotons are another quintessential plant for autumn. These tropical plants thrive in bright, indirect light and will lose their colorful variegations if they receive too much shade. Crotons can live many years and even do well as houseplants.
There’s a wide variety of ornamental peppers to choose from these days. Traditional options with yellow, orange and red peppers and green foliage are always a welcome addition to the fall garden. But you also can now find cultivars with unique features such as eye-catching variegated green, white and purple leaves and deep red and purple fruit set against purple-to-black foliage.
Ornamental peppers often are waxy and very spicy, so they’re not pleasant to eat — but they are a Louisiana Super Plant!
While ornamental peppers generally aren’t edible, kale and cabbage are — and they also can add interesting foliage and, depending on the cultivars you grow, shades of red to the garden.
Mix and match these plants, and you’ll create an aesthetically pleasing landscape that will tide you over until it’s time to plant things like petunias and violas later this fall.
African marigolds’ warm-toned, showy blooms look great in fall gardens. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter
Chrysanthemums are a traditional choice for fall gardening and decorating. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter
Crotons’ variegated foliage includes a spectrum of fall colors. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter
Ornamental peppers are a unique addition to fall gardens. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter
Kale and cabbage can add interesting foliage to fall gardens and, as a bonus, they’re edible. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter
