The Best Garden Center Finds for Instant Color in Late Summer

By August, faded annuals and bare spots have many homeowners writing off the season early. But garden centers are stocked with plants built for exactly this moment. Nurseries discount and push these picks in late summer because they're bred to establish fast and perform right up to frost. Scroll through for the best buys to grab!

Garden mums thrive in full sun with well-drained soil and regular watering, and they're hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9. They bloom from late summer through October. Garden centers stock these by the truckload in August because they bloom almost immediately after planting, giving you an instant color payoff with zero wait time. Pick one with plenty of closed buds so you can enjoy it well into the autumn.

Fall asters do best in full sun to part shade with moist, well-drained soil, and they're hardy in USDA zones 4 through 8. They bloom from September through October. Asters are perennial, so this is a purchase that keeps paying off. Buy them in bud now and they'll open right on schedule as the weather cools.

Black-eyed Susan thrives in full sun and tolerates poor soil and drought with ease, and it's hardy in USDA zones 3 through 9. It blooms from July through September. This perennial actually performs better in late-summer heat than it does in spring, so plants bought now often outshine ones installed earlier in the season.

Sedum 'Autumn Joy' does best in full sun with well-drained soil and needs very little water once established, and it's hardy in USDA zones 3 through 9. It blooms from August through October. The color shifts from soft pink to deep rust as it matures, so a single plant gives you three seasons of visual interest for the price of one.

Zinnias thrive in full sun with average soil and consistent watering, and they're grown as an annual everywhere. They bloom from midsummer through the first frost. Nurseries mark these down hard in late summer, and they establish fast enough to fill in bare spots within a week or two of planting.

Celosia does best in full sun with well-drained soil and moderate watering, and it's grown as an annual everywhere. It blooms from summer through fall. Celosia thrives in the exact conditions that stress out other annuals: heat, humidity, and full sun. It gets better as August drags on.

Lantana thrives in full sun and tolerates poor soil with ease, staying drought-tolerant once established, and it's hardy in USDA zones 9 through 11 (grown as an annual elsewhere). It blooms from summer through frost. Lantana barely slows down in the hottest weeks of the year, making it one of the few garden center buys that looks better in August than it did in June.

Angelonia does best in full sun with well-drained soil and moderate watering, and it's grown as an annual outside zones 9 through 11. It blooms from summer through fall. Known as "summer snapdragon," this heat-proof annual keeps its shape and color without the wilting or fading that hits other bedding plants by late summer.

Mexican bush sage thrives in full sun with well-drained soil and becomes drought-tolerant once established, and it's hardy in USDA zones 7 through 10 (grown as an annual in cooler zones). It blooms from late summer through the first frost. It's widely stocked at many big-box garden centers and independent nurseries in the South and Southwest, though it's less consistent outside those regions, so check with your local garden center in cooler climates. Velvety purple blooms intensify as summer heat holds into fall, a standout for gardeners in warm-climate zones.

Russian sage thrives in full sun with well-drained soil and stays drought-tolerant once established, and it's hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9. It blooms from July through September. This perennial's silvery foliage adds texture even before it blooms, so it earns its spot in the bed immediately rather than waiting for flowers to do the work.

Reblooming hydrangeas do best with morning sun and afternoon shade in hot climates, along with consistent moisture, and they're hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9. They rebloom through late summer into fall. In the Deep South and other high-heat, high-humidity zones, give this one afternoon shade and steady watering, since intense August sun can stress it without that protection. Unlike one-and-done hydrangeas, these varieties push out a second flush of blooms right when your spring hydrangeas have finished.

Ornamental kale and cabbage do best in full sun to part shade with moderate watering, and they're cool-tolerant and grown as an annual everywhere. Their color intensifies as temperatures drop, from September through frost. This is the plant to buy as your summer annuals fade. It actually gets more colorful as the weather cools, bridging the gap into full fall decor.

Coleus adapts to sun or shade depending on the variety and needs consistent watering, and it's grown as an annual outside zones 10 through 11. Its foliage color lasts all season since it isn't grown for flowers. Since coleus is prized for foliage rather than blooms, it delivers color the moment you plant it and keeps delivering right up until frost.

Ornamental peppers thrive in full sun with well-drained soil and moderate watering, and they're grown as an annual everywhere. Their fruit holds its color from midsummer through frost. The color here comes from fruit, not flowers, so these hold their look through heat waves and cool snaps alike, long after most annuals have given up.