Tired after a long summer's labor, many gardeners don't realize that an autumn garden can be stunningly beautiful.

Dramatic Colors

In autumn trees once again come into prominence, showing off rich golds, purples, and reds. Closer to the ground, skillful gardeners keep the color coming with well-selected shrubs and perennials.

While doing fall cleanup, don't be too quick to cut down some of your favorite plants. Those grasses, for example, are covered with a heavy frost, and sedum flowers will dry right on the stalk.

Experiment by leaving certain flowers up during the winter months to appreciate their sculptural effect.

What to Leave Behind

At their best in summer, warm-season annuals such as coleus continue right up to the first frost, adding bolts of color into early autumn.

For more color from annuals, plant cool-season types, such as snapdragons and pansies, which keep going even after frost.

Ornamental grasses take their place in the fall landscape. The seed heads of maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus') are understatedly beautiful.

Although they peak in late summer, purple coneflowers (left) take on a new, more spare, dimension in autumn. The seed heads also attract goldfinches.

Fountain grass is the moody beauty among ornamental grasses. The seed heads of this purple fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Atropurpureum') are buff-colored, but other fountain grasses produce seed heads in creamy white, pink, red, brown, or nearly black.

Black-eyed Susans come in both annual and perennial forms. Both shine in late summer to early autumn and are wonderful cut flowers.