Pink Muhly Grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Lights up in autumn, cotton-candy pink, for a long late-season show, cotton-candy pink flowers and 2–3 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Missouri · Zones 5–7
Native Plants for Fall Color in Missouri
Native trees, shrubs, and grasses that set the autumn garden alight with red, orange, copper, and gold. Every species here is genuinely native to Missouri and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 5–7 — proven performers for Missouri's humid continental to subtropical climate across Ozarks, glades & prairie, not a generic list. Local standouts include Pink Muhly Grass and Eastern Redbud. The natives behind New England's famous foliage will do the same work in your yard, and the show lasts far longer than the flowers did. Sugars trapped in the leaves on cool, sunny fall days drive the brightest color, so plant these in full sun for the most intense display. Pair fiery shrubs with the copper and amber of warm-season grasses for a season finale that rivals any flower bed.
The plants
15 native species for Missouri
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–7 · see this collection in other states.
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Lights up in autumn, rose-magenta, for a long late-season show, spreading 15–25 ft and happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Sets the autumn garden alight — creamy white — hardy in zones 3–8 and creamy white flowers.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Oakleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangea quercifolia
Lights up in autumn, white cones, for a long late-season show, happy in loam soil and good through zone 9.
- Part shade
- Average
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Sets the autumn garden alight — white bracts — hardy in zones 5–9 and for loam ground.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Fall color that lasts — white spring lace, happy in clay and loam soil and 10–20 ft wide.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Lights up in autumn, chartreuse-gold, for a long late-season show, chartreuse-gold flowers and 6–12 ft tall.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Lights up in autumn, white to pink, for a long late-season show, spreading 5–10 ft and happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Sets the autumn garden alight — yellow catkins — spreading 5–10 ft and hardy in zones 3–9.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Lights up in autumn, inconspicuous green, for a long late-season show, spreading 10–20 ft and 30–50 ft tall.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Sets the autumn garden alight — fine emerald to amber — 2–3 ft tall and 2–3 ft wide.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Lights up in autumn, blue-green to copper, for a long late-season show, happy in sand, clay, rocky, and loam soil and cold-hardy to zone 3.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Fall color
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Lights up in autumn, airy pink-gold panicles, for a long late-season show, 3–6 ft tall and spreading 2–3 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 3–6 ft
- Fall color
Indian Grass
Sorghastrum nutans
Sets the autumn garden alight — bronze-gold plumes — spreading 2–3 ft and good through zone 9.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
Big Bluestem
Andropogon gerardii
Lights up in autumn, bronze-purple seed heads, for a long late-season show, 2–3 ft wide and happy in sand, clay, and loam soil.
- Full sun
- Dry to wet
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in Missouri
Seeds & live plants on Amazon
Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.
Browse on AmazonSome links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.