Autumn in Colonial Williamsburg’s Gardens

Colonial Williamsburg’s 301-acre museum features over 30 gardens, from functional backyard gardens to the formal grounds of the Governor’s Palace. The site is also an accredited Level 2 Arboretum and features 18th-century varieties of trees and shrubs.

Autumn in Colonial Williamsburg is defined by radiant fall colors. The landscape transforms as foliage displays rich yellows, reds, and purples.

Beyond the changing leaves, fall is a season of harvest and preparation. While summer annuals often bloom until the first frost, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s landscape team is already looking toward the future, planting 40,000 bulbs to ensure the gardens’ legendary spring renewal.

Scroll to learn more about the plants that step into the spotlight during the fall season and where visitors can find them at The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation today.

This mid-sized shrub produces vibrant magenta berries in the fall. Cardinals and mockingbirds are fond of them. This native species was grown by both American botanist John Bartram and Virginian Thomas Jefferson. It is planted in the Chiswell-Bucktrout House garden.

This East Asian bulb was not introduced to North America until the 1850s, but because several old stands have persisted in Williamsburg for decades, visitors will find it still growing in some of the gardens. Guests can catch it blooming in the ivy panels behind the Durfey Shop in early fall.

Native to the lower Midwest, this tree has decay-resistant wood. Indigenous people used it for bows, clubs, and tools. Colonists used it for wagon wheels, and it was used for fencing before barbed wire was invented.

Its large green fruit, which looks like oranges but is inedible, appears in Williamsburg’s holiday décor.

This small tree bears unusual fruit in the fall that is highly acidic when picked. The fruit softens and sweetens in storage, a process called bletting. Introduced by early colonists, it fell out of favor in the 19th century and is rarely seen now. Several grow at the Chiswell-Bucktrout House garden.

This native evergreen vine can grow up to 20 feet. It blooms from spring through fall. There are many 18th-century references to this plant being grown for its highly ornamental flowers. The arbor in the Bryan House garden offers a perfect spot to observe hummingbirds enjoying its flowers.

This plant is also known as Pot Marigold, referencing that it was grown in kitchen gardens and used in stews. Here it blooms year-round. The vibrant flowers are used to dye cheese. It is also a healing plant with antimicrobial properties. Guests can see it today in the Galt Apothecary garden.

This useful and decorative annual, native to Peru, can be found rambling among other plants in kitchen or herb gardens such as the Catherine Orr House garden where it blooms until frost. Its flowers and leaves may be used in salads, and its young green seeds can be pickled.

Used as a cool-weather annual at The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, its bright flowers are seen growing in Merchants Square and the Governor's Palace. Virginia plantation owner and gardener Lady Jean Skipwith’s flower list included “Pinks of Various kinds, very fine Chinese Pink, Double and Single." It is a cottage garden staple.

Brilliant colors, unique fruits, and fragrant flowers transform Colonial Williamsburg during the fall season. While preparations are underway for spring, the gardens still shine through darkening days.