Gardens can be colorful as temps cool; use these flowers | Home/Garden

We all delight in colorful landscapes. Colors enrich, add interest, draw attention, beautify, unify and complete the landscape. We often rely on beds of flowering plants to provide it.

To keep the color coming as the season changes, we need different kinds of blooms. To get the right ones, at the right time, it helps understand local gardening seasons.

In our unique Gulf Coastal climate, we divide the flower-gardening year into the warm season and the cool season; we are currently transitioning into the cool season.

(The warm season runs from April-May to October-November, and the cool season from October-November to April-May.)

Warm-season bedding plants are selected for their ability to thrive during the torrid heat of summer, but they can’t take the cold. You already may have noticed some of these plants in your landscape starting to languish.

Cool-season bedding plants enjoy mild to chilly weather and will tolerate the freezing temperatures that may occur. Those are the bedding plants we can plant now through March, although planting in the fall produces the best results and offers the longest displays of color.

That can feel awkward though, as some warm-season bedding plants may still be hanging in there, making you want to delay replacing them. Getting your cool-season color in by early December is best, but remember two things:

• Planting now gets bigger plants and more bang for your buck.
• The remaining warm-season blooms will just keep looking worse as the weather cools and will probably die with the first freeze.

Choosing the right plants

Nurseries and garden centers offer a wide selection of cool-season bedding plants and you can choose between transplants or seeds. Because they are quick, easy and give instant results, most gardeners favor the use of transplants.

However, some cool-season bedding plants are easy to grow from seed and may be planted now directly into beds where they will grow, including alyssum, Johnny-jump-up, blue bonnets, calendula, annual phlox and nasturtium. Sweet peas, larkspur and poppies prefer to be direct seeded where they will grow as they resent transplanting.

Plant transplants into a well-prepared bed, being careful to plant them at the same depth they were growing in the cellpack or pot. Space them properly. It’s a good idea to water in newly planted transplants with a soluble fertilizer to get them off to a good start.

Cool-season flowers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from the ground-hugging alyssum and lobelia to the towering hollyhocks and delphiniums.

Plant heights should be considered when selecting and placing flowers into the landscape.

Also, select cool-season bedding plants so that the colors are harmonious. Colors should be grouped in masses or drifts for maximum effect, and try not to use too many different hues in the same bed.

Finding the right light 

Cool-season bedding plants will bloom best in well-drained locations (raised beds) that receive six hours or more of direct sun. Generally, the more sun they receive, the more they will bloom and grow.

Pansy, viola, forget-me-not, lobelia and nicotiana are probably the best choices for partially shady areas. Even they will not perform well in heavy shade and do best where they get at least a few hours of direct sun.

Primroses and cyclamens will bloom well with little or no direct sun.

Don’t skip bed prep

Do a good job of bed preparation, as this makes a tremendous difference in the performance of the plants.

Remove any weeds, and turn the soil to a depth of at least 8 inches. Spread a 2- to 4-inch layer of organic matter (compost or aged manure), then evenly sprinkle a light application of a general purpose fertilizer over the organic matter and thoroughly mix them into the soil. Rake the bed smooth and you’re ready to plant.

While they grow

As they grow, fertilize bedding plants occasionally following the directions of the fertilizer you are using.

Mulch your beds to prevent weeds, conserve moisture and provide some protection against freezing temperatures. Any mulch would be beneficial. Leaves, pine straw and pine bark are all suitable and attractive.

Although mulch will conserve moisture, additional water may be needed during dry periods. This will become increasingly important as the weather becomes warmer next spring.

When you water, irrigate slowly over a long period to ensure a thorough job is done and the water penetrates deeply into the soil. Soaker hoses work great as they avoid wetting the flowers and foliage, but sprinklers may also be used.

COOL CHOICES:

There are lots of cool-season flowers that can be planted into the garden now. Check your local nurseries and garden centers for transplants or seeds of the following:

• Alyssum
• Baby’s breath
• Candytuft
• Phlox
• Bachelor’s button
• Calendula
• Diascia
• Delphinium
• Dianthus
• Dusty miller
• English daisy
• Forget-me-not
• Foxglove
• Geranium
• Hollyhock
• Larkspur
• Nasturtium
• Nemesia
• Nicotiana
• Ornamental cabbage and kale
• Pansy
• Petunia
• Poppies
• Snapdragon
• Statice
• Stock
• Sweet pea
• Toadflax
• Verbena
• Viola

Remember, the cold weather of winter will not bother these plants. Cool season bedding plants can be planted as late as February or March, but those planted in the fall always outperform those planted in the spring. When your gardens are the envy of the neighborhood through the winter months and into the spring, you’ll be glad you did.