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Index : Flowers - Annuals
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- 7. Get Ready to Plant Cool Season Flowers - Top
- Even if your summer flowers are still looking good, it’s time to get ready change them out with cool season flowers for fall and winter color.
You may be hesitant to replace summer bloomers like periwinkle, zinnia, verbena and portulaca that are still flowering. But if you wait too late into October to replace them, there won’t be enough time to get cool season flowers up and growing vigorously before cold weather arrives in December. Late plantings of fall flowers just don’t perform as well as those planted earlier in the Fall..
Some of the best cool season flowers for Southern Arizona are pansy, petunia, geranium, dwarf snapdragon, calendula, alyssum, lobelia, ageratum, and stock. Marigold and cosmos can be planted for fall color but will fade in the winter. Pansy and petunia are the most cold hardy and can tolerate temperatures down to 17 degrees F. If you’re looking for flowers that perform well in shady spots, geraniums, begonias and impatiens are your best choices. These three are also the most cold sensitive and will need to be protected from freezing temperatures. Coverings of frost cloth or old sheets should be enough to protect them on frosty nights.
Prior to planting, prepare the flower bed by mixing in lots of organic matter. Bagged compost, peat, composted manure, or potting soil can be used. Spread a 4 to 6 inch layer of organic matter over the area to be planted and mix it 12 inches deep. Remove any stones or caliche. At the same time mix in a timed-release fertilizer for flowering plants.
If you’re re-planting containers, replace worn-out potting soil with fresh potting soil. After a year or two, potting soils break down and compact. Compacted soils inhibit the absorption of water and air, thus retarding root growth.
Consider mixing your own potting soil by purchasing separate ingredients of peat, perlite and vermiculite. Mix them together in equal parts. If you choose to purchase bagged potting soil, mix in one part perlite to 4 parts potting soil. This will lighten the potting soil, all of which tend to be too heavy. As with flower beds, mix in some timed-release fertilizer prior to planting. Follow label directions on how much to use.
The most important component of successfull fall flower planting is purchasing healthy, vigorous plants. How do you tell? First, buy from a plant store you trust, but always check each flower before purchasing it. Delicately pop the flower plant out of it’s pot and look at the roots. Don’t pull the plant out; just push it out from the base.
Roots should be white or cream-colored, extending all the way round the sides and at the bottom. If patches of roots are black or gray, put the plant back in it’s pot and politely walk away, or try another. Dark, slimy roots indicate the presence of a fungus disease that will eventually kill the plant, even though it appears healthy. Appearances can be deceptive!
At the time of planting, scratch the sides of the root ball with a fork, gently pulling the outer roots loose from the soil. This will encourage them to grow out into the planting soil faster. Immediately after planting, water the bed thoroughly. Continue watering daily. When plants become established, you can water less often but try to keep the soil evenly moist, not too wet or dry. I like to use a moisture meter to help me determine how frequently to water.
Finally, remember that many flowers will bloom more profusely if you remove the old flower blossoms as they fade. Geranium, calendula, marigold, cosmos, and stock fall into this category. Remove the spent flowers with a sharp scissors or hand pruners. Never pull or pinch the blooms off by hand. Pulling may only remove the petals and leave the flower embryo, allowing seeds to develop. It’s the formation of seeds that puts a damper on new flower production.
Written by John Begeman, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona, 520-626-5161. - Updated: September 19, 2004
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