By Amanda Moon
As I sit writing today there’s a cold mist outside and many of our summer and fall perennials have started to go dormant (three weeks early this year). The good news is that there are several winter-hardy annuals that can brighten up those newly bare spots in our yards, and carry over color until spring brings up our perennials once again.
When planting a new batch of annuals in the ground, I prefer to start with 4” pots or larger. This gives the plants a better start as they are less likely than the smaller plants in 6-packs to dry out or be carried off by a garden visitor. Their roots are also stronger because you’re starting with older, more established plants.
On the other hand, when I am planting up flower pots, 6 packs and 4” pots are both great sizes to use because they allow me to be creative in the shapes and sizes of the pots I stuff full of winter color. Use your imagination when choosing planters for annual color. I love to take old enamelware and galvanized washtubs and fill them full of violas of all colors.
Some of the easiest winter annuals to grow are old-fashioned Johnny Jump-Ups, aka violas. These miniature pansies are beautiful in mass and come in a wide variety of color combinations, from the traditional purple/yellow blend to solid oranges and whites. Well established violas can last well into May and June before succumbing to the heat.
Their larger counterparts, pansies, have also been grown for generations and have been the subject of many needlepoint pillows and still-life paintings throughout the years. These friendly-faced flowers are also available in a wide array colors and blends and make a nice winter border in front of evergreen shrubs.
Dianthus, or pinks, are so named for the ragged outside edge of their flowers – as if they were cut out with pinking shears. These short, border annuals can last several years under the right conditions and will bloom all winter and even into the summer if the heat isn’t too extreme. Plan for a little afternoon shade to carry them through.
• • •
Another super-fragrant border option is sweet alyssum. This heirloom cool-season annual has tiny white or purple blooms that you can smell from across the yard. (There’s also a yellow one I haven’t tried yet.) With a little water they will bloom all winter and into early summer and possibly re-seed for next year.
If you’re looking for a little color in your leaves, consider planting ornamental cabbage, bright lights Swiss chard and dusty miller. All of these annuals and biennials will hold their color through the winter and can be a nice textural addition to the blooming annuals.
They will grow vegetatively during the winter and will bolt (flower and go to seed) the following spring. Swiss chard, a biennial, planted in the spring will survive until the following year as it is the cold that triggers its seed production.
Lastly, here are a few other bloomers to consider planting now. Although not a true annual, cyclamen are grown as such here because they cannot (and will not) survive our heat. Planted in mass, they bloom beautiful shades of red, pink and white all winter long and can be planted in a pot for a creative Christmas table centerpiece, and then brought outside to enjoy for the rest of the winter on your porch.
Snapdragons, while not very colorful over the winter, will thrive come early spring if planted now. These tall stately annuals come in many pastel shades and are a favorite of any kid who has ever seen the ‘dragon’ mouth snap open on the flowers. I have had several that have even re-seeded and returned over several years that were planted in afternoon shade and so could survive some summer heat. Happy gardening everyone!
If you have a gardening question, send it via email: iathyme@yahoo.com. (Please put ‘Ask Chris Winslow’ in the subject line.) Or mail your letter or postcard to: Ask Chris Winslow. It’s About Thyme: 11726 Manchaca Road, Austin, TX 78748
