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Transcript
Cold Comforts Even nips of frost can’t crush these cold-tolerant beauties. Story and photos by Michelle Mero Riedel Soprano® Light Purple (Osteospermum hybrid) J ack Frost doesn’t scare me. When he arrives in early fall, I know my garden isn’t going to turn a boring brown. My autumn garden is scattered with colorful perennial chrysanthemums and asters and many frost-friendly annuals. It’s taken years, but I’ve learned that color doesn’t have to diminish during chilly temperatures. And gardening for five months of color is significant in my northern garden. I used to worry about those first-to-perish annuals. Sweet potato vine and coleus, two of my favorites, were spent when temperatures dipped into the 30s. Many years back, I noticed that some annuals bloomed happily even after early-morning temps near or just below freezing. I was proud of the few annuals that could tolerate a little frost. Sometimes they woke up looking a little shabby but perked up as the day progressed. For a better investment, I now plant and focus on what is still flowering late in the season. It’s time to replace those tried-and-true pansies, marigolds and sweet peas. Here are 15 flowering, sun to part-shade (unless otherwise noted) annuals sure to improve any autumn garden or container. Nemesia There’s the old-fashioned nemesia (N. strumosa) grown from seed that’s not cold-hardy. The nemesia bred for cold tolerance is found in small pots at the garden center and is vegetatively propagated. Nemesia comes in many vivid colors and produces loads of small flowers on compact plants. Nemesia’s flowers are similar to those of a snapdragon, and it has an upright and trailing habit. Diascia Similar to Nemesia (both are members of the snapdragon family), Diascia has slightly larger flowers. A great container performer, Diascia is stunning with its upright and trailing habit. It is becoming one of my favorite plants for containers and hanging baskets. Osteospermum Similar to a daisy, this cheerful plant comes in many colors, and the center disk is a different color than the petals. With good drainage, Osteospermum will provide season-long flowers, especially in full sun. However, its best blooming periods are at the beginning and end of summer. Don’t expect a flower show at night, because osteospermums close and reopen in the morning. September/October 2013 31 Cold Comforts Callie® Orange (Calibrachoa) Flirtation® Orange (Diascia hybrid) Calibrachoa This is the ideal petunia because of its miniature trailing size. The colorful calibrachoa—sometimes called “million bells”—is versatile regarding location. It can easily handle 4 to 6 hours of sunlight or more. These plants grow to be 6 to 12 inches tall and trail to about 1 foot. They have several excellent features, including no need for deadheading and an amazing load of nonstop blooms. I prefer the calibrachoa over a full-sized petunia. Lobularia One of Lobularia’s greatest characteristics is the ability to withstand heat. This is the perfect filler plant for containers and in between plants in the garden. In addition, the long bloom time and tiny snowballs of flowers just keep coming in this new alyssum, which goes under the trade name Snow Princess.® It will outlast the old-fashioned alyssum in both heat and cold. Snowstorm® Giant Snowflake® (Sutera cordata) Oxalis Oxalis is also known as the shamrock or clover plant. Good luck is not needed to grow this wonderful plant, and it’s not a weed. The foliage is colorful, as are the delicate flowers found on the different cultivars. I’m in love with its dense, mounded habit. Oxalis grows to 12 inches tall. Bacopa The ultimate container-garden spiller plant, bacopa has showy white, pink or lavender flowers. Flowers come in ¼-inch to 1-inch sizes, and I always go for the largest flower. A long-blooming plant preferring evenly moist soil, bacopa will feel at home in clay or a water garden. Superbena® Large Lilac Blue (Verbena hybrid) Verbena Unlike Bacopa, Verbena prefers well-drained soil and is the perfect rock garden plant. I’m fond of its upright and cascading habit in containers, as well as the large cluster of long-blooming flowers and tidy leaves. In the garden, Verbena will spread quickly, filling the front border without any pampering. As an added bonus, verbena attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Argyranthemum I’ve grown Marguerite daisies (Argyranthemum) in both part and full sun and seen more profuse blooming in full sun. They say deadheading isn’t necessary, but I disagree. The heavy flowering of this incredibly beautiful, upright plant means there are also many spent, brown blooms. I regularly remove the exhausted blooms to keep this plant in tip-top, attractive shape. 32 www .northerngardener. org ‘Butterfly’ Marguerite daisy (Argyranthemum frutescens) Salvia farinacea ‘Victoria Blue’ Patriot™ Weeper™ Sunbeam (Lantana camara) Blue salvia With its stunning show of purple-blue flowers, blue salvia is one of the last annual plants standing in the fall. This plant doesn’t need deadheading, and each flower lasts for months, if not the entire growing season. Found mostly in plant packs at the nursery, I shop early for it. Blue salvia is a popular plant among gardeners. Gaura Commonly called the butterfly flower, the blooms look like fluttering butterflies from a distance. The annual Gaura is an upright plant, getting 1 to 2 feet high. It is wonderful in the garden or in containers. It looks delicate but can withstand strong winds and rain. Karalee® ‘Petite Pink’ (Gaura lindheimeri) More Frost Resisters For more frost-tolerant ideas, here are non-flowering annuals that can handle light frost. Purple fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’) Fiber optic grass (Isolepsis cernus) Hibiscus (Hibiscus acetosella) Creeping wire vine (Muehlenbeckia axillaris) Carex grass (Carex flagellifera) Kale (Brassica oleracea) Dusty miller (Senecio cineraria) Duckfoot ivy (Hedera helix) Corkscrew (Juncus effuses) —M.M.R. Blue lobelia I commonly use the copious, intense, royal blue flowers in my garden and containers. I love the mounded, garden-edging lobelia found in plant packs, and I also love the trailing lobelia found in small pots at the nursery. This is one hot, attention-getting plant! Dianthus Also known as sweet William or pinks, the annual Dianthus is another terrific garden edger. Leaving Dianthus in the ground at the end of the season is a good idea because it may reward you by returning the following spring. This annual is mostly sold with white, pink and red flowers or a combination of the three colors. Streptocarpella A new plant for my garden, Streptocarpella has thick, succulent, fuzzy leaves. Black, long, wiry stems bear feminine flowers on this upright spiller plant. A shady area is best for Streptocarpella, and it makes an excellent houseplant at the end of the season. Lantana Low maintenance and loads of blooms sums up Lantana. Flowers come in many colors, but I prefer the cultivars that combine several colors in one large cluster. Both the flower and foliage are stunning. Lantana’s foliage is stiff and rough, keeping its tidy shape in the heat. In addition, lantana tolerates drought. As fall frost brings an end to the growing season, annual plants don’t need to finish early. For me, it’s all about maintaining color for as long as possible. Of course, these annuals can be planted early in the spring, a week or two before the last average frost. However, it’s best to slowly acclimate them to the cool temps. Professional photographer Michelle Mero Riedel is a frequent contributor to Northern Gardener. Dianthus ‘Elation Red’ September/October 2013 33