Planting cool weather annuals in the fall used to be limited to mums and cabbages sprinkled with a few ornamental pumpkins. The good news? There are many annuals that can provide loads of color pop that work well in the fall and early spring. If you are fortunate enough to live in the warmer southern regions, these flowers might last from fall all the way through to the following summer.
- Dusty Miller – Known as a drought tolerant foliage plant, the silvery gray foliage of dusty miller can truly liven up a basket, container, or bed mixed with other cool weather annuals. It has the added benefit of being able to take the full hot sun when the weather starts to warm up.
- Pansy – Pansies come in a huge array of colors, bi-colors, and sizes. They look particularly beautiful in mass plantings and adore cool weather. Pansies like full sun to part-shade. Although they will bloom and bloom, it is helpful if you deadhead the flowers to force ever new flower buds.
- Osteospermum – This adorable flower is also known as the African Daisy. They adore the cool weather, do well in sun or partial shade, and can grow up to 3 feet tall, so they function well at the back to mid-area of a container or border. When the heat hits, these lovely daisies stop blooming.
- Snapdragon – Everyone loves the beautiful colors of snapdragons. Children, in particular, love the flowers, which have the nickname “opera singers” as one can manipulate the blooms to “sing”. Snapdragons appreciate full sun and stop blooming once the heat hits.
- Swiss Chard – Swiss chard, while a vegetable, is so very ornamental that it brings a lot to the cool weather garden bed. There are many varieties that sport white, orange, yellow, and hot pink or red stems. Although the plant prefers full sun, it will grow in partial shade. On average, this ornamental edible can grow to 16 inches tall and can be harvested in a cut-and-come-again style, which might provide beauty and food all season.
All of the plants above can be started by seed or popped into ground as a vegetative planting. Be sure to place these cool weather delights in a well-drained, organically rich soil for best performance.
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