How cold is too cold for annuals? This is a question that many gardeners have asked at one time or another. Annual plants, including most flowers, can handle very cold weather if they are grown in pots and containers. Many gardeners believe that if you use pots on these plants that the flowers will not bloom. However, I find that this is not true; they do bloom when the temperatures are very cold.
If you are growing flowers in pots and containers, you need to provide them with sufficient warmth during cold weather. If you do not provide enough warmth to the plants, they will not survive. There are some plants that are sensitive to cold and will not flower in extremely cold weather. Most flowers will flower fine in mild to extreme cold weather. The best way to determine if a flower will flower in extreme cold is to weigh it before and after it is planted.
Of course, all plants are not sensitive to heat. Most flower garden plants actually like a little heat. Flowering plants actually do better in moderate heat. On the other hand, if you are growing plants that actually need a lot of heat, you will have to provide more heat. Talk to a local nursery to find out the exact temperatures your flower garden will tolerate. Once you have established which plants will be fine without heat and which ones require more heat, you can create an ideal flower garden for your area.
As you work on the layout of your flower garden, consider the types of flowers that you would like to see. Consider what time of year flowers bloom if you plan to plant perennials. Some flowers bloom in the spring only, while others bloom all throughout the year.
How cold is too cold for perennials? Perennial flowers are easier to care for in the winter because they don’t go dormant during the winter season. Therefore, they can be brought indoors until the spring, if you wait that long. When choosing plants for your perennial garden, you may want to choose fragrant or colorful flowers. These types of flowers don’t normally flower in the winter.
Annuals can’t be brought inside during the winter. They usually bloom in the spring and will remain blooming until June. The flowers are usually open in the morning, when you may want to put them outdoors for a morning walk around your neighborhood. If you are planning to put an annual in your garden, you should check with a local nursery to find out how early you should plant an annual. If you wait too long, you will lose the fragrance of the flowers.
Since most of us live in areas where the average temperatures stay in the 30s Fahrenheit or below, it is imperative that we take the time to plan our garden so that it will be able to survive the coldest months. One way to increase the chances of having a warm and flowery garden year-round is to plant perennials that are native to your area. Examples of plants that are native to areas where temperatures rarely drop below freezing are daffodils, azaleas, blue blossoms, tulips, and hydrangeas.
As a side note, if you plant a flower in the winter, the resulting flowers could be a contrast to the vibrant color you get in the spring. It doesn’t really matter which season you ask the question, “How cold is too cold for annuals?” It really depends on the type of flowers being grown. For example, flowers grown in a warm climate, such as California, need more time to flower and bloom. If you were to plant annuals in areas where temperatures rarely fall below freezing, they may flower and bloom sooner, but the color may not be as vibrant as those planted in colder climates.