Annual Flowers – Cold Tolerant Annuals

March 20, 2012

Pansy – Annual Flower

Flowers that are cold tolerant offer the best return on investment for your annual garden.  Cold tolerant annuals are from the same category as other annual flowers. Cold tolerant annuals are not any special plants that grow only during cold climate. They are annuals that grow in sunny climates too and can withstand cooler temperatures allowing gardeners to plant them early in the season.

Do they belong to some special category?

No, never. Some plants have more cold tolerance when compared to annuals. It is not like you have to purchase them from special nurseries. If you buy a tender plant or have grown some in your own garden then you can first acclimate them to gain cold tolerance.

If you harden off the plants which you buy for your garden or the ones grown in your garden then it will make them cold tolerant.

What does this “Hardening Off” mean?

Hardening off means giving the tender plants a chance to get acclimated to the conditions they face when you plant them in the ground. While some plants you purchase from nurseries are already hardened off while others are not. So you need to treat them this way. Place them outdoors in an area where they can get accustomed with bright light, wind and warm temperatures. Allowing the plants to dry down will also help the hardening off process, but make sure the roots do not dry out.

Hardening off a plant needs more care. Heck whether the leaves are turning darker green, yellowing or purpling. Some leaves will get damaged. Give them some time and cut off the dried leaves. The plants will slowly get acclimated to cold climates. After this process you can plant them in your garden.

How do cool weather annuals differ from cold tolerant annuals?

Cool weather annuals are the ones which require cool weather for their survival. Once the cool weather is over and it gets hot, they are done for the season.  Cold tolerant annuals are ones that can handle cool temperatures and will continue to grow when it gets warmer out.  Some cold tolerant flowers are pansies, godetia and calendula.

Do you like to know some varieties of these?

Here are some varieties of cold tolerant annuals which you can grow in your garden after reading this.

Pansies come in a variety of colors and will be the best choice for your colder garden. This annual can survive light freeze and even snow to some extent. Kale is another annual of such kind. It possesses curly leaves in dark green to purple color and can with stand some frost as well as cold temperatures.  Kale is also nutritious edible whereas some varieties of kale are only for ornamental look.

Viola are also cold tolerant annuals which can enlighten and give shine to your gardens walk way and borders. Violas come in a variety of colors looking small in size. Mostly they are purple colored. Chrysanthemums are annuals that can also tolerate cold conditions and bloom both in summer as well as in cold conditions

Will cold tolerant annuals be able to get warmth through the ground alone?

You can help protect these annuals when needed by providing them with containers, adding a thick layer of mulch like coating their roots in warm blanket, use bark chips, leaves to insulate against unpredictable cold nights, newspaper and if possible provide fans or sprinkle water.

Moving air makes the annuals less affected to cool conditions rather than still air. Try circulating air near the ground. Sprinkling water on the cold tolerant annuals helps your garden annuals a lot as water releases heat when turned into ice.

Cold tolerant annuals can be categorized as semi hardy, frost tolerant and freeze tolerant depending on the annual you select for your garden. Here is a small list which helps you while you select annuals for your garden.

Semi-Hardy:  Annuals which survive in warmer climates easily and can live in cool climates when placed in warm, sunny or protected areas, some plants in this category. Carnation, ornamental cabbage, primrose and dianthus are among these.

Frost tolerant: These are the ones which can withstand average frost conditions. Little damage may occur at very less temperatures. Calendula, alyssum, cosmos, nasturtium, lobelia, snapdragon, torenia and phlox are some which come in this category.

Freeze Tolerant: Annuals which can withstand freezing temperatures and hard frosts for short periods of time are freeze tolerant annuals. A few which come in this category are argyranthemum, calilbrachoa, dusty miller, gazania, nemesia, petunia, sweet peas, dracaena and verbena.

Cold-Tolerant Annuals

If you would like help with your annual flowers and color program, please contact us, Niwa Design Studio, at 952-470-1882.

Posted in Annuals, Flower Gardens, Garden Types, Plant Materials, Plants for Special Conditions