Beyond the Mum!
Fall-ish Annuals are here!
Late- summer to early fall can be a little tricky. Spring color can look ragged but it’s a bit early for cool season annuals. Fortunately, more growers are leaning into this shoulder season, growing plants that can take the heat we have now AND last until we get a freeze. Two main exceptions to that last bit; crotons and ornamental peppers won’t love temperatures in the 40’s so plan to move crotons inside to over winter or enjoy both now until cooler weather arrives!
As they become available, we will be stocking these shoulder plants, including marigolds, annual rudbeckia, zinnias, SuperCals, Million Bells, plectranthus and celosia. All of these add tons of bright color now, as opposed to mums, which at this time (early September) have yet to show color. We have a lot of these in smaller sizes, making them perfect for replacing tired annuals in planters or adding into existing planters for a refresh until it’s pansy time! Keep reading for details about each of these beauties!
Croton
Crotons have long been popular houseplants but they also make perfect additions to fall displays! We love that there are different kinds to choose from, that there are a variety of container sizes available, that they do well indoors during the winter, and outdoors when temps stay above 50° F. They can take a good amount of sun, even full sun, as long as they get adequate water. The Petra variety (shown above) features wide leaves with green, orange, red and yellow highlights. These take more water than Mammy crotons, which have longer, thinner leaves. Avoid overwatering; this can lead to the plant losing leaves.
Marigold
Another warm season favorite! They don’t mind a cooler temps either but again, much like a mum, a frost will slow them down a bit and a freeze will mark the end of their season. With bright yellow, orange and rust colors, they really add clear, bright color to a fall display.
Zinnia
Zinnias have been a popular warm season annual for year; many are started from seed year after year! There are always new varieties coming out, with eye-catching streaks of color in flower petals. Within the past several years, zinnias have become a popular fall plant as well. Like other fall annuals mentioned in this post, they don’t survive the winter but the bright, cheerful blooms are perfect for fall. One other great attribute of zinnias is how long they last as a cut flower! There are several different series of zinnias with some grower taller, others staying much shorter.
Rudbeckia
We shared this picture to talk about annual rudbeckias; these are black eyed susans that don’t usually overwinter in our zone. Rudbeckia is pretty tough, just place in a sunny spot and avoid overwatering. When one bloom fades, trim it off; there is likely a bud forming just below it. They should last until our first freeze, which is usually in early November.
Celosia
Pictured above is one of our favorite celosias, Intenz! Magenta colored flowers that pollinators LOVE! As with most of these annuals, we carry them in the spring and the fall, because they do well in both seasons. Below is from the Twisted series; there are a variety of bloom colors available in this series, all are eye-catching and different than any other bloom!
Lantana
A plant we all know and love for its durability and bright color options. This is another one pollinators love, and we still have a few months left to help support pollinators before they move on.
SuperCal
This is direct from the plant breeder and we couldn’t agree more. One of our new favorites for both spring and fall seasons! ‘SuperCal is the ultimate petunia. Part petunia, part calibrachoa, SuperCal and SuperCal Premium combine the very best of both for an explosion of colorful flowers that stand up to sun and rain. Blooming early and extending through the fall, SuperCal earns its name!’ The blooms are petunia size but last like a Million Bell, a.k.a calibrachoa bloom. More about these next!
Million Bells
We mention pretty often, how fun plant names can be! Very often, the name tells the story about what you can expect from a plant. That is especially true with Million Bells, tons of small, bell-shaped blooms covering this trailing annual only. Another thing we love about this plant; it’s cold hardy and can take a light frost without showing any damage, much like SuperCals.
Ornamental Peppers
These peppers have been developed for aesthetics, not flavor so we aren’t saying to plant a crop of these beauties… but we are saying they add a little extra something, a different texture element to a fall planter. Late-summer and early-fall is perfect for them; they thrive in hot, dry weather conditions!
Depending on when you are shopping, be sure to pick up some mums, Mona Lavender plectranthus, hay bales, pumpkins, gourds, cabbage, kale, and of course, pansies while you are here to complete the whole look.