Favorite Flowers: Snapdragons

Lavender and white snapdragons

Allergy Index Scale: 1
Perennial, commonly sold as annual
Full sun, 10 inches - 4 feet

The snapdragon is a cool-weather plant, so now with the pleasant fall temperatures, my snapdragons are blooming profusely again.  Since they can tolerate some frost, I plant them early in the spring, generally a couple of weeks before the last spring frost date.  They bloom beautifully all spring and into the early summer.  Then I trim them back, water them well, and see little from them until fall, when most will resume flowering.

Snapdragons are available in a wide range of colors, just about everything but blue, as well as softly-shaded bi-colors.  They bloom along a flower spike, opening gradually from the bottom upwards.  They have a light fragrance, and attract butterflies.  Snapdragons come in various heights: dwarf ones that grow to about 10 inches, medium at about 18-24 inches, and tall that may reach 3-4 feet.  I generally prefer the dwarf snaps, as they fit better into my flowerbeds, don't require staking as do the taller ones, and come in the largest choice of colors.

Getting Ready for Winter

Peas, marigolds and parsley in late October

There are a number of things as a gardener that I do each year to get my garden ready for winter. Any hard work I do now, will save me even more work in the spring.

As flowers and vegetable plants die, I remove the dead plants, so they don't harbor insect pests or diseases over the winter.  Perennial stems I cut back to ground level. A few things that offer valuable food for local birds, such as coneflowers, I leave until spring. Healthy plant stems and leaves can be shredded or chopped and added to compost, but anything that may have had any disease or pest problems should be put in the trash. I also watch out for any kinds of seeds.  If your compost pile doesn't get hot enough, disease organisms, weeds, and seeds may not be killed during the composting process, and you'll just be multiplying these problems.

Favorite Flowers: Pansies

Allergy Index Scale:  1
Hardy Perennial, generally grown as annual, zone 4-8
Full sun, 6 - 9 inches

One of my favorite fall traditions is pansy planting time. Pansies are a classic fall and winter flower for the southern states, in planting zones six through nine. Mine bloom profusely all fall long, off and on in the winter, and then again throughout the spring.  They give me flowers at times when everything else is dormant.  Every winter I've seen them blooming cheerfully in the midst of snow.

Fall Planting, Part Two

Fall peas

The peas, lettuce, carrots and green beans I planted last month are coming along well, with warm sunny days, cool nights, and more rain to encourage them.  In a few weeks, as nights get colder, I'll have to consider covering them at night, but so far we've only had one night go below 50 degrees.  My tomatoes, sweet peppers and herbs, that struggled during the worst of the summer heat are perking up and looking better now. 

With the more reliably moderate weather, I have begun planting some of the fall flowers like pansies, asters and mums.  I am careful to get hardy mums, so that I can enjoy them more than one year.

Cool Nights

Last night the temperature here got down below 50 degrees for the first time this fall.  I'd seen the forecast a couple of days ahead, so I knew I'd need to take some action to protect my most tender house plants that have been summering outside.  I have quite a few plants that move outside for the summer, and in for the winter.  They tend to flourish with all the extra sunlight they get, so I am reluctant to bring them back inside any sooner than needed.  Some of them, such as the lemon tree, coleus and geraniums, I particularly try to protect from cold.

Fall Planting, Part One

Fall planting season is coming up.  Spring is often when folks think of planting, but for many plants, such as most grasses, trees, shrubs, and perennials, fall is actually the best time to plant.  This gives plants time to develop a much better root system before facing the heat and drought of summer. The weather is more moderate in the fall, yet the soil is still warm.  This is ideal for roots to grow without the demands of summer weather.  Then in the spring, the plant gets another moderate season for growth before the summer heat. Anything planted in the spring gets only one season, with cooler soil, to get established.

Favorite Flowers: Moss Rose

Allergy Index Scale: 2
Annual
Full sun, 4 - 6 inches 

Multi-colored moss rose

Portulaca, generally called moss rose, is a great low-growing plant for hot, sunny areas.  It blooms for much of the summer, with colorful flowers that may be red, orange, pink, yellow, or white, or occasionally variegated.   A single plant may spread up to two feet, so they can make a great ground cover. I like to use them in areas that are hard to reach with the garden hose, as they tolerate hot Kansas sun better than most flowers, and with less watering. They do well along that hot drive, in rock gardens, containers or tumbling over the edges of a hanging basket.