First, choose a variety of annuals that bloom from the moment you set the seedlings in the ground until frost (the combo at right is a great example of this technique). Second, plant combinations of perennials that bloom at different times. Meet some good candidates for early and late summer on the next pages. Choose one or two of these combos or grow them all in different spots in your garden to guarantee that you (and visiting pollinators) will have plenty of blooms to enjoy from the time the weather warms up until the cold shuts everything down in fall.
Show-Stopping Annuals
It's never too late to grab a few annuals at the garden center and pop them in the ground, where they'll splash color across your garden until frost. Long-blooming, easy-care zinnias, salvias and marigolds offer so many different colors that you can have a lot of fun creating combinations. Plus, the mounding, draping habit of hakonechloa makes a perfect front-of-the-border plant and frames its companions beautifully. Regularly deadheading zinnia, salvia and marigolds encourages new blooms and keeps plants looking tidy.
A Canna Canna spp. and hybrids
Tender perennial; red, orange, yellow, pink, white or salmon flowers in summer; full sun; 2 to 8 ft. tall, 1 to 4 ft. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 7 to 11
B Zinnia Zinnia elegans State Fair Mix
Esta historia es de la edición Issue 172 - August 2023 de Garden Gate.
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Esta historia es de la edición Issue 172 - August 2023 de Garden Gate.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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Spinach - Learn the secrets to growing this tasty green in spring and fall.
If you're one of those gardeners who can't wait to get started in spring and hates to throw in the trowel in fall, spinach is the perfect shoulder season crop. This mild, earthy-flavored green comes in many varieties, ranging from crinkly-leafed savoys to slightly textured semi-savoys and the flat, smooth-leafed types. Colors can be dark green, light green and even red-veined. Here's how to get the most of it every year.
Why Bulb Depth Matters - Dig deep enough to ensure your plants stand tall and live the longest
When you're planting bulbs, it's tempting to just dig a hole as deep as your trowel will reach easily, nestle the bulb in, cover it up and move on. But the fact is, each type of bulb will flower best and thrive at a different depth.A good rule of thumb is to plant a bulb two to three times its height. One reason planting depth is important is because it helps to keep the bulbs protected from fluctuations in temperature that happen closer to the surface.
GARDEN ESSENTIALS
FALL GARDEN CLEANUP TOOLS
Saving Seeds
Saving flower seeds is a great way to get more plants with almost no investment. It's easy to do. Here's how to save seeds from some of your favorite annuals as the growing season winds down.
Cucumber Trellis Flop
I watched cucumber trellis growers online for several seasons with envy. What a brilliant way to save space in raised garden beds and make it look fancy! Finally, I was sold and decided to try it in my garden.
9 Tough Perennials for Clay Soil
Whether you garden in the nutrient-poor red clay of the Southeast, the calcium combined-with-clay caliche of the West or something in between, the common denominator is that clay soil is difficult to grow in. Why? Tiny particles of clay hold tightly together, slowing drainage and limiting the amount of oxygen that can reach plant roots. You've seen the resultsanemic-looking or rotting plants.
Garden Fences
Discover the perfect blend of functionality, style, and materials for your ideal fence.
A GARDEN OF STORIES
Learn plant and project tips from a couple who's been gardening here for nearly 50 years.
Switchgrass
Adaptable switchgrass goes with the flow.
Establish a Monarch Waystation
Did you know that a single monarch butterfly can migrate up to 3,000 miles? That's a lot of ground to cover! This amazing insect makes a fascinating journey, unlike any other butterfly.
