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Plant pansies! They last well after the first frost and bloom again in late winter. A lot of bang for your buck And they come in several different colors.
I plant orange pansies in mid September here in Denver and they'll bloom until early December. If they're in the ground, they'll start blooming again in March. I get the "trick or treat" variety for my boxes on the front porch that are a mix of black and orange. Very interesting for Fall flowers.
If you want to take advantage of the sales of potted annuals at the garden centers/big box stores, I say go for it. My snapdragons lasted well past the first frost last year, and I am in zone 5b.
Of course, it is almost time for mums and winter pansies, so you might want to wait until they hit the stores to fill in your empty spaces.
I wouldn't plant most seeds now, but, it is a great time to harvest seeds from plants that you may already have in your garden.
Now that I think about it, I actually did throw some marigold seeds a couple of weeks ago, but they come up really fast and again, will last well into the cold weather (here) as long as it is sunny.
How long do your marigolds last? I have a big patch of them, but wonder if I should rip them out in mid September and replace them with pansies. But if they'll last through October, maybe it's not worth it. I hate pulling up good flowers, but then the pansies last so long.
How long do your marigolds last? I have a big patch of them, but wonder if I should rip them out in mid September and replace them with pansies. But if they'll last through October, maybe it's not worth it. I hate pulling up good flowers, but then the pansies last so long.
I'm pretty sure they were still blooming around Halloween last fall. Of course, if we get a couple of hard freezes earlier this year, that could change in an instant.
I am loathe to pull anything out if it still may have a bit of life left so I just leave them and let them die back and reseed themselves.
I'm pretty sure they were still blooming around Halloween last fall. Of course, if we get a couple of hard freezes earlier this year, that could change in an instant.
I am loathe to pull anything out if it still may have a bit of life left so I just leave them and let them die back and reseed themselves.
I may just leave them then. I forgot that marigolds re-seed. But I'll still plant the black/orange pansies in the boxes and a container on the front porch. They normally have that variety at City Floral by September 15th. If I plant them then, they get enough time to grow and fill in the boxes before it gets too cold. Once it starts freezing at night, they don't grow very much, but still bloom.
I may just leave them then. I forgot that marigolds re-seed. But I'll still plant the black/orange pansies in the boxes and a container on the front porch. They normally have that variety at City Floral by September 15th. If I plant them then, they get enough time to grow and fill in the boxes before it gets too cold. Once it starts freezing at night, they don't grow very much, but still bloom.
I have some really tall marigolds in the backyard that I harvest the seeds from, although they, or the birds, did manage to spread quite a few around without my help.
I've gotten a great return on one packet of seeds.
Your window boxes sound lovely.
I haven't decided yet what color pansies I want this fall. Last year I did red and white in the hopes that they would still be visible at Christmas time, but, I'm feeling sort of periwinkle this year.
I usually get mine at Nick's since they have the really big ones. A little pricey but, the ones I got last year are still going, so, it was worth it.
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And they come in several different colors.
