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Not every summer resident knows that flowers can be planted in the fall. It sounds, of course, strange, because in the autumn the garden is empty, all the work of the summer resident ends, nature is preparing for winter. Against all odds autumn is a great time to plant many varieties of plants, And this phenomenon has a scientific explanation. Just now not all flowers withstand winter frosts, many of them are recommended to be planted in spring or even summer.
You can learn about the features of planting flowers before winter, as well as what flowers are planted in autumn, from this article.
Features of autumn planting
Spring sowing of flower seeds is not surprising to anyone, however, many gardeners successfully practice planting ornamental plants in the fall, when the soil cools and the temperature begins to drop rapidly.
Such actions are fully justified, because flowers planted in autumn have a lot of advantages:
- Plants undergo hardening, as a result, they better tolerate spring frosts, from which all seedlings sown in spring can die.
- The root system of flowers that are planted in autumn has time to develop well, such plants do not need frequent watering, because their roots go deep into the ground.
- The melted snow nourishes the seedlings and seeds of winter flowers well with water, the flower beds do not have to be watered, as required by the spring planting of seeds.
- In autumn, summer residents have much more free time, because they do not need to think about planting vegetables, fertilizing the soil, watering and other spring problems. There is time to do the design of flower beds, draw up a layout of flowers, arrange plants by color and height.
- Winter flowers will bloom 10-20 days earlier than those that will be planted next spring.
- Among the annuals and perennials, there are a lot of frost-resistant varieties, which means that the seedlings will perfectly withstand the winter cold.
There are also disadvantages to winter floriculture, but they are completely insignificant. The first is the lower seed germination compared to conventional spring planting. Yes, sow flowers will have to be thicker, you will need more planting material. But all surviving plants will be hardened and strong, they are not in a country of drought, cold, diseases and pests.
The second small drawback is that you need to think about which flowers can be planted in the autumn, and which ones are completely unsuitable for these purposes. The answer is simple: suitable for all frost-resistant varieties. And there are plenty of them to choose from.
What flowers to plant in autumn
The first thing that comes to mind is indoor flowers, which are not afraid of frost, snow and icy wind in the house. In practice, there are many plants for which autumn planting is not only possible, this method of growing is the only correct one.
What flowers can be planted in autumn:
- Perennials with a life cycle of two or more years. The advantage of planting in the fall is that perennials will have several months of winter time to establish themselves and develop their root system. As a result, such flowers may bloom already in the coming spring, while the usual spring planting will shift the flowering time right up to next year. In addition, hardening will be very useful for perennials – after all, they will have more than one wintering.
- Bulb flowers almost always planted before winter. Here you need to be careful in choosing a plant variety, since there are many flowers whose bulbs are afraid of the cold, so they, on the contrary, are dug up for the winter.
- Annual Flowers, as well as perennials, the planting method of which is to sow seeds. It is necessary to sow the seeds of such flowers correctly, then the plants will grow strong and hardened, flower stalks will appear on them much earlier than usual.
It turns out that You can plant almost all flowering plant species in autumn – you just need to choose the right variety.
Annual flowers for planting before winter
Annuals are usually propagated by seeds. Many summer residents sow them in well-warmed spring soil, then regularly water, fertilize and monitor the condition of the seedlings. This whole process can be further aggravated by the need to grow seedlings of flowers in room conditions.
Planting annual flowers in the fall will help to avoid difficulties. As a rule, flowers are chosen for this, which in nature can reproduce by self-sowing.
This group includes:
- fragrant mignonette;
- phlox;
- chrysanthemum keelevatuyu;
- mattiol;
- Snapdragon;
- mak-samoseiku;
- scabies;
- Iberis;
- calendula;
- Ajax delphinium;
- Chinese aster;
- allisum and many others.
The inscription that flower seeds need to be stratified before planting gives a “green” light – such annuals can certainly be sown in frozen ground.
What perennials are suitable for autumn planting
Among perennial flowers, you can find those that reproduce in several ways at once or those that can be planted using only one method. As practice shows, planting perennials in the fall is not only possible, but also necessary. This not only brings the flowering of these plants closer, but also makes them more resistant, strong and hardy.
Since autumn, perennials can be planted in several ways:
- seeds (then the method of planting coincides with the sowing of seeds of annual plants);
- bulbs (this should be done a few weeks before real cold weather and the first frost);
- cuttings or dividing the roots (until the first autumn frosts should be at least 2-3 weeks, so that the shoots have time to take root).
If planting is scheduled for autumn, you should take care of the pit in the spring. In addition, you need to fertilize the soil for flowers in advance.
Of the “winter” perennials can be called:
- lupine;
- spurge;
- rudbeckia;
- oriental poppy;
- dicenter;
- delphinium;
- gaillardia;
- buzulnik;
- gypsophila;
- aconite;
- alpine aster;
- hosts.
In fact, in the group of perennial flowers there are a lot of varieties that are recommended for autumn planting.
How to sow flower seeds in autumn
We figured out what flowers to plant before winter, now it’s worth talking about how to do it. If there should be no questions about planting perennials that reproduce by bulbs or roots – these flowers should be planted in the same way as in spring, then sowing seeds in cold autumn soil causes a lot of controversy.
The first thing a gardener needs to learn is seeds for autumn planting will need one and a half times more, since not all of them will be able to withstand frost and germinate in early spring.
The second important factor is the earth should cool down well, maybe even freeze slightly. If you sow flower seeds in warm soil, they will start a development program, the seeds will hatch, tender sprouts will appear, which will surely die from frost.
And the third condition: well-chosen area. When winters in the region are dominated by frosty, but snowless, it is worth looking for a place in the shade. If this is not done, the scorching rays of the winter sun will burn the seeds located at a shallow depth and destroy them. There should not be a place for flowers in a lowland, because then the seeds will be washed by the melting spring waters.
The place has been chosen, now you can start planting flowers:
- The earth is dug up in September, at the same time the necessary fertilizers are applied to the plants.
- At the end of November or in the first days of December, when the topsoil freezes, seeds can be sown. Flowers are sown densely, the holes under them are made shallow: for small seeds – 1 cm, larger ones are deepened by 3-5 cm.
- Sprinkle on top of the planting with a mixture of sand and humus or peat.
- So that the birds do not pull out the seeds, you need to slightly compact the soil.
- Dry leaves and spruce branches will help to regulate the temperature above the plantings – they cover the furrows with seeds.
In the spring, as soon as the snow melts, it is recommended to cover the flower plantings with a film until the first shoots appear. In the phase of the appearance of several leaves, plantings should be thinned out, the procedure is repeated after another two weeks, leaving sufficient space between the plants.
Sowing annuals in winter
Seeds of annual plants that are especially resistant to cold are planted in winter, when the ground is well frozen. Usually this option is chosen for seeds for which stratification is recommended – freezing before planting in the ground and germinating seedlings.
The soil is also prepared in September, only holes and grooves for seeds do not need to be made, since they will be laid directly in the snow. Based on this, it becomes clear that the planting of flowers can only begin when the ground is covered layer of snow – its thickness must be at least 25 cm.
The snow is carefully compacted or simply trampled down, then the seeds of annuals are laid out on it, following the planting pattern and following the intended patterns. After that, the flower seeds are sprinkled with a layer of sand and humus or peat, then covered with a layer of snow. All this will protect the seeds from wind and birds.
Autumn planting of flowers has a lot of advantages, and, most importantly, of them, “winter” flowers bloom much earlier than their spring counterparts. This quality is especially appreciated by experienced gardeners, those who grow flowers for sale or just like to brag to their neighbors.
Annuals and perennials planted in autumn will bloom no worse, on the contrary, their inflorescences are usually large, and the plants themselves are distinguished by excellent health and strength. So, clearly, this method of landing must be tested on your own site.
