Backyard Wisdom

Looking For Flowers

Back in the fall, I didn’t plant any pansies or violas. I knew that I would be unable to water them with the ongoing drought in Alabama and much of the South.

Now my annual beds are looking more than a little forlorn, but it is way too early to either plant seeds or set out transplants of my favorite annual bedding plants. So what is a gardener to do?

Recently, Dr. Raymond Kessler visited with me on Backyard Wisdom. He reminded me that there is a large class of plants known as semi-hardy or half-hardy annuals. You may also here them called cool season annuals.

These plants tolerate frost and cool growing conditions. They are usually planted for the spring and fall landscape because they may not survive during the temperatures extremes of winter or summer.

Here’s a list of some of Raymond’s favorites. Just click on the name to see an image of the bloom.

Sweet Alyssum
Calendula
Cornflower
Snapdragon
Dusty Miller
Larkspur
English daisy
California poppy
Diascia
Nemesia
Sweet pea
Pansy
Viola
Dianthus