Content
Not every summer resident knows that flowers can be planted in the fall. It sounds, of course, strange, because in the autumn period the garden becomes empty, all the work of the summer resident ends, nature is preparing for winter. In spite of everything, autumn is a great time to plant many varieties of plants, and there is a scientific explanation for this phenomenon. But not all flowers can withstand winter frosts, many of them are recommended to be planted in spring or even summer.
You can find out 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 down and the temperature begins to drop rapidly.
Such actions are quite 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 manages to develop well, such plants do not need frequent watering, because their roots go deep into the ground.
- The melted snow well nourishes the seedlings and seeds of winter flowers with water, the flower beds do not have to be watered, as required by the spring planting of seeds.
- In the fall, 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 flower arrangement, arrange plants according to color and height.
- Winter flowers will bloom 10-20 days earlier than those planted next spring.
- Among annual and perennial plants, 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 a lower seed germination when compared to a conventional spring planting. Yes, sowing flowers will have to be denser, you will need more planting material. But all the surviving plants will be hardened and strong, they are not 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: absolutely all frost-resistant varieties are suitable... And there are a lot of them, there is plenty 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 just 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 autumn is that perennial plants will have several months of winter time in order to strengthen, develop the root system. As a result, such flowers can bloom 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.
- Bulbous flowers almost always planted before winter. Here you need to be careful in choosing a variety of plants, since there are many flowers, the bulbs of which are afraid of the cold, so, on the contrary, they are dug up for the winter.
- Annual flowers, as well as perennials, the planting method of which consists in sowing seeds. It is necessary to sow the seeds of such flowers correctly, then the plants will grow strong and hardened, the flower stalks will appear on them much earlier than usual.
It turns out that almost all flowering plant species can be planted in autumn - you just need to choose the right variety.
Annual flowers for planting before winter
Annuals usually propagate by seed. 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 flower seedlings in indoor conditions.
Planting annual flowers in the fall will help to avoid difficulties. As a rule, flowers are chosen for this that can reproduce in nature. self-seeding.
This group includes:
- fragrant mignonette;
- phlox;
- keeled chrysanthemum;
- matthiol;
- Snapdragon;
- poppy seed;
- scabiosum;
- Iberis;
- calendula;
- delphinium Ajax;
- 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 multiply 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 planting method coincides with the sowing of seeds of annual plants);
- bulbs (this should be done several weeks before the real cold weather and the first frost);
- cuttings or dividing the roots (before the first autumn frosts, at least 2-3 weeks should remain for the shoots 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.
Among the "winter" perennials are:
- lupine;
- spurge;
- rudbeckia;
- oriental poppy;
- dicenter;
- delphinium;
- Gaillardia;
- buzulnik;
- gypsophila;
- aconite;
- alpine aster;
- hosts.
Actually, in the group of perennial flowers there are a lot of varieties for which autumn planting is recommended.
How flower seeds are sown 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 with 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 frosts and germinate in early spring.
The second important factor is the ground should cool down well, maybe even freeze... 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: the right site... When winters prevail in the region are 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 to be located in the lowland, because then the seeds will be washed out by thawed spring waters.
The place is chosen, now you can start sowing flowers:
- The earth is dug up in September, at the same time the fertilizers necessary for the plants are applied.
- At the end of November or in the first days of December, when the topsoil is frozen, you can sow seeds. Flowers are sown thickly, the holes for them are shallow: for small seeds - 1 cm, larger ones are buried by 3-5 cm.
- Sprinkle on top of the planting with a mixture of sand and humus or peat.
- To prevent the birds from pulling out the seeds, you need to compact the soil a little.
- Dry leaves and spruce branches will help to adjust 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 foil until the first shoots appear. In the phase of the appearance of several leaves, plantings should be thinned, the procedure is repeated after another two weeks, leaving sufficient space between the plants.
Sowing annuals in winter
The seeds of especially cold-resistant annual plants are planted in winter, when the soil is thoroughly 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 the holes and grooves for the seeds do not need to be made, since they will fit directly into the snow. Based on this, it becomes clear that the planting of flowers can begin only when the ground is covered snow layer - 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, observing the planting scheme and performing the planned patterns. After that, 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 crops" bloom much earlier than their spring counterparts. This quality is especially appreciated by experienced gardeners, those who grow flowers for sale or simply like to show off 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, definitely, this method of planting must be tested on your own site.
