Highs in the low 80s may not seem like cool weather to many, but after a warm start to October, I’ll gladly take any heat relief. October is a seasonal transition month for south Louisiana. As summer begrudgingly gives way to fall, now is the perfect opportunity to replace worn out warm season bedding plants with cool season annual flowers.
While many cool season annuals can be planted anytime from now until spring, the most spectacular floral displays typically come from fall planted annuals. Planting beds should be lightly worked to loosen the ground. Incorporate compost and slow-release fertilizer to boost growth and flowering. Don’t forget to finish with mulch to help suppress weeds.
Petunias are always a popular choice for cool season bedding plants and with good reason. They are very reliable and have a long growing season. Many varieties can take some heat. They can be planted as early as September, and most will keep flowering past May.
The Supertunia series Petunias have been outstanding performers and two were named Louisiana Super Plants – ‘Vista Bubblegum’ and ‘Mini Vista Indigo’. Along with pink and purple, they come in white, blue, red, and yellow, along with bicolors and more. They grow about 24 to 30 inches wide and 8 to 12 inches tall. You can expand the color palette with Easy Wave, Tidal Wave, and Dreams Petunias. With so many options for flower size and color, it is easy to see why Petunias are a gardener’s favorite.
It's hard to pass up pansies in the nurseries. Pansies are a reliable bloomer during our ‘cold’ winter months. These do best when planted between late October and early December for south Louisiana. The Cool Wave and Top Wave pansies trialing type pansies that comes in shades of blue, orange, pink, purple, yellow, and white, along with many color combinations. These will spread out between 20” to 30” wide.
The smaller version of pansies is violas. Sorbet violas were the best performing violas in LSU AgCenter trials and were named as Louisiana Super Plants. These prolific bloomers have smaller flowers that tend to hold up to rain better than the larger pansies and last 2 weeks later into May. Violas are cold hardy and will spread 12 inches but reach only 6 inches tall. With more than 20 colors available, you may need more flower beds.
The Amazon series and the Jolt series of dianthus are two more Louisiana Super Plant selections for their outstanding performance as cool season bedding plants. Dianthus can be planted from October through March and have excellent heat tolerance. I’ve seen them flowering up until August. They will grow 18-36 inches tall by 10-16 inches wide and should be spaced 12-16 inches apart. They come in shades of pink, purple, red, and white. Dianthuses are also great to use in cut flower arrangements.
Swan Columbines is another Louisiana Super Plant selection. These plants have attractive blue-green foliage and unique large three-dimensional, two-toned flowers. To me, the flowers almost look like pinwheels. Columbines are spaced 12 inches apart and grow 20-24 inches tall. They come in blue white, burgundy white, pink yellow, red white, rose white, violet white, white and yellow.
Camelot Foxglove makes an outstanding display as a tall border or background planting. A biennial plant, they will grow vegetatively during the fall and winter to about 24 inches tall by 12 inches wide. Bell shaped flowers open along a flower spike that rises from the center of the plant in the spring, adding another foot to the plant’s height. Flower colors include lavender, cream, rose, and white with lavender.
Redbor kale, grown for its interesting foliage, does well as a tall border or background planting. Us it anywhere you want to add some reddish purple color or interesting texture. It can reach 30 inches tall by 12-16 inches wide and is edible. Kale can be eaten raw in salads or cooked like greens.
Switching out annual bedding plants is a great way to refresh our landscaping without breaking our backs or budgets. Think of them as accessories for your garden. Plant them in highly visible areas to increase interest and brighten your day.
