Late summer/early fall outdoor plantings?

17 years ago

Just curious if anyone here can recommend some good colorful late summer plantings, for an outdoor (largish containers) situation? Our many petunias have begun to die back, seeming to be simply at the end of their lives.

Days are still generally clear and even hot, but nights are cooler - we don't expect frost for quite a while yet. Our container soil is pretty rich, and good in other repsects too. Sun exposure would be seven to ten hours a day (from soft to quite hard/direct), depending on the specific container's position.

If you recommend something, I may be able to ask for it at a local nursery (I live an hour's drive away from a good one, so that's why I'm not just popping in there to look and ask).

Also any possbility of a fast-growing annual that could be seeded at this point and have a chance to develop nicely?

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Comments (3)

kforrest
17 years ago
Good question! I also am wondering if its time to pull my potted zinnia (I've got about 8 large pots of them).

They are still putting out buds but the lower foliage is so beat up at this point they are not very pretty to look at. Same with the petunias in the window box. Still blooming but looking worse for wear.

It has been soooo cold and rainy here as well which has not helped. I dont think my balcony saw sun for 3 days!

Looking forward to hearing suggestions.
geranium_hybrid
17 years ago
i use mums and pansys.
After my petunias lost most of their leaves, i cut them back and but them in my green house, and bout pansys and mums to replace my containers. They brighten up the house and also, they are cool crops, so they like the cool weather that im gtting right now.
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Donna
17 years ago
I have had Lemonbird cosmos come up from seed and bloom in a month or less when given good conditions. It likes hot weather, similar to zinnias and marigolds. Also available in orange. Easy to save seeds too.

If you can find potted marigolds, they are my preference over chrysanthemums because they continue blooming till frost.