If you live in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and other Southern states where temperatures may dip below freezing in the winter months, it doesnโt mean you have to give up including flowering plants in your gardens. ย
These states are mostly USDA zones 7b, 8a, and 8b. In these zones, you can still add Pansies, Violas, Snapdragons, Kale, Ornamental Cabbages, and more, as late as November.ย So get planting!ย
As a landscape company based in Atlanta, GA, and Lake Martin, Alabama, we know which plants will work best for you. Focusing on flowering plants, letโs discuss the flowers you are most likely to see in our area during the winter and early spring starting with Pansies and Violas.ย
Pansies and Violas:ย These pretty plants thrive in cooler temperatures. Planting in the fall allows them to develop strong root systems and produce abundant flowers during the winter months and into the early spring. Their flowers are often called โhappy facesโ and come in a wide variety of colors such as yellow, orange, dark red, purple, white, and combinations of these colors
Snapdragons:ย
Similar to pansies, snapdragons are best planted in our zones during the fall.ย Snapdragons are called cool-season annuals. Once again, fall planting ensures they have ample time to establish themselves and produce their distinctive, tall flower spikes during the winter and will flower into early spring if pruned and deadheaded.ย
When planting Pansies and Snapdragons, make sure to place them in an area with well-drained soil and adequate sunlight. Immediately after planting, fertilize the area, and apply a layer of mulch to help conserve soil moisture and regulate soil temperature. Be sure to water regularly, especially during dry periods, to keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged.ย
Maintenance: After your plants flower, we recommend โdeadheadingโ, or removing the spent flowers, to encourage continuous blooming.ย If the plants start to get leggy, you can also prune them back to try and extend their flowering period.ย
One final point, even though these are cold-hardy plants, you will want to protect them from frost.ย During extreme cold snaps, when the temperature drops below 32 degrees for hours or days, cover your plants with a frost cloth or some type of covering to give the plants the best chance at thriving.ย
One last tip:ย If you are thinking about early spring blooms, read our recent blog about planting daffodil and tulip bulbs. ย Thereโs still time!
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