A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 flower ideas?

i have a VERY limited space for flowers but want to add some color to the front of my house.
what are some good plants for fall/winter? maybe something i can pull for spring. i saw that perinneals (sorry for the spelling) were good for cold weather.

i live in N Carolina and the weather is perfect right now, not cold at all. but i want to dress up my front porch.

thanks
sarah

Aster is my favorite for fall/winter. I also like pansies! Mums are also great for fall/winter. I love the varieties with the bigger flowers. Let us know what you choose!

mums are good this time of year, and very pretty

I live in zone 6, but I have fall blooming clematis blooming now and it's beautiful - my dahlias are also georgous and in full bloom - they've been in bloom all summer and fall. I'm not sure, but dahlias may be perennial in your area, I have to dig mine up every year :rolleyes: , the clematis is a perennial.

mums are great for blooming at this time of year (just pinch back the buds in late july/august to make them bush out more and then bloom late). they come in a whole range of colors too!

you can leave them in the ground and they will start growing again in mid summer...for spring and summer, you can plant bulbs there...then you'll have color happening all through the summer and into the fall.

Dahlias have to be dug up and stored, even out here in California.
You let the leaves die back like a tulip, cut off the dead leaves, and store the tubers wrapped in newspaper or straw, in moderate temps, until spring.
Dahlias grown from seed won't come true to type.
I learned all of this from my dear friend, Edna Comstock, for whom the Edna C. dahlia is named.
Edna is now 94 !

BTW - Edna's old enough to be my grandmother !