Hardy and Tender Annual Flowers

 

I am frequently asked which flower varieties are hardy enough to plant in April and which tender flowers I should wait to plant until May. There are two reasons to wait until May to plant the tender annual flowers. 1. There is a good possibility of frost occurring until the end of April. 2. Tender annuals are heat loving. They tend to become stunted under cool growing conditions. Later planted ones often pass up the earlier planted ones.

Hardy (Cool) Annuals (plant in March and April)

Alyssum

Candytuft

Carnation

Cleome

Dianthus

Dusty Miller

Gazania

Godetia

Hollyhock

Flowering Kale                                  )

Lobelia

Nasturtium

Nierembergia

Pansy

Petunia

Poppy

Blue Salvia

Snapdragon

Sweet Pea

Viola

Tender (Warm) Annuals (wait until May to plant)

Ageratum

Aster

Begonia

Celosia

Cosmos

Dahlia

Geranium

Impatiens

Marigold

Moss Rose (Portulaca)

Nicotiana (Flowering Tobacco)

Phlox

Scarlet Salvia

Schizanthus (Butterfly Flower)

Stock

Verbena

Vinca

Zinnia

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Allen Wilson

Allen has been writing about gardening for over 30 years. He is a retired professor of Horticulture.

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