Landscaping Tips: Brighten the fall landscape with pansies and dianthus
By Karen Panter and Scott Hininger, UW CES
How about planting some fall pansies or dianthus?
Fall pansies, in particular, are getting to be popular in many areas of the country. Why not here in Wyoming and surrounding states? They are tough and, provided they get some water during the winter months, may bloom through next year.
Plant before freezing temperatures occur so the flowers have time to establish root systems. During the winter, pansies will often have flowers on them under the snow. Varieties with good frost tolerance are "Atlas Blue Splash," "Atlas White," "Delta Pink Shades," "Delta Pure Primrose," "Delta Pure Yellow," "Happy Face Rose," and "Happy Face Yellow." This is hardly an all-inclusive list so check with your local nursery for plant availability or University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service (UW CES) office for more varieties. Contact information for UW CES offices is at http://ces.uwyo.edu/Counties.asp.
Another option for fall planting is dianthus, which does remarkably well in Wyoming during the growing season, mostly because of the state’s generally cool nights. Dianthus loves sunny, cool and moist conditions. It can over-winter so keep the soil moist.
Dianthus is a remarkably resilient species. Particular varieties to look for include the "Floral Lace" series, "Telstar Mix," and "Ideal Mix." Again, this is not an all-inclusive list.
Many advances have taken place with plant breeding of annuals. Cold and drought tolerance are two traits getting lots of attention, and late summer planting of cold-tolerant annuals is on the rise.
UW CES has many publications on landscaping and gardening. They are available from local offices, by e-mailing cespubs@uwyo.edu or on the Web at http://ces.uwyo.edu/PUBS/Horticulture/Horticulture_Publications_Main.htm.
Among them is B-1170, Landscaping: Flowering Annuals for Wyoming, which can be found at http://ces.uwyo.edu/PUBS/B1170.pdf.
Contact: Robert Waggener, Editor
Phone: (307) 766-3571
E-mail: robertw@uwyo.edu###
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