Give beautiful pansies, snapdragons and pinks some hardy winter company

Fall’s in the air, and the dormancy of winter can’t be far behind. It’s time for the annual autumn change-out that will remodel our garden beds. It’s time to take out the plants that were our summer heroes, so that we can replace them with up-and-coming stars of the late fall, winter and spring.

Before we decide which plants will best suit your needs, let’s address a couple of basics. First, it may be difficult for you to remove plants that still look fairly good. That’s understandable, and planting dates for your winter color are flexible, but remember that we’re just six weeks or so from the average date of our first killing freeze. So, those summer plants are going to bow out fairly soon anyway.

Also, take this opportunity, as you always should, to add new organic matter into your soil before planting. Since you (hopefully) did a great job preparing the garden before the last plants went in, all you’ll need now will be a couple of inches of new compost, sphagnum peat, bark mulch or rotted manure. Re-till the soil to a depth of 8 or 10 inches.

Winter favorites

Pansies are the bestselling annual flowers in Texas, and with reason. They are winter-hardy throughout the state (few flowers are); they’re cheerful, dependable and fragrant. Current trends have us planting smaller-flowering types for the greatest possible display of color. We’re also using groupings of compatible colors, rather than solely planting pansies in beds of single colors. Buy vigorous 4-inch potted transplants for the quickest show. Avoid plants that have become lanky due to exposure to recent heat. There are so many great types and colors. You’ll have a wonderful time shopping for your favorites. Unless you’re set on one specific variety, visit several nurseries before you make your final selections.

Pinks are the next most winter-hardy annuals for local gardens. They’re compact sisters to florists’ carnations. Most pinks are single- or semi-double-flowering, often with contrasting bands of colors around their petals. They get their common name from the fact that they look like their petals have been trimmed with pinking shears. Like pansies, pinks require full sun for best growth, and they, too, are highly fragrant.

Snapdragons come in third in winter hardiness. You’ll see tall types in floral department cut-flower coolers, but in our landscapes, shorter types that grow 8 to 20 inches tall will be more successful. Many people plant them in beds of mixed colors, but you’ll sometimes be able to buy single colors for even more show. Snaps are especially good in the center of patio containers, where they can provide the drama and excitement as they’re surrounded by lower, sprawling plants.

Ornamental cabbage and kale have really hit the big time in recent years. You’ll find all shades of magenta, red, pink and white leaves arranged in tight, rounded heads. You’ll find other types that are tall and open. All are especially showy when they’re massed together. They benefit from having plants of contrasting colors around them.

Braving the cold

Odds are that you have a couple of spots in the landscape that could easily enough protect plants from the worst of the cold snaps, and if so, there are several additional plants that merit your consideration.

Hardy cyclamen is a wonderful little plant that will keep throwing out its cheerful red, pink, white or purple flowers for several months. They’re available in nurseries now, but it’s still a little warm for them. On the other hand, don’t expose them to temperatures much below 30 degrees during the winter.

Sweet alyssum makes a delightful little trailing plant spilling over the edges of your patio pots. It, too, can handle light frosts, but it doesn’t do well with hard freezes. Its tiny flowers come in shades of rose, pink, lavender and white. Mature height is less than 2 inches. They are highly fragrant.

Ornamental chard, including the varieties of "Rhubarb" and "Bright Lights," is a showy plant from the beet family. While they’re theoretically edible, you’ll enjoy their jewellike leaf colors so much that you won’t be able to bring yourself to cut them. The bold leaves grow to 15 or 18 inches tall and 5 or 6 inches wide. If you don’t have a place for them this fall and winter, at least include them in your early spring plantings.

Neil Sperry publishes Gardens magazine and hosts the Texas Gardening radio show from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays on KRLD/1080 AM. Reach him during those hours at 214-787-1080.

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