What flowers can be planted in the fall before winter: pros and cons of planting, timing

Flowers

At first glance, it might seem like autumn is a time of rest for gardeners. This is far from the case. Even in late autumn, there's always work to do in the garden and at the dacha. After all, this is the time to prepare the soil and seeds for fall planting. They are planted before winter so they grow stronger and bloom earlier.

The benefits of sowing seeds before winter

Modern gardeners choose this type of planting because it increases the chances of having beautiful, healthy, flowering crops the following season. There are numerous advantages to this type of planting.

Pros and cons

Flowers are planted in winter for various reasons, and this procedure has its advantages:

Plants that emerge in spring are much more resilient and robust. They are frost-resistant and disease-resistant. These plants have a more powerful root system, capable of extracting moisture from deep within the soil.
Seed germination occurs in a natural and familiar environment.
Flowers planted for the winter tend to bloom earlier.
There is more space on windowsills in spring, since there is no need to grow flower seedlings.
As a result of natural selection, only strong and vigorous seeds germinate, so the resulting plants are healthy.
Thanks to strong immunity, crops are not afraid of pests at the initial stage of growth.
If some of the seeds do not sprout in the spring, it is not too late to sow them.
Seedlings planted in winter will delight you with flowering already in the first year.

Important!

But there are also disadvantages to this type of care. For winter sowing, special care must be taken in preparing the soil and adhering to the planting dates, as the seeds may freeze and lose their viability.

Why sow flowers in the fall?

As already noted, seeds planted in the fall undergo rigorous natural selection. Weak seedlings will not germinate. However, the remaining plants will undergo thorough hardening, which will contribute to their beautiful, healthy appearance. Along with the weak seeds, harmful bacteria are destroyed during the winter, which improves the plants' immunity. During the early stages of growth, they are immune to pests and many diseases.

Also, thanks to autumn planting, a person will free up time in the spring, because in the fall there is much less work in the garden.

When they are planting

Flowers can be planted in open ground before winter using seeds only when the ground temperature drops below freezing. The soil in open ground should freeze to -4°C, and the air temperature should not drop below freezing. If you plant the seeds in warm soil, there's a high chance they will germinate and be lost when frost sets in.

The optimal time to plant seeds before winter is the end of October, but for warmer regions this period can even be mid-November.

At the beginning of autumn, they start planting bulbous and rhizomatous annuals.

Important!

Another important requirement is to use only frost-resistant seeds. Otherwise, the plants simply won't germinate.

What flowers are planted before winter?

Not all plants should be sown before winter. Bulbous crops should be planted in early autumn, and then, towards the end, annual and perennial crops, as well as plants whose seeds require stratification, should be sown.

Bulbous and rhizomatous perennials

Most bulbous plants are planted in early autumn so that in the spring, after the snow melts, the flowers gain strength and bloom as early as possible.

Name	Description of the culture	Planting time
Tulips	The plant has many varieties and species that differ in flowering time, color, shape and coating of the petals.	Late September – early October
Daffodils	A very beautiful bulbous spring plant with white or yellow flowers. Early varieties bloom from early May.	Late August – early October
Crocus	One of the earliest bulbous flowers, blooming immediately after the snow melts. The average height is about 15 cm.	August – early September
Hyacinth	A beautiful plant with a raceme-shaped inflorescence. It comes in a variety of colors and grows to a height of no more than 30 cm.	Since mid-September
Iris	A very beautiful plant that retains its beauty after flowering. The flowering period and height of the bushes depend on the species and cultivar. By choosing the right iris varieties for your flowerbed, you can ensure blooms from early spring to late fall.	September – October
Muscari	Low-growing, easy-to-grow plants that delight with beautiful blue or light blue flowers from May to June. They reach a height of no more than 20 cm.	September
Ornamental onion (allium)	It resembles a common onion in appearance. The inflorescence is a beautiful ball of varying colors. The flower stalk reaches 80 cm in height and blooms from late spring.	September-October

Annuals

https://youtu.be/ifJKBTEOdkA

Winter sowing of frost-hardy annuals should begin after the first frosts have set in. This period most often occurs in late October or early November.

Name	Description of the culture
Aster	These beautiful blooming flowers reach heights of 25 to 90 cm depending on the variety. There is a wide range of colors and bud sizes to choose from.
Annual phlox	A small annual (up to 25 cm) that comes in a variety of colors and shapes. It's easy to care for and doesn't care for soil.
Anthurium (snapdragon)	It blooms almost all summer. Depending on the variety, the height varies from 20 to 120 cm. 50-60 cm is most common. It easily propagates by self-seeding.
Marigold	Plant heights range from 30 to 80 cm. Unpretentious crops with beautiful, bright, fragrant flowers.
Calendula	A common garden flower with medicinal properties that requires little care or soil. It grows 30-80 cm tall, depending on the variety. It produces beautiful yellow, pink, or orange flowers.
Knapweed	An unpretentious, bushy annual plant growing approximately 60 cm tall, cornflower is easy to care for and is suitable for decorating flowerbeds and growing for cut flowers.
Iberis	This low-growing shrub (about 30 cm) produces beautiful umbel-shaped blooms. It is distinguished by its fragrant, long-lasting blooms.
Eschscholzia	Low bushes up to 30 cm tall, profusely covered in flowers. It doesn't like being planted from seedlings because of its taproot system.
Alyssum	A groundcover plant with a long flowering period (from June until frost). Its small flowers have a distinct fragrance.
Lavatera	A bushy plant up to 80 cm tall, it is undemanding in terms of growing conditions and care. Flowers reach 9 cm in diameter.
Cosmos	A bushy plant with beautiful, decorative, lacy leaves. The flowers are inconspicuous and can be single or double. A wide range of colors are available.

Perennials

There is also a row of perennial flowers, which can be sown before winter from the second half of October to mid-November.

Name	Description of the plant
Aquilegia	Breeders offer a wide range of colors for this small, bushy plant, which is distinguished by its tall peduncle.
Delphinium	A tall perennial, reaching 2 meters. The flowers are most often blue and white.
Mallow	Grown as a biennial plant, it reaches a height of 1.5-2.5 m.
Primrose	Small, beautifully flowering bushes that bloom in May. Since the seeds quickly lose viability during storage, they should be sown immediately after ripening.
Rudbeckia	A very beautiful plant with pubescent leaves. If planted in the fall, it will bloom the following year.
Marigold	Beautiful, low-growing flowers with orange or yellow blooms. Marigolds can be planted once in the fall, and the plant will self-sow the following year.

Pansies, gentians, hellebore, lavender, yarrow, and many other crops are also planted before winter. Overall, the list of crops that can be planted in the fall is very long.

How to sow seeds before winter

Winter sowing can be done in a variety of ways. To ensure flower seeds germinate in the spring, it's important to follow planting guidelines and carefully prepare the soil.

Important!

For winter sowing, choose raised beds, which can be fenced with boards around the entire perimeter. If you plan to sow several different plant species in the nursery, it's best to divide the area into zones and mark each zone with a sign.

Soil preparation

Prepare the soil for planting while it's still warm, for example, in early to mid-September. Dig the soil thoroughly, removing all weed roots. Add nutrients to the soil during the digging process. Ideally, apply 20 grams of saltpeter and 40 grams of superphosphate per square meter. Mix these two substances and add dry sand. Then spread the mixture over the soil surface. Organic matter can be added, but fresh manure should not be used.

Planting in a permanent location

Planting flower seeds outdoors begins after the onset of persistent frost. If you plan to sow flower seeds directly into a permanent location, it's important to plan the placement of individual varieties carefully. Tall varieties should be planted in the center, followed by medium-sized ones, and low-growing ones should be placed at the edges.

Furrows are made in the soil and filled with seeds. When sowing seeds in the fall, keep in mind that some of the seedlings will not germinate after winter. If they do germinate densely in the spring, they can be thinned out at the two-leaf stage. The planting depth depends on the size of the seedlings; the smaller the seeds, the closer they should be to the soil surface.

After sowing, the seeds are lightly covered with a mixture of humus, peat, compost, and sand. The beds are not watered, as they are dormant during the winter, and in the spring there is enough moisture for germination.

Sowing in the school

You can plant flowers before winter in a nursery bed (a special bed that creates special conditions for plant germination). To prevent spring washout, place it in a raised area facing south. The recommended nursery height is 20 cm. Once the nursery bed is prepared in early September, it's best to cover it with plastic. Snow sometimes falls before the seeds are sown. Sowing can begin in mid-October. Place a few seeds in each hole and sprinkle with a nutrient solution. After planting, cover the nursery bed with old leaves and spruce branches.

Sowing seeds in containers

Another common method is sowing seeds for the winter in individual containers. For this purpose, you'll need pots about 10 cm in diameter. They should have holes to allow excess moisture to drain. First, add a drainage layer (expanded clay is common), then fill the pots with a nutrient solution. Don't fill the pots with soil all the way to the top, leaving about 2.5 cm.

The nutrient solution is prepared from soil, peat, and river sand in a ratio of 2:2:1. Pots are filled with the prepared solution, dug into the garden, and covered with plastic wrap until planting.

When it's time to plant for the winter, remove the plastic wrap, sow the seeds, and cover them with 2 cm of soil. Then cover everything with compost, leaves, and spruce branches. Once the flowers emerge, thin them out and, after a while, transplant them to their permanent location.

Autumn care, preparation for winter

Since the seeds will remain dormant all winter, they require no autumn care. After planting, it's recommended to cover the beds with dry leaves and top them with spruce branches to prevent the leaves from blowing away in the wind.

Gardeners recommend covering the plantings with plastic film in the spring, once the snow melts. This will prevent the soil from drying out. Once the seedlings emerge, the film is removed.

The dangers and mistakes of pre-winter planting

Many gardeners begin autumn and winter planting too early, which results in sprouts appearing in the fall. By spring, there will be nothing left to sprout. Therefore, they monitor planting times and plant flowers only after the first frost.

Another equally common mistake is watering the beds after sowing. This should be avoided, as the combination of cold and water will adversely affect the planting material.

Also, avoid winter planting seeds in heavy clay soil. In the spring, they won't have the strength to break through such dense soil. This will result in the seeds' death, so winter planting should only be done in light soil.

Useful tips for gardeners

Over the years of growing flowers, gardeners have gained invaluable experience that should not be ignored.

After the first shoots appear, treat the flowers to prevent fungal diseases. You can use an ash solution for the first time (1 cup of wood ash diluted in 10 liters of water). This solution will protect against diseases and pests and is a good fertilizer.
For growing asters It's best to use a nursery stock and then transplant the seedlings to their permanent location. Keep in mind that asters don't like to grow after daffodils, tulips, carnations, and gladioli.
Once the snow melts, you can install metal arches and cover them with plastic. This will speed up flowering by 1-2 weeks.

To ensure beautiful blooms and healthy flowers, it's best to plant some in the fall. This will help you grow healthy, strong flowers that will delight you with early blooms. However, it's important to properly prepare the soil and adhere to the planting timing.