Cool Weather Vegetables

To maximize our short growing season here in Michigan, it is best to plant cool weather vegetables in the spring (April) and the late summer (mid-August/September). Our biggest challenge in southwest Michigan is our temperature which moves quickly from very cold to very warm. There are many varieties of vegetables that prefer cool weather. Several of them–carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, produce their best flavor when they mature during the sunny days and cool nights. Prepare your soil; testing to …

What Can I Plant Now? Cool Season Flowers and Vegetables for April and Early May

We are often asked “What can I plant now while it is still cool and our spring weather is somewhat unpredictable?” Listed below are a few options that have proven to do well in Michigan with our fluctuating spring temperatures. These plants are tolerant of dips in evening temperatures and perform well in cooler weather. ANNUALS Ranunculus – An annual in our growing zone, are brilliantly colored flowers with multiple layers of crepe-paper like petals. The leaves of the plants …

Cool Weather Vegetables

As it gets warmer and we have more sunny days, I can almost taste all those fresh vegetables from my garden. While it is still too early to plant some vegetables, there are some varieties of veggies that tolerate, even love the cold. They thrive in early spring’s cold soil temperatures, frost or even snow. Most of these grow great in containers as well as in the garden. And they have two growing seasons! While cold-crops will not withstand the heat of the mid-summer months, they can …

Pansies: A Spring Garden Favorite

Pansies have been in fashion since Victorians thought them to be the flowers of lovers, and have been a popular ingredient in “love potions”. It has been told that pansies could transfer the thoughts of sweethearts without a single word being spoken. Pansies have been present in the writings of many authors, including D. H. Lawrence, Hawthorne, Wordsworth, and Shakespeare. Pansies remain one of our most popular spring flowers. They are carried home by gardeners to perk up otherwise dull spring …

Pansy Care

Pansies are the best kept secret for fall landscapes. Being winter hardy like mums, pansies will survive the frost and the cold winter nights of Michigan. With very little care, pansies will provide beautiful color in fall and again the following spring. Please Note – Pansies will not survive the winter in containers. They must be planted in the ground. It is not recommended to keep them more than one year as they dislike hot weather and get very leggy and untidy …

Cold Tolerant Annuals for Fall Color

To extend the beauty of your garden into autumn and put some color back into your landscape, consider planting some cold-tolerant annuals.  Many of these can take temperatures to 20° F.  As our seasons change, so can your garden by highlighting these beautiful tough plants in your beds, borders and containers. Ageratum Nemesia Argyranthemum Nicotiana Asters Osteospermum Bracteantha Petunia Calendula Phlox (annual) Calibrachoa Rudbeckia Cyclamen Salvia, Victoria and greggii Diascia Stock Gazania Verbena canadensis Lobelia     Frost hardy annuals …