Enjoy Zinnia Flowers During the Fall Season

  

Just because the summer season is coming to an end it does not mean that you cannot enjoy beautiful flowers during the fall season.  There are many flowers that you can plant in September that will add color and interest to your fall containers or feature gardens.

I love Zinnias, do you?.

 Zinnia flowers will add interest to your feature gardens and some zinnias can be grown in containers.  Dwarf zinnias are best for container gardens. 

Here are photographs of zinnia flowers 

The dwarf zinnias come in a variety of colors and will bloom continuously during the fall season and until there is a hard frost.  You would just need to provide your zinnias with at least 8 hours of sun daily and water when the soil is dry to the touch. Plus deadhead all spent flowers and your zinnia plant will give you repetitive blooms. 

This year I sowed zinnia seeds in the spring and then again in mid-August. The flower germinated quickly in the warm soil.   I have been deadheading the spent blooms to encourage new growth and more flowers.  All of the zinnias are still blooming in my end-summer garden.

 Even in cooler weather, the zinnia does not bolt.  Our weather is warm mid 70’s during the day and cool low 50’s at night.  As long as my zinnia gets sun throughout the day they will continue to bloom until a hard frost.

After a hard frost, I will cut back the zinnia plants and deadhead any remaining flowerheads as this is a way to collect seeds for the next spring season planting. Or you can buy seeds online or at your local garden center.

Keeping Container Gardens Hydrated During Extreme Heat

  

This past summer has been extremely hot and, in my area, the average temperature has been in the 100s with a heat index of 108. The excessive heat has caused my city to have water restrictions and we can only water outdoor crops.

 

I grow vegetables and herbs in containers and containers do dry out quickly so keeping the edible plants hydrated during a water restriction has been difficult.

In extreme heat keep container plants in the shade
this will prevent the leaves from wilting and will
keep them from drying out as long as you water them deeply
in the morning and at night

After a month of extreme heat, my vegetables and herbs are thriving but I did need to be creative with watering and I did provide them with afternoon shade which prevented the soil from drying out.

 

For my container gardens, I utilized wastewater from the water I used to clean my vegetables indoors in the sink.  I also used rainwater that I had collected in the barrels.

 

When I did have to use the hose to water my container gardens I watered the plants deeply until the water drained from the bottom of the containers and collected the drainage water to use to water other plants. I watered early in the morning and at night when the temperature was cooler.

 

All of my container gardens have a thick layer of 3 to 4 inches of organic cypress mulch.  The mulch is a great way to keep the roots cooler and retain moisture.

 

During the peak afternoon heat, I used my patio umbrellas to provide shade.  I moved all of my container gardens under the umbrella so the intense sun and heat do not cause them to wilt and dry out.

 

 If you do not have patio umbrellas you can also set your containers under a shade tree or another shade structure like a pergola.  My friend uses a shade cloth and a white cotton sheet for her row covers.

Do your best to protect your gardens from the excessive heat, hopefully, the rain will come soon, and cooler temperatures.