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You still have time to plant spring flowers! For colorful spring flowerbeds, the time to plant is fall.
Annuals and perennials that can be put in from color paks include alyssum, calendula, cineraria, columbine, coral bells, cyclamen, delphinium, English daisy, dianthus, foxglove, flowering cabbage (ornamental kale), Iceland poppy, hollyhock, nemesia, pansy, phlox, primroses, schizanthus, snapdragon, stock, and viola. Make sure to plant them in well-prepared soil and feed often with a product high in nitrogen as well as phosphorus and potassium such as Dr. Earth Bud and Bloom. When the rain is not adequate, water them well. Even if you are planting now, you will have a beautiful display by February that will peak in April and last until June. If you've already planted flowerbeds with wildflowers and other cool-season annuals and perennials, they should be starting to fill in and spread out now. Make sure to protect them from snails, bait for cutworms with bug bait, and water well when the rains are not adequate. If you want to have winter-blooming plants such as Iceland poppies, pansies, primroses, and cyclamen blooming as soon as possible, you should feed them for growth and bloom. For winter-blooming annuals, the trick is to fertilize often, because nitrogen is less active in cooler soil. Granulated fertilizer such as Dr. Earth All Purpose can be used once every month or six weeks (make sure to water it in well); however, liquid fertilizer such as Organic Advantage is much more effective for cool-season flowers. Feed every two weeks. Do not feed flowering kale for bloom; this stimulates bolting. Frequent application of a light nitrogen fertilizer such as fish emulsion produces the best the results.
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