Cold Tolerant Annuals
It’s important to understand the difference between cold-tolerant annuals and perennials. Annuals get their name because their natural life cycle lasts for just one growing season. They won’t live through winter like cold hardy perennials will. That being said, they will last much longer into the cold season than tender annuals, and may actually thrive in cool weather. If you’re growing cold hardy annual flowers, you can’t go wrong with these annuals that tolerate the cold:
Calendula Dianthus English Daisy Forget Me Not Clarkia Pansy Snapdragon Stock Sweet Alyssum Sweet Pea Viola Wallflower
These cold-tolerant annuals can be planted outside in early spring or late summer to provide bright colors at a time when more tender annuals can’t survive. Some other cold-tolerant annuals can be sown directly in the ground as seeds before the last frost of the spring. These flowering plants include:
Marigold Bachelor’s Button Larkspur Sunflower Sweet Pea Black-Eyed Susan
Additional Annuals That Tolerate Cold
When selecting cold hardy annuals, nothing says you have to draw the line at flowers. Some vegetables are very tolerant of the cold and provide welcome, intense color. These vegetables can be started early in the spring before the last frost, or in late summer to last through several frosts well into the fall. Some good choices include:
Swiss Chard Kale Cabbage Kohlrabi Mustard
If you live in a climate that experiences light to no winter frosts, these plants will do best planted in the fall to grow through the cool months of winter.
