Mid-April is usually a safe time to begin. Prepping the soil comes first. For your annual flowers to flourish, you want to properly prepare your soil. You may plant directly into the topsoil, or you can purchase heavier soil to help hold in moisture.
The ideal time for planting flowers in Ohio is from late May to mid-October. So, if you're ready to add a splash of color to your landscaping and a sweet aroma to the air, we're about to enter the proverbial calendar year sweet spot for planting flowers in the Buckeye State.
The Basics of Planting Annual Flowers
Tender annuals — Tender annuals thrive in warm soil and warm air temperatures. They should only be planted once temperatures reach and stay above 55°F. They can be severely damaged or die if they are exposed to frost or temperatures below 32°F.
Some cool-season annuals can tolerate soil temperatures as low as 45 degrees Fahrenheit; however, most cool-season annuals will grow best in soil temperatures at 65 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer.
Generally, the best time to start a garden in Ohio is between the last and first frost dates, or from the end of April to the middle of September, give or take a month.
Planting too early in cooler temperatures can cause stunted growth, wilting, surface pitting, foliage necrosis and increased susceptibility to disease. Low soil temperatures can stunt plant growth and prevent root development. Most summer vegetables like soil temperatures of between 55 and 65 degrees.
Dill, chives, parsley, and thyme are popular choices that you can start planting as early as April. Get a jump start on your herb garden indoors right now. Basil, cilantro, and rosemary can be planted just after the last frost.
Temperatures below 32 degrees can freeze the leaf tissue of cold-wimpy plants and turn them to mush after just a few hours. Some of the most tender annuals and veggies might not die but suffer cold-induced setbacks even when overnight lows dip below 40.
Here's a quick summary: Between 36 and 29 degrees, your most vulnerable flowers are your “tender annuals.” Tender annuals are your one-season flowers that like warm air and warm soil to grow. They like having “warm feet,” meaning they want their roots to be comfortably warm.
I did some research and found out that houseplants need to be taken indoors before overnight temperatures dip below 45 degrees. Most tropical plants suffer harm from temperatures below 40 degrees.
Since most annuals are frost tender, you'll need to wait until after the last spring frost date to transplant them into your garden.
Since Mother's Day has passed, it's safe to start planting your annuals any time now until Memorial Day. Planting annuals after Memorial Day is okay, too; but just know that they will take more attention and care to survive, specifically watering and protection from cooler weather.
So what's the solution… Focus on frost hardy annuals. Some of these annuals that can withstand 20 degrees or so, including pansies, snapdragons, dianthus, alyssum, dusty miller, viola, and osteospermum. Keep in mind that flowers may be a bit ragged after such cold but the plants should make it through ok.
Mid-April is usually a safe time to begin. Prepping the soil comes first. For your annual flowers to flourish, you want to properly prepare your soil. You may plant directly into the topsoil, or you can purchase heavier soil to help hold in moisture.
Zinnias are one of the easiest annual flowers to grow in Ohio gardens and containers. They're brightly colored and perfect for cut flower beds or pots on a sunny deck. Zinnia plants thrive in full sun and well-drained soil and bloom from mid-summer to fall.
If you're wondering at what temperature threshold you should be bringing your plants, there's a short answer: when nighttime temperatures reach 45 degrees (F), it's time to bring your plants indoors.
Petunias thrive when nighttime temperatures are in the 55 to 65°F range, and daytime temps are between 61 and 80°F. They will succumb to sub-freezing temperatures in a hurry, and anything below 40°F may kill them, though Wave® petunias can tolerate temperatures as low as 35°F.
For best chance of survival, bring tender plants and annuals indoors before nighttime temperatures fall below 45 degrees. To be on the safe side, especially if you have tropical plants, bring them in when it's 60 degrees at night.
It's important to pay attention to the temperature dropping when the sun goes down. Once temperatures are consistently between 60 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit, it's a good idea to start bringing your plants inside at night. However, you can keep them out during the daylight hours if the temperature stays above 45 degrees.
A: Geraniums come from tropical climes. You could leave them out for the winter if you lived in Los Angeles. But they blacken and die immediately when we get hard freezes, even though they can handle weather down into the 40s.
If vegetables aren't for you, there are a number of flowering plants you can plant for early color like pansies and snapdragons. Mid-April is a good time to plant tubers of cannas, gladiolas, dahlias and caladiums to get a jump on summer color.
You can begin starting several types of hardy vegetable seeds inside right now and then transplant them outdoors as early as April. Spinach, kale, peas, and carrots are excellent options for a garden planted in the early spring. Tomatoes, melons, and peppers are best planted outside in late May or early June.
No, April isn't too early to plant annuals. You can sow annual seeds in early spring while most container varieties should wait until late spring for best results.