frost-tolerant annuals

Everybody thinks that May 24 is the time to plant annuals outside.  Why wait?  I know I can’t.  I need colour now!!  There are lots of annuals that are frost tolerant.  You can buy them now, harden them off for a week or so (less, if you’re impatient like me), and get them in pots or in the ground next week.  These are some of my faves:

• Pansies and violas - these can stand 10 degrees of frost and can generally go outside mid-April.  They would have made it through our late spring blizzard this year no problem.  Note that they don’t do well in the heat of the summer, but if you cut them back in summer they’ll greet you with more flowers in the fall.  Flowers are edible.
• Snapdragons - my favourite because they look good all summer, and flower right until October, providing much-needed late fall colour as well.  I always plant the medium height (2’) varieties because they don’t need staking – I’m all about low maintenance!
• Dusty miller – great for its silvery foliage colour all season, and drought tolerant too.
• Dianthus (pinks) and carnations
• Ornamental cabbage and kale – these are planted for their fall foliage colours, but can go in now.