Break the habit

Combinations with calibrachoa add trailing color to containers. The flowers perk up after rain or irrigation and handle stressful conditions like frost well. Photos: Four Star Greenhouse/Proven Winners.Anyone who has tried to quit smoking or begin a weight loss program knows that some habits are hard to break. You need support, information, more support, the desire to change and even more support.

Now that fall and cooler temperatures are approaching, it is time to start plans for seasonal color change-outs. Rather than installing the same plants year after year, try breaking your plant selection habits by using something a little different to help elevate your designs and differentiate your business from the others.

Greenhouses grow other seasonally appropriate plants besides mums, kale and pansies that your customers will greatly appreciate and that will show your creativity and ability to stand out from the competition.

Although the standard choice for fall plantings, mums can bloom out very quickly if even a short period of warmer weather occurs during the fall months. The best plants to choose for long-lived fall plantings will be unaffected by temperature fluctuations and lower sunlight levels, cold and frost tolerant, low maintenance, and will have continuous color until winter begins to set in. Be sure to slowly introduce greenhouse-grown plants to cooler outdoor conditions if they haven’t already been acclimated to day and night temperatures (check with your grower if the plants have already been “hardened off” when you buy them). 

Ask your grower about the following varieties for long, brilliant seasonal color:


Orange Diascia
Diascia is in the snapdragon family and is a good fall flowering plant since it is capable of withstanding multiple frosts with little to no damage (they are hardy down to 15 degrees).

These charming plants grow to 8-12 inches in height with an equal spread, and grow well in full to part sun. Diascia are self-cleaning, which means no deadheading is necessary, and look stunning in hanging baskets, container combinations, window boxes and landscapes.

Osteospermum
Great fall or early spring plants, these daisy-type flowers are hardy down to 25 degrees and grow 12-14 inches tall above compact green foliage. Plant osteospermum in sun to partial shade in either container combinations, window boxes, or landscapes. Osteospermum will “bury their dead” (new flowers will quickly cover old flowers) so deadheading is not required. “Osteos” come in dark and light purples, white, yellow and orange tones.

Argyranthemum
While newer Argyranthemum varieties are much more heat tolerant than older varieties, they still do best with cool night temperatures, making them a perfect choice for height (18-24 inches) in full or part sun fall containers or landscape plantings.

Calibrachoa
Calibrachoa has not been a part of the plant industry for very long; the first plants were identified in 1989 and the first cultivars released into the market in 1992.

The family tree of this genus reaches deep down into Latin America – almost all species can be found in Argentina, Brazil or Uruguay. The original plants were found in coastal areas clinging to rocks and surviving in some rather harsh conditions. They resemble small petunias and so were originally referred to as Seashore Petunias.

Since their release in the early 1990s, this genera has grown faster in popularity and use than most other plants.
Calibrachoas aren’t sticky like petunias, perk right back up after rain or overhead irrigation and handle stressful conditions (including frost) beautifully. Best used in full sun hanging baskets and containers, the long trailing branches cascade over the sides with abundant, self-cleaning flowers in a multitude of colors.

Heuchera
For texture and interest in late season containers, no other genera have the wide variety of foliage colors and patterns choices of Heuchera (Coralbells). The colors deepen and intensify in cool weather, and the leaves will hold up through a hard freeze.

Foliage colors range from bright lime green scalloped leaves to burnt oranges to deep purples and blacks with silver mottling. The many different varieties of Heuchera available make for unlimited possibilities when creating long lasting and colorful cool season containers in either sun or shade.

Conclusion
Take the time to visit with your grower to discover other varieties that will help you break away from planting the same old thing this season. In these competitive times, it is certainly worth this small effort to break an old habit and show your customers your professionalism and creativity.

    
Left to right: Osteospermum, diascia, and argyranthemum can bring color to your clients’ properties all
autumn – without you having to trot out traditional varieties that everyone else on the block has.

The author is a certified landscape professional, master certified nurseryman and landscape account manager for Four Star Greenhouse/Proven Winners in Carleton, Mich.