For many lucky Americans in the South and West, fall doesn’t signal the end of gardening. It ushers in a whole new season for cool-season annuals. Unlike the marigolds and petunias of summer, these cool-season flowers flourish during the winter months. Some will even take a mild frost and keep on blooming. Fall is the time to remove the last of the spent summer annuals, then turn the soil, add amendments and replant with winter color. This applies to both beds and pots, and even a winter window box. The key is to get these annuals in the ground and well-established before the shortest days of midwinter.

Do not save money by buying winter annuals from small containers. Rather than small six-packs, spend more to buy large color packs of four plants or quarts that contain one good-size blooming plant. This size helps them become established during the mild fall with a much larger root system. The result is a stronger plant that continues to bloom throughout the winter. Plants that are too young won’t be strong enough to achieve the larger size in winter, and thus produce far fewer flowers overall.