The Summer Annual That's Cold Tolerant And Great For Fall Color
The shift from summer into autumn can also require some changes in the garden, as poppies and asters give way to mums. But many of the plants that you've been enjoying all summer can still thrive in the autumn. Some flowers are just as happy in the cool fall weather as they are in the summer heat. Calibrochoas, despite being known primarily as summer annuals, are also excellent flowers for providing beautiful fall color and will keep blooming right up until your first frost.
Native to South America, calibrachoas are generally treated as annuals in North America and can't survive winters in areas colder than USDA Hardiness Zone 9. While their high tolerance for drought and heat makes them perfect flowers for creating hanging baskets that thrive in the scorching sun, there's no reason to ditch them just because the leaves on your trees are beginning to drop and Halloween decorations are going up.
Caring for calibrachoa in your autumn garden
Care for your calibrachoa, also sometimes known as million bells flowers, should be just as easy in autumn as it is in summer. The plants still need full sun and well-draining acidic soil. If your autumns are significantly cooler and rainier than your summers, you'll likely need to water your calibrachoa quite a bit less, as you don't want them to succumb to root rot. Be sure to continue fertilizing regularly, to give your calibrachoa plants the energy they need for their impressive blooms.
While you can certainly just keep enjoying the same calibrachoa plants you've been growing all summer, you may also want to add some in more autumnal shades. Luckily, this isn't an issue as calibrachoas come in a wide range of colors, including oranges, reds, and yellows. Because frost will kill back your calibrachoas, you may want to put containers and hanging baskets in a protected area like a garage on cold nights, or cover your plants with frost cloth. This should let you enjoy your calibrachoas and other summer annuals well into autumn and allow them to be part of your spectacular fall garden.