The Spring Garden Beauties Joanna Gaines Plants In November

Earlier this year, Joanna Gaines gave her followers a tour of her spring garden on Instagram. Her garden was alive with vibrant plant life as far as the eye could see. "It's bursting with color," gushed Gaines as she walked through the blooms, "All of the seeds and seedlings were planted way back in November."

Planting seeds for your favorite spring blooms should be at the top of your fall garden to-do list. While you may be ready to hang up your gardening gloves and relax for the rest of the year, you're missing out on an amazing opportunity to give your seeds a leg up in spring. Many flower seeds actually require a cooling period to properly establish themselves before springtime.

"Patience can be hard sometimes but what I've learned is that when we wait, beauty will always come," said Gaines. A willingness to wait is the cornerstone of gardening. There's never a scenario where you can snap your fingers and have your dream garden. The most stunning gardens require diligence and patience. That means getting your hands dirty one last time and planting seeds ahead of time for spring. If you're eager to put your patience to the test, try planting the same flowers she mentioned in her post: larkspur, foxglove, sweet pea, snapdragons, and ruellia.

Prized for its colorful spires of blooms, larkspur (Delphinium spp.) is an excellent option to add vertical interest to your flower plot or grow for a cut garden. Unfortunately, this plant can be a bit finicky. To successfully grow larkspur in milder climates like Texas, it's best to start your seeds in the fall. Plant your seeds roughly ⅛ to ¼ inch deep and lightly cover them with a thin layer of compost. If you like in a climate any colder than USDA hardiness zone 5b, you'll need to start your seeds inside during the spring.

Foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) are a timeless beauty with their long columns of bell-shaped blooms. These short-lived herbaceous perennials are suited to USDA hardiness zones 4 to 9. To enjoy the most abundant blooms in the spring, plant in the fall or even late winter. This gives the foxglove seeds plenty of time to establish a robust root system. Just make sure you select a winter bed that receives at least three to four hours of sunshine a day. Come spring, you can expect to see healthy foxgloves.

With a delightful fragrance and supremely exquisite blooms, what's not to love about sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus)? It's a good rule of thumb to start these beauties out in the fall in milder climates. In regions colder than USDA zone 5b, you can start sweet pea flowers from seed in the late winter. Before you put your seeds in the ground remember to soak them for 24 hours first. You can also take the extra step to fill a trench with well-rotted manure or compost six weeks before you sow your seed for an even more impressive display.

Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus) are another popular bloom Joanna Gaines sows in her garden in November. There are tons of unique cultivars to choose from and planting this flower from seed opens up a world of possibilities not afforded when working with nursery plants. If you live in a mild climate, you can sow your seeds directly outside in the fall or late winter for early spring blooms. These seeds require a decent amount of light to properly germinate so gently push them into the ground and make sure they're situated in a sunny spot.

The Ruellia brittoniana or Mexican petunia is a shrubby perennial with show-stopping lavender-blue blooms. Luckily, these beauties are pretty easy to grow from seed. Fall offers the ideal environment for Mexican petunias to establish roots before the coming spring and summer. Be sure to space your seeds at least 3 to 6 feet apart – these plants like to spread. You can also start these flowers inside during the winter in colder regions. Once your ruellias bloom, you may notice that they don't last long. In order to extend its blooming season, deadhead spent blooms promptly.