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For many of us, September begins the year much more surely than January does. This month carries the rhythm of change, and brings us as gardeners the opportunity to renew ourselves and our gardens.
August gardens grow crisp and browned, and people tire of dead heading petunias in containers. Come September, it's time to begin again. Start by planting new containers of color for fall, using chrysanthemums, kale, and, my favorite, pansies. The annual pansy, available during September in many brilliant and intriguing colors, is the ideal flowering plant for cool weather. Gardeners often ask if "winter pansies" differ from those available in spring. These have been selected for hardiness to cold, but they look like all other pansies.
Why would I suggest planting the winter color display in early September, when the garden still carries warm days and winter seems far away? The answer is: light. Pansies need light and some warmth to develop good roots and set plenty of buds for later bloom. If they are planted now, we provide them with ideal conditions for preparing to go into cold weather. When it's cold, they won't set new buds or bloom.
To prepare a container for fall planting, dump out the tired summer petunias, pouring the soil on a tarp or into a wheelbarrow. (If your petunias or other annuals still look great and you don't want to give them up before frost, use another container.) Pansies will be a relatively short plant, under 12 inches tall, but they need good, ample root room to help protect the roots from freezes. Scrub the empty container, and check to be sure the container drains well. Winter plants tend to suffer from lack of oxygen ---they can actually drown in saturated soil if there's poor drainage.
Use any bagged potting soil for the winter planting, but be sure that it contains plenty of "gritty" material for help with drainage. Grit in a potting soil is vital. Perlite, pumice, or vermiculite all add grit. If the mix you have feels squishy or soggy, add about 1/3 perlite or pumice to it. (These amendments are available bagged from nursery and garden centers.) Think of grit as the essential winter element. It's essential for all container plants, but especially for those going into a soggy season.
Potting soil generally contains little fertilizer, if any. It's mostly an inert material to retain water and hold the plant erect. For my own containers, I not only add 1/3 gritty material, but also about ¼ by volume screened homemade compost. This adds some water-holding capacity and contributes to root health. Fertilizing the containers regularly after planting is also essential to the health of the winter pansy containers. I use liquid fertilizer containing both the main nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium and trace elements.
If you plan to put spring bulbs such as crocus and daffodils into pots, it's possible to gently lift the planted pansies out, layer the bulbs underneath, and replant.
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