The first step to knowing when to plant flowers in Southern California is to locate the hardiness zone that’s specific to your area. Once you’ve identified the types of flowers that thrive in your zone, it would be easy for you to grow your own flower garden anywhere in the southern half of the Golden State.
In case you’re wondering, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) established these “hardiness zones” to identify various geographical locales based on the specific climates that are usually experienced in these localities. In other words, these hardiness zones aren’t just complex agricultural terms but are an essential tool in determining the kinds of plants that will best grow in any particular area.
If you want to make sure that you’ll have the flower garden of your dreams within this year, you’ll need to learn about your zone, find your area’s most appropriate plants, and focus on cultivating these plants.
What Are The Key Planting Times For Seasonal Flowers In Southern California?
When you’re starting a flower garden in Southern California, and you’re thinking about planting seasonal flowers, make sure that you plant out seeds and young seedlings during early fall, early spring, and early summer. However, if you want to put in flowers that are already in bloom, the best time to do so is during late spring, midsummer, and early winter.
What Kinds Of Flowers Can I Plant In Southern California?
Among the best blooms that you can plant in Southern California are pansies, calendulas, snapdragons, sweet peas, stock, Johnny-jump-ups, violas, Gloriosa daisy, larkspur, California poppies, nigella, schizanthus, primroses, nemesia, cyclamen, petunias, calibrachoas, marigolds, sunflowers, moss rose, asters, verbena, zinnias, sweet alyssum, lobelia, borage, Chinese pinks, and the paludosum daisy, Madagascar periwinkle, cosmos, coleus, dahlias, salvia, and nasturtiums. However, it’s important to note that some of these flowers grow best during specific times of the year.
What Flowers Bloom All Year In Southern California?
The flowers that produce stunning blooms all year include sweet alyssum, borage, Chinese pinks, lobelia, and the paludosum daisy.
Aside from the fact that sweet alyssum flowers can bloom any time throughout the year, they also reseed freely and are extremely effective at attracting insects that help your plants thrive. Borage is another plant that produces flowers any time of the year, freely reseeds all over the yard, and draws bees that naturally pollinate and enhance the quality and the quantity of the flowers you’ll grow.
You’ll be able to see your Chinese pinks bloom every season, and the hummingbirds are drawn to them. In case you’re not aware, hummingbirds are awesome to have in your garden because aside from feeding on the flowers’ nectar, they also love to eat pesky pests that include aphids, wasps, mosquitoes, beetles, and ants.
Major Advantages Of Greenhouse Gardening
Knowing when to plant flowers in Southern California is as easy as setting up your own greenhouse. It’s also one of the best decisions you could ever make because aside from protecting your plants from harsh elements and pests, it also allows them to experience extended growing seasons while you get to save energy and more planting options. It doesn’t matter if gardening is your profession or your pastime – you’ll thank yourself for growing your plants in a greenhouse. If you’re still on the fence about investing in a greenhouse, check out the major advantages of greenhouse gardening so to help you make a smart decision.
Extended growing season
Since a greenhouse is a controlled environment in which you can maintain consistent temperatures and growing conditions, you can be sure that your plants won’t be put at risk. For this reason, your plants will be able to enjoy longer growing seasons than possible.
Protection from harsh elements
With a greenhouse to provide a layer of protection to your delicate plants, you’ll be able to shield them from unseasonal temperature swings and other harsh weather conditions. Furthermore, the greenhouse works to diffuse the sunlight while it ensures adequate ventilation inside the structure.
A wide variety of plant options
Are you planning to grow warm-season and exotic flowers that aren’t usually found in your local area? If you decide to invest in a greenhouse, you don’t have to know when to plant flowers in Southern California because unlike traditional outdoor gardens, greenhouses are able to trap the sun’s heat inside it. This allows it to provide your warm-season and exotic plants with a much warmer environment.
However, you’ll need to fully understand the unique conditions that each of your plants requires in order to thrive. Thankfully, greenhouse gardening allows you to control the environment so that you can produce the harvest that you’ve been hoping to reap.
You can create the best growing environment
As previously mentioned, greenhouse gardening makes it easier for you to create the ideal growing environment for your vegetables, herbs, or flowers. Since the enclosure allows you to control the amount of light, shade, and moisture that your plants need, your chances of producing a bountiful harvest are greater than those who do traditional outdoor gardening.
Did you know that a ladybug is capable of eating about 5,000 aphids within its lifetime? You can keep the ladybugs, bumblebees, and other insects that are beneficial to your plants inside the greenhouse while you keep plant killers such as moles, squirrels, deer, aphids, and caterpillars outside.
You can save energy
One of the best ways to go green is to set up your own greenhouse. Greenhouse gardening allows you to recycle water through a feedwater solution that addresses multiple growing cycles as it is circulated throughout the enclosure.
Furthermore, you can also choose to use a special boiler system that works to expel CO² while it maintains the optimal temperature inside the enclosure. The CO² that was expelled from the system will be used as a natural fertilizer that nourishes the growing plants.
Lastly, since greenhouse gardening allows you to keep beneficial insects inside, you can reduce the need for harmful chemicals, as well as pesticides.
Greenhouse Gardening and Knowing When to Plant Flowers in Southern California
Now that you know when to plant flowers in Southern California, perhaps you’re seriously thinking about giving greenhouse gardening a shot. If you’re looking to find a high-quality greenhouse that’s made from strong and durable materials, look no further than Krostrade. Call us now to learn more about the products and services that we offer.