Let’s Design A Patio Pot with Cold Tolerant Annuals

April 3, 2021 by Kimberly Snyder 29 Comments

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IT’S SPRINGTHYME IN THE GARDEN!!!

With some careful planning, beautiful blooming containers in the early Spring are possible! Here are 6 plants that work well in colder temps!

Let me show you how to design a beautiful springthyme patio pot with cold tolerant annuals.

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The USDA has the country divided into various growing zones based on the average annual minimum winter temperature, divided into 10-degree F zones. The zones range from 1a (Alaska) to 13 b (Puerto Rico). The zones help gardeners determine which plants are most likely to thrive in which locations. You can access the hardiness map here to get information about your growing zone. https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/

When I lived in Illinois and Ohio, I was living in the hardiness zone of 6a. I became more familiar with annuals that could be considered frost tolerant. They are also known as cold tolerant. This means that they are annual plants that can withstand light frosts and can normally be planted before the average frost-free date. If temperatures fall much below freezing or if the plants are exposed to hard frosts, some damage to flowers and foliage can occur. The frost-free date for Zone 6a is considered to be May 15th.

If the cold spell is going to last longer or be more than a light frost, you should either cover your plants with a sheet or if possible bring them into the garage or another place of shelter from the elements.

The potting bench pictured above used to sit outside my flower shop, Petals & Porch Posts. My entrepreneurial journey is highlighted here:

6 of my Favorite Cold Tolerant Annuals:

Snapdragons

Petunias

Dusty Miller

Dianthus

Dianthus & Pansies

Geraniums

How to Design a Patio Pot with Cold Tolerant Annuals

3 of My Favorite Cold Tolerant Annuals

For Spring, I decided to do a pink themed cold tolerant patio pot. In preparation, I added potting mix to a 12″ terra cotta pot that I had given a makeover with white Chalked paint.

When designing a patio pot, I try to use the thriller, spiller, filler technique. The thriller is the focal point. The spiller is a plant that will grow or spill over the edge and filler is the plant or plants that fills in the empty spots. For my pot, the petunias are actually filling both the filler and the spiller category.

In order to get a full look right away, I used quart sized containers of snapdragons and petunias. The dusty miller was in a 4-inch pot and I also used another annual called bacopa which is also spiller. Because I used larger plants to start with and I live in Florida, I will probably have to transplant this color pot into a larger pot in about a month.

I placed the snapdragon to the back of the container. Then I added the petunias to the front. These petunias are the Proven Winners Bubble Gum Vista petunias. To learn a little more about Proven Winners and their petunias, please check out this blog post.

After adding the dusty miller and the bacopa, I filled in around the plants with extra potting soil. To finish the color pot, I added sheet moss on top in order to help keep the moisture in.

The Early Spring Color Pot in the Garden

a pink themed patio pot with cold tolerant annuals

The light is so bright, you can barely see the rustic bunny peeking through the blossoms!

One of my very favorite things to do is to design combinations of blooming and green plants. When these combinations are for outdoors, they are called patio pots or color pots. If they are going to be used inside your home and they are left in their original containers and grouped together in a basket or similar type container, they are called European Dish Gardens. Here are some links to other blooming plant combinations I have designed.

Yellow Rose European Dish Garden to Brighten Your Day!

gardening in the tropics

Extreme Makeover Home Edition Philo, IL Sept 2009

An Easter Poinsettia?

A week or so after Christmas, I brought this Peach Glitter Poinsettia outside and placed it in the back of this extra-large pot of Diamond Frost. The poinsettia has done remarkably well outside! It was still going strong at Valentine’s Day and I wondered if it would make it to Easter! and it did! Now, I wouldn’t recommend doing this in zones lower than 10a but for those of you living in Florida, putting your poinsettias outside really extends their life!

Thanks for joining me today! Please scroll down and join me on the Garden Blog Hop for more garden inspiration!

Shopping links:

these are a smaller container than I used but the same color

Several of my blogger friends have joined together to bring you lots of garden inspiration!

Next on the tour is my friend, Leslie from Feet Under My Table. She has designed an amazing spring themed wreath to decorate her Spring Porch! Hop on over to her post using the link under the wreath picture and see her talents!

Kippi at Home // The House on Silverado // Sand Dollar Lane // Sonya Burgess

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My Family Thyme // Olivia O’Hern // Darling & Dapper Life // From Farmhouse to Florida