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Louisiana Landscape Guide: Colorful Cool-Season Plants for Sunny Areas

Jeb Fields, Edwards, Ashley, Thiessen, Maureen, Abdi, Damon, Stagg, Jason

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Cool-season annual plants provide some warmth to the landscape as temperatures drop, providing a spectrum of colors that can increase aesthetic appeal when many of our favorite plants go dormant. These sun-loving annuals prefer the cooler temperatures found from fall to spring, offering a range of colors to get you through the wintertime blues. These plants perform exceptionally well in winter when provided sun, although several of them have a tolerance for a little bit of shade. Make sure to enjoy these plants during the winter season, because come spring, the rising temperatures signal the end of their survival. Soak up that cool-season sun with this list of plants, as this selection is sure to brighten up your garden during the gray of winter.

Rows of orange flowers sit in a field.

Calendula: Calendula hybrid

Various cultivars; edible

  • Maintenance: Low
  • Form: Round
  • Zones: Annual
  • Exposure: Full sun
  • Soil: Well-drained

Single purple fllower emerges from a bush.

Columbine: Aquilegia hybrid

Various cultivars

  • Maintenance: Low
  • Form: Round
  • Zones: Annual
  • Exposure: Full to partial sun
  • Soil: Well-drained

Series of red flowers on several bushes.

Dianthus: Dianthus hybrid

Various cultivars

  • Maintenance: Low
  • Form: Round
  • Zones: Annual
  • Exposure: Full sun
  • Soil: Well-drained

Close-up of green bushes spread out in a landscape.

Dusty Miller: Jacobaea maritima

Various cultivars

  • Maintenance: Low
  • Form: Round
  • Zones: Annual
  • Exposure: Full sun
  • Soil: Well-drained

Wide view of blue flowers in the foreground and red and purple flowers in the background of a landscaped area.

Lobelia: Lobelia hybrid

Various cultivars

  • Maintenance: Low
  • Form: Round
  • Zones: Annual
  • Exposure: Full sun
  • Soil: Well-drained

Lilac-colored flowers on a bush.

Nemesia: Nemesia hybrid

Various cultivars

  • Maintenance: Low
  • Form: Round
  • Zones: Annual
  • Exposure: Full sun
  • Soil: Well-drained

Several kale bushes sit in a landscape.

Ornamental Brassica: Brassica sp.

Cabbage, kale, mustard varieties

  • Maintenance: Low
  • Form: Round
  • Zones: Annual
  • Exposure: Full sun
  • Soil: Well-drained

Small white flowers grow from a shrub.

Pansy: Viola hybrid

Various cultivars; edible

  • Maintenance: Low
  • Form: Round
  • Zones: Annual
  • Exposure: Full sun
  • Soil: Well-drained

Purple, white, and red flowers dot the landscape.

Petunia: Petunia hybrid

Various cultivars

  • Maintenance: Low
  • Form: Round
  • Zones: Annual
  • Exposure: Full sun
  • Soil: Well-drained

Lilac-colored flowers grow from a bush near a field.

Snapdragons: Antirrhinum hybrid

Various cultivars

  • Maintenance: Low
  • Form: Upright
  • Zones: Annual
  • Exposure: Full sun
  • Soil: Well-drained

Close-up of small, white flowers growing from shrubs.

Sweet Alyssum: Lobularia maritima

Various cultivars

  • Maintenance: Low
  • Form: Round
  • Zones: Annual
  • Exposure: Full sun
  • Soil: Well-drained

Purple, orange, and yellow flowers grow in a pot.

Viola: Viola hybrid

Various cultivars; edible

  • Maintenance: Low
  • Form: Round
  • Zones: Annual
  • Exposure: Full sun
  • Soil: Well-drained
4/17/2024 5:55:45 PM
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