Gardening: Spring Flowers in Cary

Cary, NC – As the COVID-19 lock down stretches into it’s fifth week, a sure sign of spring is on the horizon: Cary’s Frost-Free Date, when it’s safe to start planting summer flowers.

Frost-Free Date

In the Triangle, April 11 is the average frost-free date, according to the NCSU Extension.

After the Frost Date, it’s safe to start planting summer crops, flowers, fruits and vegetables. This is an important date for farmers and landscapers, but also for gardeners in Cary.

A look at the weather shows a temperature range from 73° – 47° over the next ten days. No frost in sight.

Flowers to Plant Now

Lots of annual flowers like to grow roots in the cool of spring, so now is a good time to get them into the ground or a container. Here’s a short list:

Geraniums – Partial sun. Large flowers with velvety leaves. Blooms until autumn.
Marigolds – Full sun. Lush ground cover, profusion of orange blooms until autumn.
Petunias – Sun to partial sun. Lots of stunning hybrids like Supertunia in colors from violet to red, pink and white. Best as a trailing plant.
Begonias – Partial shade to shade. Upright plant with small, colorful flowers in red with white or yellow and small, tropical leaves. Puts up a tall lavender spike in autumn.
Superbells – Sun to partial shade. Endless profusion of colorful blooms in hanging pots. Latin name Calibrachoa.
Gerbera Daisies – Likes full sun. Also know as Transvaal or South African Daisy. Puts out large, daisy-like flowers in saturated tones of red and yellow. Blooms until fall.
Impatiens – Shade to partial shade. Small plants with colorful white and purple flowers for a shady spot.
New Guinea Impatiens – Partial sun to sun. A third bigger than their non-tropical cousins, New Guinea Impatiens are also a riot of bright colors.
Coleus – Likes full to partial shade. Upright tropical with large bright leaves in wild colors from lime to magenta. Great in a shady bed or planter for some height (up to 24″).