As I strolled through our local nursery the other day to pick out some flowers for one of our great clients, I was overwhelmed with a heavenly smell!

Take Time to Smell The Roses

My nose is old but I could still get a whiff the amazing smell of thousands of Pansies growing happily and ready to be planted in your yard!

Rainbows of colors hit your eyes met with a sweet flora aroma. I recommend spending time at your local nursery. It’s a great stress reliever and helps you put your life in perspective.

Do What You Love

While walking around I was also able to speak with Dalton, the owner and operator of the flower nursery. While I was there I asked him what the best keep secret was in fall flowers.

“I grew up around this. Planting and growing beautiful flowers. When people asked me what I would do when I I grew up, I would tell everyone that I would never take over the my dad’s Nursery. Look at me now! It’s in my blood, I just couldn’t help it! I love the beauty of the sights and smells that surround me. I love what I do.”

Dalton Owner and Operator of a local Nursery

This is why we choose to partner with folks that are as passionate about landscaping as we are. Dalton’s family owned Nursery is second to none. They grow the best looking flowers in the area.

From Seed to Plant

I grew up farming out in West Texas and have spent a great deal of time outside and behind the wheel of a tractor. There is nothing like the smell of a freshly plowed field. Yes, dirt has a smell.

We would till the soil and prepare if for planting. As a kid I can remember the great anticipation of seeing what would come up after we planted. From a child’s perspective it can seem to take forever.

After about a week or so I can remember checking on the fields in the truck at sunrise to see if there was any activity.

Sunrise was the best time to look across and see the lines of green, contrasting with the brown earth. We would be very grateful and excited the first day we could drive by the crop and “row it”.

This meant you could make out the full line of the green from start to finish in a nice neat line. This was the first sign of a successful year.

Seed vs. Plant

If you are not very patient, like the young Matt in my story above, than I have the perfect solution for you! Annual flowers are started at the nursery by seed months before the are ready.

They farm rows and rows of colorful flowers, feeding and watering them at the optimal times so they will be perfect for your North Texas yard. They have done the hard work of cultivating these great looking flowers for you.

You can grow many annuals by seed an or bulb, but timing is everything. Unless you really “geek” out on it and become an expert nerd about it, it is difficult to do. This is why we all love annuals. Someone else has done all the hard work and we get to reap the benefits of their efforts.

Annual Flowers in North Texas

Typically we have two seasonal planting times for annual color. We typically install flowers in October that will last until April. In April we will install our summer varieties that will last in the heat and go until October.

We can also get three seasons of color by installing in October, replacing flowers in March, installing flowers in May that will run until the Fall. This gives you the best looking color for the year.

When we replace the old flowers with the new ones. We will be pulling them up when they are pretty and healthy. We do this so they will be hardened off and set up for the up coming season. We have found this to yield the greatest results with the greatest consistency over time.

Annuals to Consider for the Fall

When it comes to planting annuals some of the most common choices for the Fall are:

  • Pansies
  • Violas
  • Cabbage
  • Kale
  • Swiss Chard

The month of October is our preferred time of year to plant fall annuals.

Placement

Placement, grouping and flower selection are key. We recommend creating “islands of color”. Group all the color in specific areas. Creating depth of color that will stand out from the end of your street. Many people want to spread out the color across the front of the bed. Please don’t do this. It is not the best look.

Think pops of color where your eye is drawn to. Left and right of the front door and near the garage driveway. Places you may walk by everyday.

When you walk by everyday you should look and think “That makes me happy!” When that happens someone has done their job! We want that to be us.

Here at Purple Care we go to great lengths to creating arrangements that you can row. Just like my story at the beginning, you should be able to look at annual flower beds and see rows and patterns, straight lines, and triangles.

We don’t just throw the flowers in the dirt, say a prayer, and hope for the best! We plan and calculate where each flower is going to go. We lay it all out and make sure it looks good.

Step back and look at it from a few angles, have a co-worker eyeball the area and then when we are in agreement we plant them in place.

We take each installation as a stand alone piece of art work. Each installation is different to fit your unique space. We take great pride in what we do.

We consider the way we install annual flowers our signature. If a landscaper takes time to take care of the small details of how the flowers line up, they must have an eye for detail and will stay on top of your landscaping. It also makes a statement about the homeowner as well.

By taking care of the little things it shows that you have your stuff together from top to bottom.

If you are wanting to add a color pop to your flowerbeds it’s not too late to call. We can plant cool season annuals for the next several months.

Please give us a call if you would like professional help with your annual plantings these season. We will be happy to send someone out with an eye for detail to create a welcoming and inviting home for your guest during the holidays.

We are happy to help you hand select a grouping of flowers catered to your needs. Just give the office a call if you need help with determining what the best annual color options for your house will be. We will be happy set you up on a biannual flower install so you don’t have to lift a finger and your flowers are always amazing.