My season has been a roller coaster so far for sure!!!!

My budget got cut completely, my flowers were considered non essential so all orders for annuals were canceled, then my budget got restored (two weeks after I normally would have been FINISHED planting annuals).

I explained that there was no way we were going to be able to fully plant our 2020 plan and we'd have to focus on high value/visibility beds only. I thought I was done planting annuals last week but just heard that we may be planting more, possibly even through July.

My question to our grand community (thank you for your patience with my mini rant) is... When would you consider it too late to plant annuals?

Do you feel there is an actual date you wouldn't plant past?

Do you feel there are diminishing returns but accept that the late planted annuals will be smaller and still think they're worth it?

Do you say, "damn the torpedoes, I'll plan annuals until I have have to chip a hole in the ground!"?

DenverDaisy, what usda zone are you in, and what city. If you are actually in Denver, your growing season should end near Sept 30, or with luck in mid Oct. If not lucky, you can have a cold front and snow in early Sept. When living 26 miles SE of Denver, I would start cherry tomato plants in mid-May but was always ready to bring them inside if a cold front came in--if I planted them later, a cold night would hinder ripening. My experiences are colored by living at an altitude of 6,440 ft. Leaves on my deciduous trees started about 2 weeks after those in the lower altitude of Denver.
If you are growing flowers by seed or plants, I would get them in the ground now. I would place them on the south side of the house, or where they can get heat. My feeling is that 2+ months (Aug, Sept, and hopefully Oct) of flowers is worth the gamble on cold fronts.

October, lol. If I have space, I will buy something to put in it,
Just to clarify, you're talking about flowing annuals, not crops, right?

if your planting annuals late, your options are to buy bigger/more mature plants, Buy nursery packs and crowd them In bunches of 3-4 for immediate impact, Or just be patient and enjoy watching them get big.

I buy things and plant them in August and September to have a pretty fall garden. They're usually mums and asters but what ever the nurseries offer in the fall I'll try. By August a lot of the things I bought in May are starting to look ratty anyway so I replenish with fresh things. And I ALWAYS plant my annuals real close together. This stuff about leaving them 8 to 12 inches apart so they can grow is nonsense. They NEVER get that big, lol! So I pack them in and it looks full and lush right from the get go.

October, lol. If I have space, I will buy something to put in it,
Just to clarify, you're talking about flowing annuals, not crops, right?

if your planting annuals late, your options are to buy bigger/more mature plants, Buy nursery packs and crowd them In bunches of 3-4 for immediate impact (what I would do), Or just be patient and enjoy watching them get big.

When the weather changes to cooler Temps and shorter days generally in fall will signal annuals- An's shut down. Trying to time the length of time left is a guess due to the Denver weather is always a surprise. An's and some Per's need warm soil temps and light 8-10 hours daily to perform at their peak. Usually when nite temps are 45 degrees or below at night in autumn in your area not warm enough for annuals. They will begin to mildew...Of course in Denver the weather is always a question of what's happening with the summer monsoons, hail storms and short summer temps Pop up in in nov and dec. fooling plants it's summer.

I would plant now or at least within the next week or two. There is a lot of time left for them to grow and fill out and enjoy in the garden. I would not plant warm weather plants past late aug unless the plants are cold hardy in your zone. There are many cold weather plants that can be planted in sept thru oct. you can plant a lovely autumn garden will hold up till first freeze.

Bumplbea, I agree with your post. However, DenverDaisey has not informed us if she is actually in Denver. She may be in Miami, Adak, or London. Hopefully she will post her local.

Same applies to night and days temps apply anywhere no matter where the zone. Soil temps and other factors mentioned take presendent. In this case the reasoning why temps and day light was a preferred status for planting in any zone. Day light and lack of it applies to the growth stages of all plants in the garden. Denver is used as a model only when referring to weather anomalies.

I'll keep my fingers cross on this one.

I think original poster made it pretty clear it's late (traditionally) for her zone, and it sound like she (he, them) are in a corporate park or other public site.

Paula you pretty well cut to the heart of my minor melt down, thank you.

I work for a large age restricted community (read that as a VERY difficult population to serve) who often want (demand?!?) what they want without understanding how to get there.

After eliminating my budget at the beginning of the pandemic lock down (totally understandable despite my recommendation that we should keep to our annuals plan) then jumping to hyper speed three weeks after seeing every other community in the area had planted their annuals... I was feeling a little stressed.

Initially I was looking for some backup in case I was going to try dissuading them but as I processed everything I felt better just going with the flow and thinking more along the lines of "sure, lets see what we can do".

Sometimes being told to do something you would never choose to do shows you that more is possible than you thought.

Thanks everyone!
DD

p.s. I haven't heard anything since the initial rumblings and have been busy keeping my head down and my mouth shut about it! So far, so good!

I would like to suggest as annuals; marigolds and zinnias as they grow fast, and alyssum, snapdragons, larkspur, and perhaps pansy plants as these are cooler weather plants. Here in zone 7b, our snapdragons actually make it through the winter.