Winter Annuals: Fast Color for Cool-Season Gardens

Annuals are winter's "hot rodders"—completing their life cycle in one season, they outpace perennials when cool temperatures slow everything else. In the Southland, they're the natural choice for cold-month color.

Seed-Starting: Cheap, Satisfying, Still Time

• Packet seeds: ~$0.10 for most varieties—only garden cost that hasn't skyrocketed
• Start indoors (garage works) for heat boost
• Use nursery flats (18×18 in, ~2 in deep)
• Sift soil; leave ¼ in below rim to prevent overflow
• Press tiny seeds in; larger seeds at ~3× diameter depth
• Water from below (capillary action) preferred over overhead

Germination Essentials

Three non-negotiables: temperature, moisture, oxygen. Firm seed-soil contact critical—without it, moisture doesn't transfer, causing low germination.

Transplanting Protocol

• Prick out before overcrowding; shift to same-size flats with more space (~100/flat)
• Harden off: reduce water, gradually expose to outdoor conditions
• Transplant on cloudy days; keep soil on roots; water thoroughly

Top Winter Annuals for Long Beach

African Daisies (Arctotis)

• Thrive in cool months; bloom when others don't
• Dual purpose: garden + long-lasting cut flowers
• Bright colors pop against gray skies
• New hybrids: orange, yellow, terra cotta, salmon, carmine; 1 ft tall, 3-in flowers

Arctotis grandis

White with steel-blue reverse; bushy, 2.5 ft.

Dimorphotheca

White, salmon, orange shades. Don't confuse with perennial D. elkonis (resembles A. grandis).

Start seeds now for a winter garden that refuses to hibernate.