🌸 Flowers & Hanging Baskets
🧺 Hanging Baskets & Annuals
SunPatiens, Beacon impatiens, Wave and Supertunia petunias and geraniums.
• Zone: Annuals — tender to frost. Plant or hang outdoors after the last frost (about mid-May in Perrysburg), and bring baskets in if a late frost is forecast.
• Sun: SunPatiens, petunias and geraniums: full sun. Beacon impatiens: part shade.
• Water: Hanging baskets dry out fast — check daily in summer and water until it drains; on hot, windy days they may need it twice. Lift the basket: light means thirsty.
• Fertilizer: Water-soluble flower fertilizer every 7–14 days, or slow-release granules at planting, repeated every 2–3 months per the label. Baskets run out of food by midsummer without it.
• Grooming: Pinch off spent geranium blooms. If petunias get leggy in July, trim them back by one-third — they’ll regrow in two weeks.
• Winter care: Geraniums can come inside to a sunny window for winter. The rest are best enjoyed for one season.
• Pests: Aphids, and budworms on petunias and geraniums. Beacon impatiens resist downy mildew.
💐 Cut Flowers
Zinnias, cosmos, celosia and gomphrena (globe amaranth) — the varieties we grew are listed on our Plants page.
• Zone: Warm-season annuals. Plant after the last frost, about mid-May.
• Sun: Full sun, 8+ hours.
• Water: Water at the base in the morning to keep leaves dry and prevent powdery mildew.
• Fertilizer: Light feeding only. Too much nitrogen gives leaves instead of flowers — especially with cosmos.
• Pinching: Pinch zinnias and cosmos when they reach about 12 inches for more, longer stems.
• Harvest: Cut in the cool of the morning. Zinnias: when the stem is stiff right under the flower (the “wiggle test”). Cosmos: as buds start to open. Celosia: when the plume is fully formed. Gomphrena: when the globes are full. The more you cut, the more they bloom.
• In the vase: Recut stems at an angle, strip leaves below the waterline, use clean water and change it every two days.
• Pests: Japanese beetles (hand-pick into soapy water) and powdery mildew late in the season (good spacing and airflow help).
🌼 Fall Mums
Garden mums for fall color.
• Zone: 5–9. Treat late-season mums as fall annuals, or plant them in the ground by mid-September to give them a chance to come back.
• Sun & water: Full sun. Mums in pots dry out fast — check daily and water at the base.
• Winter care: Leave the dead stems standing over winter and mulch around the base after the ground freezes; cut back in spring.
• Next year: Pinch the tips every few weeks until early July for a bushy, full mound of fall flowers.
📖 Plant Care Guides — 5 parts
1. Zone Finder & Storage
2. Citrus & Tropicals
3. Trees, Shrubs & Perennials
4. Flowers & Hanging Baskets (you are here)
5. Vegetables, Herbs & Garlic
🐞 For a full pest and disease guide and our Zone 6b planting calendar, see our Garden Guides.
🧼 Wash all produce before eating, and read our Food Safety & Disclaimers.
❓ Questions? Email info@poeslittlefarm.com or text “Poe’s” and your question to 419-349-8242 (texting hours Mon–Fri 9 am–5 pm, Sat 10 am–3 pm) — we’re happy to help.