Are there any flowers I can plant outside in April for some extra spring color?

By Keith Funk

A:  Yes. There are several cold-tolerant annuals and perennials that will flower beautifully during our cool/cold spring weather. Violas, pansies, stock, wallflowers, snapdragons, brunnera, hellebores, creeping phlox and alyssum will easily tolerate light frost and even snow. If the plants are purchased from inside a warm greenhouse, be sure to gradually acclimate (harden off) your new babies to outdoor conditions before planting them. Garden centers often keep these durable plants in an outdoor sales area so they can be planted out right away.  

Keith Funk is handling our Q & A this year. You may have visited one of Keith’s Denver area gardens on a tour or know him from his years at Echter’s and now at Nick’s Garden Center. For 30 years he’s been heard every Saturday morning from 7-9 with fellow Wise Guy, Jim Borland, on the Garden Wise Radio Show on Legends 810AM.