Yes, Ken. I didn't used to clean much of anything until spring when I was in OH. There's not really a time when there's nothing going on here, and totally agree, the lack of snow makes visibly ugly spots much more, well, ugly. Rhizo, don't you compost your annuals anyway? Do you have a reliably hot pile? If not, I wouldn't think it would make much difference where they rot, in regard to killing bugs/pathogens, especially if none were in evidence on the plants when frost took them. Is there something else I should know? Rosie, I don't know if diluting is as much of an issue as getting a quantity of responses to such a "buried" question. Nothing wrong with a new discussion! Most of the leaves in this yard are some kind of oak and when mixed with grass in the mower bag, they are well decomposed in a few months. The first year I "leafed" the beds, the leaves did take longer to decompose, but the past couple years have been remarkably different, as if whatever chemical reaction or microscopic critters that decompose oak leaves are now in those areas in much higher numbers or concentrations. The increase in organic matter in the soil in general seems to help keep everything more moist, or more accurately, to take longer to dry out. I also filled a washtub with nothing but leaves/grass from the mower last fall and it's my best one this year (there are 3, all with a mix of Coleus, Persian shield, Perilla.)

Well for a more courteous answer, LOL. Here in zone 7 my little neighbor that has beautiful poppies each and every year says to direct sow them in February. So for you in zone 9 I would say if you are wanting the blooms in the spring you could probably direct sow yours in January or still even in February. Also how she recommends direct sowing them is by tossing them on the ground where ever you are wanting them then lightly press. Now I will also mention her area is amended so she isn't just tossing them on bare dirt. If you were to go by the guidelines stated above it would make no sense, each plant has various germination rates. Various time from germination to bloom. Not all plants are the same.

Hi jaggu, yes I use cups of assorted sizes, from 8-16 oz generally, line them up in plastic boxes right against the foundation. The edge of the house will be warmer than the surrounding landscape. This is true all around the house, but especially where the foundation is exposed to the sun. The heat retained by the concrete will keep the containers warmer. We've had April frosts that has put a nice little frosty coating on my hardy sprouts out under the shrubbery (perennials, etc) but the tender sprouts up against the house weren't touched at all! If you put the seedlings in a warm sunny spot they will dry out much faster, plus be careful not to fry them. Here's a pic:

Orange Cosmos From Backyard Summer 2009 Another orange cosmos In full sun and good rich soil they get very tall and huge, I wish I had a picture of one of them "orange cosmos trees" :) From Backyard Summer 2009 Annual Phlox This year I have whites, and different shades of pink. I originally moved a few plants we found growing along a road (when in season, you will see masses of them near highways). The plants flowered and disappeared..And for a few years now, they reseed and bloom in large clumps From Backyard Summer 2009 From Backyard Spring 2009 Salvia Same thing, reseeds. I recieved one plant at a swap two years ago and since then, my yard is covered in them :) They are nice plants to have, I really like them - and they do live for more that a year it seems. From Backyard Summer 2009 Blanket flower Same story, found a plant growing by a road, moved it to my yard and now I have masses of them. They tolerate draught and lots of sun, and poor soils - but boy do they love good soil. In my rose garden, I have to weed them out so they do not eat the roses! The plant gets big AND the flowers are much larger in diameter From Backyard Summer 2009 I do not have a picture of Alyssum . It likes colder weather, or at least does not like the heat as much. It is very popular in Russia in the summer, so very different climate there! In the cooler months, it grows really well, so I would start seeds around that time. Same goes for Calendulas and the pink and white cosmos, they seem to like less heat Marigolds, I start whenever :) They reseed once they are done Here is a picture of Salvia (perennial) with marigolds From Backyard Spring 2009