i have a bunch of free loaders ... self sown ... maybe a couple thousand .... they are allowed to progress thru there natural progression.. to seed out for next years posse ... within 2 weeks.. i will be tearing them all out ... its just not worth picking single flowers.. nor hair cutting ... they have pleased me wildly with that blue color.. plus some of the genetic throwbacks of pink and purple .... but the issue of the original post is whether to go plant them in july ... i say no ... you will harm them a week before their prime show .... and i doubt they will recover ... you dont transplant things.. when the flowers are just getting ready to burst out .... that is my point ... the NATURAL show is just to short .... ken PS: EVERYTHING can be deadheaded.. to prolong the show ... but on some plants.. it just isnt worthwhile ... and in my yard.. these arent .... but that surely doesnt mean.. that is how you will prefer to do it .... find out for yourself ...

It is a very tough plant and does tolerably well with dry conditions (our summers are hot and dry, though probably nothing like yours!). It reseeds, but not in a pesky sort of way. The flowers are large and quite lovely, though don't last terribly long. It is not a personal favorite of mine, since it looks rather scruffy after blooming and doesn't send up very much new growth even if cut back to the ground (that is my experience anyhow). Might not be a bad idea to plant it more toward the middle of the border instead of up front, where it is more noticeable in its less-than-attractive times ;-) CMK

I have grown them for at least 10 years with huge success sowing Spring and late Summer. They are now on their own sowing themselves with wild abandon, which results in an ocean of blue and pink flowers June and July. Not invasive, easy to weed out if necessry, but generous resowers. The best part besides heavy flower display is the green they provide all Winter. My garden is full of them as we speak. The basal rosette of leaves stays about 6 inches long all winter, which gives them a headstart for faster bloom than those sown in Spring, but still good for a longer show to sow in Spring too. The seeds are so easy to harvest for sharing and saving. And the bouquets! It's a winner.

transplant shock. Uaually you seed these things direct in the soil. So if these don't recover within a day or two, it's probably not going to recover at all. So best to sprinkle new seeds now and you will soon have more up. I can understand the need to start the seeds indoors when you are in a zone 4, so perhaps next time over, use those compostable pots so you can transplant the plants with minimal damage. All you will need to do is tear off the bottom of the pot. I must say though that peat pots or newspaper pots are so susceptible to molds that I personally hate using them. Instead there are now those corn pots or coconut husk pots that could minimize the mold issue. another alternative - is a take on wintersowing. Instead though you plant the seeds in late fall direct in the soil, top it with the top half of a pop bottle and leave them there thru winter. When it starts to germinate - you can remove the 'dome'. Ianna