>"Make sure I get this straight, with Kentucky blue grass planted in the fall and only grown an inch. It considered mature when it goes through winter and that would allow me to apply weed killer." Yes. >"what type of weed killer should I use? Weed-bgone? I also have a lot of broad leaf weeds, would 2 4-d be ok on a lawn that was planted in fall?" Yes, 2,4D is fine now ... but know that 2,4D is not the cat's meow for every weed. Look at labels and purchase a combination of 2,4D with Triclopyr or 2,4D & Quinclorac for better weed coverage. >"should I apply a fertilizer with weed control?" No. Fertilizing and weed control is two separate operations with different timing needs. When it is time to fertilize (after a real mowing) - then fertilize. If it is time to kill weeds (like now) then kill weeds >"I don't want to kill my grass because I'm not patient enough." Then don't fight mother nature. Allow the grass to wake up naturally when it's good and ready. Your lawn knows no calendar. Once the spring 'growth flush' begins, as soil temps rise, you will be mowing twice a week - guaranteed! It is then that you begin feeding. In the case of a newly renovated lawn, you can "spoon feed" your lawn this spring. This means - half the bag rate of synthetic fertilizer, applied twice as often. This keeps the young lawn, like a child, constantly fed. Utah has crazy weather, so once it warms up and summer conditions begin, STOP the synthetic fertilizer until fall. During the summer, drop something organic for a slower, more gentle constant feeding. Milorganite would be perfect for this time.

I'm glad you said that MeMo -- We are out of cups and every other little container, too. All - I have been thinking about what kind of contraption I could make that would help me dry the seeds before I pack them. What I would like is to have something totally open on the top where I could continually drop seedpods to finish ripening and drying. Then I could clean a certain kind all at once. I need some mesh yogurt cups. Or little cardboard boxes with coffee filters inside of them (I hate losing all those seeds in the seams of bags and boxes.) I have a bunch of bitty sacks...what kind of box could I put them in to hold them stable I case I overload with snapdragon stems or something? I don't mind cleaning them if I can sit down and do one kind all at once, then bag them. But I like things neat and tidy and things are increasingly perched here and there where I can't find what I need. Just thinking out loud, but if anybody has a seed drying shelf or anything, I'd love to hear about it! Lime

I have all the plants you mentioned, except the bw, and none have blooms yet. Everything has been on schedule for me so far, even with the amazing amount of rain. Maybe you have some kind of micro-climate going on, putting you into a zone 6. I'm about 20 miles west of Chicago, so not too far from you.

Scarlet sage (Salvia Coccinea) should still bloom from seed by fall, they germinate quickly, but take some time to get going on clay. They're not 100% perennial in zone 8a, but a lot can eventually return depending on mulch/weather and they do self seed well. They bloom from now until frost, but best show for us has been in early fall. Your spot sounds good because they seem to appreciate a little shade. We've been happy using them as a temporary ground cover in the open spots while the shrubs grown in. Here is a link that might be useful: Salvia coccinea at wildflower.org