I have never seen birds eat the leaves either. You probably would only need the net over the leaves until they mature. Maybe they taste good to them because they are young tender leaves.

Rodja, I did not like Blue Paradise because of its floppiness here(I live near the North Sea- very windy) I'm kind of "allergic" to floppiness. Phlox Blaue Morgen has an identical colour but stands up much better(although not perfect to begin with). The best standing of the "blue" ones is Boguslaw's Blaue(from Germany). This one is storm-proof. The general rule here in Europe is , that English varieties of phloxes have bigger flowers, but German ones are more practical (healthier and less flopping). It applies also to Delphiniums, Heleniums and Asters. This post was edited by wieslaw59 on Sun, May 19, 13 at 10:13

Yes I would transplant them into individual pots with good drainage holes now and then sink them pot and all into the ground later. Leave only about 1/4 inch of the pot showing. Do this when you would plant tulips in your area. Give them a good mulch (i use dry leaves)but leave the top of the plant showing. Then in spring you can dig up the pots and plant the seedlings where you want them. Look for a bit of a sheltered area where there is good snow cover to put the pots to give the plants the best chance of survival. I have done this many times and usually the plants do fine

Ladyrose, I think the Magic Fountains are much easier and more forgiving regarding temperature and humidity than the more traditional (i.e. full size) delphs. I have also had good luck with Connecticut Yankee, too. I also have Pacific Giants in different colors. I don't think I have tried the Belladona Mix, but I regularly plant about seven or eight different types delph seeds. Based purely on anecdote and personal experience, the delphs I have winter sowed have always done better than the delphs I used to buy at a nursery. I don't know if it is because they spend all of their growing time in my soil and climate or what. I hope you have the same experience with your delphs. In addition, I can easily grow 60 delphs from seed for $3, and if only 30 make it that is much better than a single $14 delph plant from a nursery that dies in a year. I have more delphs than I can handle in my yard. I give them away and grow them every year. They are by far one of my most favorite plants and one of the reasons I love winter sowing so much. cheers, Norabelle