I use a plastic shelving unit from my shed turned on its side to keep them all together in mid feb. I cover this shelving unit with a 10 by 10 sheet of plastic and then put out tender annuals and tomatoe plants and pepper plants..I use styrofoam cups for these..I feel the styrofoam cups lets the heated up soil from the daytime dissipate the heat more slowly at nite..(just my theory.)It worked well for me last year..TomVa

Just yesterday I discovered that what I planted out last year as a Stokes Aster is some weed/wildflower that lives in the woods behind my house. Sigh. At least you didn't plant yours out!

Hi! Thanks for the comments everyone. It was so exciting to see the flowers bloom. I planted out way too late this year (June!) and everything still went fine. I am still getting new blooms! The zinnias are indeed Burpee Cut & Come Again. I picked them up at the hardware store. I will always grow these now! They were my hands down favorite and I will be sowing more for other areas next year. The white phlox came out of (i think) a mix called Watercolor Phlox. Paulan, I think you're talking about Convulvulus Blue Enchantement (Also Burpee from the hardware store) on the bottom corner. I will do a lot of things differently next year. I made some poor planning decisions -- like the columbine that grew really tall in the front of the border. Those will bloom next year, along with a currently invisible row of Hollyhocks and some Sweet William. Also, I think I will place my nasturtiums in a separate bed next year where they can take over the world all they please. Oh, and I have to put my Cosmos somewhere they will be ignored. I only got a few blooms in my well composted and watered main bed. I have truly been bitten by the bug, though! I'm planning to buy online next year too...anyone else already planning their new beds? :D

sounds like the trade was a success