Not sure if I'll phrase this correctly but here goes.

True annuals germinate, grow, flower, set seed and die.

They drive to flower, to set seed. Once they've produced seed their job is done and they have only to die.

Some tender perennials that those of us grow in colder climates "as annuals" are still perennials because they will not "die" after flowering/setting seed but continue to live in their appropriate warmer climate. They will die above and below ground in zones where they are not hardy but because they aren't hardy enough to stand cold weather not because they aren't perennial.

Self-sowing annuals can seem perennial since new seedlings may come up each year and give the appearance that the same plants are returning in a particular garden place.

Hope that helps.

hello and welcome!
first, check out the FAQ at the top of this forum...there are lists of flowers you can w/s and lots of great information..

yes, annuals will bloom the first year- some will reseed each year like Balsam and Celosia and Amaranth...

I have lots of seed to share if you want to send me a bubble envelope and 2 stamps (in the FAQ too!)-
I will send you some seed to w/s and you can experiment and have fun..

just let me know
best wishes,
Linda

Speaking of annuals and wintersowing, do most annuals that can be wintersown need to be sown in like March in my zone? I've looked at all the lists of seeds and the charts on wintersowing.com but it seems like any annual that can be wintersown, is not sown in January/February but in March/April.

Hi, laagarden, welcome to wintersowing! I'm responding to your questions from here, as well as the other post you made, because everything is tied together. Bookjunky has an answer in here too.

Almost all of us wintersowers do at least some annuals in addition to perennials.

Given the right growing conditions (sun or shade, enough water), an annual will give flowers the first year. They do need time to get to blooming size. When we buy annuals, many of them are started on January 1st in a greenhouse.

So, you can fill your yard with blooming annuals, but you won't have instant color on May 15th unless you buy a few blooming greenhouse annuals to enjoy while your wintersown babies catch up.

There are some annuals that bloom nice and early though, they are Larkspur, annual poppies, and Bachelor Buttons (centaurea cyanus). All of these can be purple, blue-purple, or lavender. I think there are orange annual poppies, too. These 3 early annuals are HARDY annuals, meaning that frost doesn't bother them at all. But they'll die after one summer of flowering and making seed, so they're an annual. Larkspur will often sprout right now and slowly grow through the winter. You could sow all 3 of these right now if you wish. Some people wait until the middle of winter to sow poppies, and some wintersow them in containers and plant them out when they're tiny.

Some people do sow seeds on the ground and then cover with a mini-greenhouse. It's more typical to use something larger than a jug, but you can do that too. At the bottom of the main WS page, there's a bar for searching. Search for a thread called "winter sowing in situ" which talks about this. Pitimpinai does poppies, I know for sure.

Most annuals or tender perennials that we grow are native to tropical areas. They "think" a warm spell means it's spring. They'll sprout, then the warm spell will end and they'll die from the cold. Last year I direct-sowed some annual seeds when it got cold, then we had a late-November warm spell like kcqrna described, and I had 20 4 O'clock seedlings pop up and then die. In any group of seeds, there are ones who sprout at the first sign of good conditions, and some that sprout later. Some people just sow heavily, and rely on the late-sprouters to stay dormant during a warm spell. They will get some sprouts in warm spells that die, but will still get some sprouts in true spring. (however, I didn't have any 4 O'clocks come Spring)

A big rule for wintersowing: throw the screw-cap away. You need ventilation. Now you have it!

Zinnias are great for easy color, and you can do those in orange or purple or both. They are quite tender. How much sun do you have, what's your soil like, and what heights do you you want? We can recommend some annuals for you, and some perennials in addition to what karendee suggested.

stage_rat,

Thanks for the info -- so helpful.

I have full sun for my purple garden and places for tall and low flowers.

I have full sun for my orange garden and places for tall and low flowers.

This will be the first year for both gardens, so I really need to winter sow for fill ins.

"Larkspur, annual poppies, and Bachelor Buttons (centaurea cyanus)": I'm guessing by the way you explained that I can put seeds right into the ground. We have a place called SIDS and I hope they have the seeds.

Where do you order from?

Thanks so much for these 3 flower suggestions -- I'm very excited to try this out.

bookjunky...I sow annuals begining right after the first of the year- the only ones I wait on until March/April are the heat loving annuals...zinnia, sunflower, marigolds in my case

laagarden- I have tons of seed to share if you want to send me a bubble envelope-many w/s started this way, and it's so much fun to get seeds from fellow gardeners all over the states-anyone else want to try? send me an email...

Linda

hi book-
One thing to clarify that "wintersowing" is a method, not necessarily a "calendar-when."

The lists that are available for seeds that can be wintersown include tender annuals, which (here in NH's corner of Zone 5) are sown closer to spring than what is still "the dead of winter" here.
In a warmer zone, the timing may, in fact, be closer to what we here think of as "dead of winter," since obviously the earth's orbit gives those zones about a 2-4 week head start because they have a little advantage of the temperatures breaking a little sooner than us. Still, "dates" don't apply so much as "when will the temperatures HERE IN MY ZONE be warm enough to sustain my tender annual sprouts?"
The "method" works for all; timing may or may not be significant in your zone depending on what seed you're looking at. The key is that the seed-"ling" may be too tender to withstand an earlier sowing, thus, "tender annuals" will be sown at a time that is conducive to the seedLING having appropriate temperatures to survive.
Clear as mud? LOL!

for the most part, it's all "Winter" sowing...if you're considering the big picture of "Winter Solstice through Spring Equinox," (with a few stragglers depending on what you're sowing and in what zone you're sowing them), but there *is* Spring & Summer sowing using the same method- see the FAQs for more clarification.

"Timing" within "Winter" is the deciding factor for tenders, and I think that was your question.

Can you wintersow tender annuals early (thinking towards the end of "dead of winter") when frosts are decreasing, and try to bring those jugs in on the very cold nights, or cover them with blankets on the cold nights? I know that's more work, and wntersowing is famous because it's NOT work, but I'm wondering if a few annuals can get a head start that way. Early flowering is a nice attribute of nursery annuals. Would like some early color without the nursery fees!

Deanna

I bring nothing in. Ever. I *cover* nothing. Ever (in the sense you describe)

If we are expecting a *freak* frost, I might put the lids back on anything that has been already uncovered (just for the night), but have finally figured out that once the covers are off (night-time temps hovering around 42/43 consistently), they are on their own (I live by the weather channel during WSing, btw), and they don't need the whole on/off gyrations that I used to do when I first started. (Thanks, Bakemom!) It's that whole 'leap of faith' thing finally kicking in, I think.

I have pushed the envelope as far as the 3rd week in March for my tender annuals, but typically do them closer to April 1st.

Hmmm I'm adding my personal experience but many hardy annuals can be sown in the dead of winter. I especially recommend calendula's for orange. I was just saying on another post that I have successfully sown dianthus, calendula, nicandra, poppies, alyssum, viola's and pansies and petunia's in feb.
Any annual that you know to reseed in your area is worth looking into. Although some are still frost tender you can usually find out here which are and are not.
For example I cannot put marigolds, cosmos, morning glories or four o clocks out before frost is gone. I do get the occasional volunteer of these but waiting is best.