I'm putting a link below to the wintersowing forum faq page. It is a slow time of year there, but many of us still check in occasionally. Regarding wind blown containers... normally it is not a problem for me even here by the windy city. If the containers are on the ground tightly arranged and have enough potting mix that is not dried out they won't blow over. There are tips on windy conditions if you search the wintersowing board. Regarding the mulch. It does help greatly with the weeds and soil moisture. But, it also breaks down and gets other debris mixed in that turns it into a good medium for weed seeds to germinate in the mulch itself. The good thing though is that it keeps the ground moist, so pulling weeds is much easier. You will have less weeds with mulch than just bare ground, but it won't be weed free and no maintenance I guess it what I was saying. If you have tightly spaced healthy desirable plants they will mostly out compete and shade out the weeds whether you have a thick layer of mulch or not. My ultimate goal is to not have to buy mulch. I am trying to leave as much plant debris in place as possible and just chop it up a bit. I rake leaves into the beds a few inches deep. If I could chop them up it would be better. I use grass clippings sometimes too. It is not too late to sow annuals that don't need cold in containers or directly now. Due to bad weather I am running late this year. I am going to direct sow some zinnias, sunflowers, cosmos, dill, and a few others this week. I know what all these seedlings look like so I am able to easily weed out anything else that pops up there. That is one of the keys to direct sowing because anytime you disturb the soil and keep it moist for your seeds to germinate you are also creating the ideal condition for weed seeds as well. Wet cardboard and newspaper does work pretty well for smothering existing growth too. Good luck and be sure to check out any newbie seed offers before you purchase more seed this winter. You'd be surprised what you can get. Having a "seeds wanted" list on your exchange page before joining any offers helps adopters/sponsors know what you are looking for too. I think there is an adopt a newbie thread on the seed exchange forum now. Here is a link that might be useful: http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/wtrsow/

The Dalmation series of Digitalis purpurea blooms in about 14 weeks from seed. Last year I used Dalmation Peach, which was beautiful. This year I'm growing Dalmation white with red spots. Dwarf Hollyhock series Queeny blooms the first year from seed and comes in several separate colors. I've grown the white and yellow; this year I'm using salmon. I should add that I don't wintersow either of these, but the Dalmation Digitalis is marketed as 100% first year flowering and it seems to be true, so you should get late first year blooms regardless. Alana

One issue that may be confusing some is that the USDA hardiness zones ONLY apply to winter low temperatures. Summer heat or humidity or annual rainfall, etc, have absolutely no association with these zones. The only zone one should care about is the lowest one listed....that is what determines if the plant will survive winter in your location. Any other zones are just an attempt by the grower to included factors into the equation that simply cannot be addressed by this zonal system nor were they ever intended to!! btw, just to emphasize this mistake, I am also in a zone 9 climate and common foxgloves have naturalized throughout my area and grow wild!! Zone 9 is not directly associated with summer heat.....only lack of severe winter cold . Period. If you have concerns about the plant's appropriateness for your location and you live on the west coast, then check out the Sunset Western Garden Book. Their zonal system is much broader and DOES take into consideration other factors. btw, all the plants you list are just fine for Sunset zone 18 :-) I would sow any of the seeds now and with the plants in question, direct sow in the garden rather than start indoors or in pots. And if by 'fairy wand' you mean Dierama pulcherrimum, that is normally started by corms, not seed.

I hope you get a LOT of answers to this question, because I'd like to know if there is anyting I shoud be doing, too! I have cosmos sulphureum aka 'Bright Lights' and moss roses, Feverfew and Cleome. I don't direct sow, it's just that once you have these 4, they will naturally go to seed and come up in the spring. The thing is, I'm not sure I should recommend sowing in fall with these. I have always* let a these go to seed and they come up, but not by the millions. I always have just enough. I would think that I would have millions and millions of plants based on the sheer numbers, but I don't, which leads me to think I get about 10-15% germination from them? I imagine some seeds are eaten, but I'm not sure what happens to the others. It's like those darn poppies! They are impossible for me to get going. I have tried off and on for 20 years, but I expect once I get them in my garden, they will come up on their own. It's probably the diffeence between the 100 seeds in a pack and the 1000s they will self sow. Lime