I'm not really interested in rebloom with mine at the moment, more than I am interested in it filling my arbor, so I am just cutting out all the weak basal canes, laterals, and then hoping for some new, thicker basals. Based on the reports I've heard about Zephirine.....like most antique roses....the rebloom becomes better as the root network develops which really is a just a matter of time. Mine had very weak rebloom in it's 1st year in the ground last year. It will most likely be better this year, then better the next, and the next, and so on.

Mid March to early April. Outdoors after chance of last frost. They like warm temps and warm soil. Do you plant in garden or in pots?

Depends on how cold. If it's just a bit below 60, you should be ok. You could pull them up closer to a house for extra protection, or if it's easy enough move it in and out. I do both in spring to get a jump on growing season here. We have a brick town home with an enclosed back yard and many nights they just stay right next to the brick. If it's repeated nights, or 50 or below, your basil will stagnate and quit growing. Keep in mind that basil is annual, so you can extend it for a while, but there's a point to just start new, from seed or cuttings. I say this having harvested all mine today due to expected frost tonight, so your 60 in Dec is sounding nice!

It depends upon how much time you have to care for seedlings before they are tranplanted into permanent spots in the garden. If you are growing garden annuals that you want blooming as soon as they go into the ground they need to be started indoors several weeks ahead of your planting date. Seed packets will offer germination information to guide you...keep in mind that the information on the back of the packet is based upon ideal circumstances. Most garden perennials do not bloom their first year from seed so they can be started anytime. Starting indoors will require care to prevent damp-off and repotting if felt necessary. Outdoor germination you will need to protect the soil from desiccation by wind and sun, the seedlings should also be protected from slugs or snails, if a hail storm is coming you can help protect young direct-sown seedlings by turning an old laundry basket over them for the duration of the storm. Direct-sown seedlings are often a tasty treat for birds and bunnies. A scarecrow and fencing can help protect the seedlings from critter damage, however a starving animal will ignore devices used to deter or scare them away. Vegetable packets offer a "days to maturity" guideline to suggest when to sow your seeds. Those days are generally based upon how long it takes to grow the first ripe produce after a seedling is about four inches high, those dates are not indicative of how many days needed to produce ripe fruit after germination. Germination requirements can vary from species to species, though some plant families may have similar requirements. If you have no seed packet to read for germination requirements then you can look up the information on the internet by typing in the plant name + germination. The information may also be found in books at the library. Winter Sowing, done outdoors, goes on all throughout winter. See the Winter Sowing Forum FAQs for information. There is also forum with FAQs for Starting Seeds Under Lights.