I would second the vote for dahlias - they come in wonderful shapes, forms, and colors and they make stunning arrangements. In containers, you could cover them if you have frost and they'll be wonderful - the colors of dahlias are always the best and richest at that time of year. Most of my other annuals are finished by this time - I have asters and mums in the fall (but they aren't annuals) - asters are generally finished in September here in Illinois but some of the mums are still lovely in October til hard frost. You can pick those up at garden centers at this time of year and they could be really nice filler flowers. Don't ignore pretty foliage - you may already have some in your garden in trees or shrubs - in October you might be able to add things like japanese maples. I have a green one that turns beautiful gold in the fall along with the deep crimson red. Do you have theme colors picked for your wedding?

I don't grow poppies myself but quite a few people do grow them and a lot of people here wintersow them. The ones that are wintersown are really tough little plants and are usually one of the earlier seeds to germinate and be planted out. Normally people here consider Memorial Week-end as the planting kick-off date but hardier plants can be planted out much sooner. Last year I was planting out my seedlings in late March and early April. Hopefully someone who does grow them here will post a reply. I think lblack grows poppies. Penny

I assume you are referring to tender annuals like tomatoes or petunias? The 'average' last frost is just that - an average. So roughly half the time the last frost will be before that date, and half the time it will be after. It's real use is for people who get a lot of utility from having the first something of the season, like farmers who can charge a premium for the first sweet corn or tomatoes of the season. For someone planting ornamentals, the usual date is the 90% frost date, when a later frost occurs only 10% of the time. That is considered to be the end of May. Occasionally, a frost comes later, but it would be in the forecast then.

start by differentiating your terms .. potting media... is media engineered to move water thru a pot .. retaining what moisture the plant needs .. it can be varied according to the plants grown ... frankly.. its rather expensive to be spreading it in the garden ... but if you have the checkbook for such.. go for it ... mother earth is soil ... it does not belong in pots.. mostly because it usually causes more watering problems ... and .... finally.. dirt is what is all over you and the house.. after you play in either of the above ... the word mean nothing in the garden ... i dont understand what you mean by adding soil at planting ... what do you mean ... little mounds??? ... just put down the your mulch ... if later you decide to get some soil .. you can rake the mulch back and spread it around... or get some compost .. and build your soil over the years ... and then put the mulch back ... and if you have reseeding plants already growing.. then just forget about it.. apparently they like what they have.. so why change it... this year anyway ... ken