Zone 4a and this will be my fifth year doing this. I start around new years, typically with hardy perennials in my zone, shurbs/trees and seeds that i don't really care about (e.g. old seeds). I typically wait until late February to start putting out a lot of my annuals, and I leave the following til the end of march or early april: zinnias sunflowers ornamental millet abutilon dolichos lablab morning glories 4 o'clocks cosmos and pretty much anyhting tropical in origin Most of these will sprout if sown earlier, but their foliage is sufficiently tender that I lose them in the cold nights we have earlier in the winter/spring. If I wait til then, they typically don't pop til mid april or later and i typically don't have to worry about the seedlings freezing then.

I didn't have much choice on some. You can't get the tulip one sometimes because everybody is out of stock. I got the tulip hood for my 28-135 and leave it on all the time, inside and out, somebody said you could do that and it seems to cause no problems; a cheap metal full one for my 10-22; and a cheap rubber one for my 50mm 1.8 (not sure what you mean by full, they are shallower and project the same amount all around the lens). They all seem to work fine. I actually like the rubber one because if you want to shoot through a fence, you can flip it back. It really helps with lens flare although I noticed one of my night shots I still got some flare and never took the hood off and don't think I flipped it back. The tulip one is real easy to put on and take off and fits snugly, is more expensive. If you shoot with more than one filter like some do, it won't work, it has to come off. One filter will work fine but it's harder to twist it, and I think I have to take the hood off to put it on, polarizers you have to twist according to the direction of the sun. I don't like using them, but they really help with water, glare and blue sky. I have a graduated neutral density filter I haven't tried yet, didn't like the polarizer at all, but eventually I guess you need them for the wow factor.

Yes, it is called a prime lens, it will not zoom at all. Most people prefer the Canon EFS 17-85mm f4/f5.6 IS USM. I think it comes as a package at some retailers with the body. Some don't like it. I do but don't have it. Depending on your budget, I would suggest the 28-135 (I've used it with success but it is not L which is better glass and more reasonable in price), the 24-105 or the 24-70 (expensive). If you are going to get a prime lens, I would suggest the 50mm 1.8, it is cheap and sharp, but does not zoom, great for kid pics and in low light situations, there are a couple other 50mm primes now, more expensive. The kit lens isn't all that bad for what it is, if I had to do it over again, I would get body only and maybe the 24-105 which is expensive because it has a good zoom range, good for a general purpose, walkabout lens, and should have good resale value. I do lean toward the Canon lenses, but some of the Sigmas and Tamrons are pretty good.

There really is no one "best all-purpose" zoom. It all depends what you plan to photograph and how much you want to spend. One that will let you walk around all day without tiring you out is the 28-135 IS USM. The 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM is excellent for butterflies and birds that are not too far off. The 100-400 L IS USM is probably Canon's best zoom lens for birds. Both the 70-200 and the 100-400 are heavy and pricey, but they're excellent. I have photos on my site made with all three of those lenses. All the butterflies are with the 70-200. Here is a link that might be useful: My pBase Galleries