Being in a zone 5/6, I still move things around and plant things at this time of year. If I'm 'iffy' about it, I will plant pot and all. If bought, the size of the plant has a lot to do with my choice. I have 2 Azalea seedling which are 6 inches tall right now that will be going in with their pots, Yet I have an Azalea which is in a 2 gallon container which will go in the ground today. Zone hardiness of the plant also plays a factor in my decision. Anything just hardy to my zones is kept in the pots. Anything hardier goes in the ground. Time is becoming a factor for me as well. I have a holding bed where I place pots of plants which I may not have the chance to plant this fall. :O) As a side note, if your Big Sky Echinacea makes it through the winter, consider yourself a lucky person. There has been some heavy discussions on the Perennial Forum about these plants not being as hardy as labeled and not performing as well as they should. My Sundown came through the winter, stuggled through the spring, and bit the dust in the summer after struggling for two years...

Nope. This is the best time to transplant them. They can be transplanted in the Spring but Fall is best. Mulch well after transplanting and keep them moist, not wet, till the ground freezes.

I remember starting from seeds later than this a couple years ago. I planted directly in my garden, and I didn't get nearly as many tomatoes as my neighbor, but I still think it was worth doing. And if you plant now, you'll probably be earlier than I was. But buying some seedlings sounds like a better way to go. That way you could be right on schedule. And you can always clone them to get more than one plant from each seedling, if cost is an issue. I may start a few more myself if I don't have enough of a particular variety, since I have a couple weeks until my planting date. And it'll take me a couple more weeks to get them all in the ground. But I'd rather do some cuttings since I'd probably only lose a couple weeks that way.

Do not cut the leaves off unless they are totally dead. Every bit of green leaf is doing its job of photosynthesis. Your roots need all the leaves to keep doing their jobs. Cutting the leaves off does not encourage new growth. New growth happens on its own schedule, irrespective of lost leaves. You can cut the dead part of a leaf off, however, to keep the plant looking more green.