Putting your location and zone information in your profile will help tremendously as no one has a clue where you are or your growing conditions. Thanks and good luck.

There ARE advantages of winter sowing verses direct sowing though, Kay. Direct sown seeds can get blown away, washed away, eaten by birds or bugs. By sowing them in a container, you may not gain a lot as far as the bloom date, but you have more control over the germination process as a whole. Tomatoes and peppers are about the only things I may sow some of indoors. All of the cool season veggies and herbs will be WS, along with all of my perennials, and annuals. The annuals won't be sown until March or early April, and yes the blooms will be a little behind the nursery bought plants, but the plants will be stronger and many will bloom well past the first frost. For those of us that don't have room for sowing indoors, or have a green house, wintersowing allows us to still grow from seed. Primgal, I hope that you won't give up on growing from seed. It's just a matter of finding a way that works for you. We are all learning as we go. Happy sowing, Bonnie

Good luck with that repotting! Send us some "after" pics too. Those cigar flowers (Cuphea ignea) are great. I first started growing them when I worked just for fun at Tera's Garden nursery (now closed--I think it's an Italian restaurant these days) a few years ago. We had them in the inferno of a parking strip in full bore sun and they did great with just minimal irrigation. Easy from seed, easy from cuttings, and fully hardy here too. Several seed places are selling various cultivars with white, pink, or screaming red flowers; many of them are dwarf too. I really like them. I have some obscure Euphorbia seed to start this weekend, plus a few more aloes and cacti too. I love this time of year, even though it means the windowsills are very, VERY crowded. I noticed some of the datura seeds I planted outside in autumn are sprouting now too. This winter was so mild that the mother plant didn't even drop her leaves; some years she gets cut to the ground to resprout from the roots. Take care all, Grant

She got lucky. Growing begonia from seed is a challenge for any gardener. There are many pitfalls and I tried unsuccessfully for more than 10 years until I found a method that works. Hybrid begonias will not come true ie. may be different to their parent. 1. Pre-preparation: take a sheet of kitchen paper and dampen it. Lay on a flat surface. 2. Collect the seed. Wait until the flowers are completely over and have formed pendent papery husks. Scrunch the husks with your right hand with your left hand underneath. You will notice some tiny reddish seed falling onto your palm. ItâÂÂs best to collect as much as possible as not all the seed will be fertile. 3. Sprinkle the seed onto the damp paper then spread over a saucer. Try to keep the paper above the surface of the saucer. Never allow the paper to dry out. 4. Cover the saucer with a transparent cover that does not contact with it. I use a plastic cake cover. 5. Put the saucer + paper+ seeds inside a tray and fill the tray with just enough water to cover its surface. Keep in a brightly lit, warm place. Avoid direct sun. The idea is to give the seedlings in 100% humidity. You can see if this is effective by water droplets forming inside the cover. Temperature 70-80F ( 20-27C). If you think there is any danger of your seedlings drying out, re-dampen with a mist sprayer. If your âÂÂsealâ is good, however, this should not be necessary. It is better to add water to the tray. 6. Leave completely alone for 2 weeks. Avoid the temptation to âÂÂhave a peekâ as this will allow fungal spores to enter. 7. After about 15 days some of the seeds will be beginning to germinate. Remove the paper from the saucer and cut into pieces. I find a knife is easier than scissors. The number of pieces will depend on the amount of germinated seed and how many plants you want. 4 is a good average but if you are skillful you can get more. 8. Place the pieces of cut paper with the germinated seed on the surface of some good quality, rich organic compost. 9. Mist-spray with clean water to ensure good contact. Keep in a warm, well-ventilated location, with semi-shade. After about 6 months, divide and repot as necessary . After about a year repot to their final pot or into the garden. First flowers after about 2 years. Good luck. Ian