Many of the plants we use as cool season annuals require a longer time to full plant development compared to summer annuals. A small difference in climate can make a lot of difference in what culture will work for these plants. I live in central Arkansas with a similar climate to that of donnabaskets. Because of our hot summers, many perennials such as delphiniums and poppies, along with the cool annuals, need to be planted in fall. But there are also those that will not survive our winter. Of the three plants asked about, I have no experience with lobelia, and only limited experience with nasturtiums and calendulas. Nasturtiums don't survive our winter. And for me an early spring planting has not worked well either. The summer heat seems to sap the plants before they can get well established. I tend to avoid them as difficult for my climate. That said, I have to remark that as a teen some forty years ago, there was a man down the street from me that had beautiful nasturtiums every year that lasted though the hot summer. I should have asked him the particulars to his method, but at the time mostly what I had on my mind was ... girls. Best I can remember the nasturtiums were in a spot that had very little direct sun exposure, but a lot of open sky indirect light. I seem to remember seeing partly decomposed horse manure being used and the pants were watered daily. Calendulas have a lot in common with nasturtiums; don't survive winter and take too long to develop before the heat of summer. But about 10 years ago I had a very strange thing happen with some fall seeded calendulas. They were started in flats in September and planted to beds in October. They grew lush and were bitten by the first frost, killed by the first hard freeze. But I had started more plants than I had used for the bed. These were left in the small cellpacks, the old kind that had 72 to the flat. Left outside, by late November they were completely root bound and stunted as small plants with no active growth. These cellpacks stayed out all winter and the soil in them froze solid numerous times. At the end of Feb. I chanced to notice that the plants were not dead. I was amazed. So I planted them in a bed. They took off like a rocket in March. I have as yet not tried to duplicate this method, so it may have been a fluke. But for that one year I had some great looking calendulas. Here is a photo of them inter-planted with pansy and ranuncula.

seedboy, I don't know that there are 'best' annuals. But there is a very long list of great performers under a wide range of conditions. You'll need to evaluate the locations on your property for such factors as sunlight (how long and how much), soil conditions, and drainage. In Florida, you'll have plenty of options for the warm and hot months (spring and summer) as well as the cooler times (fall and winter). For example, this is not the time of year, in your location, to buy a flat of pansies. Though they may look wonderful at the garden center, they will only perform well for a very short time due to the heat. Fall is the time to plant them, for an all winter-long dispay. If you visit the Florida Forum, be sure to ask what their FAVORITE annuals are. I'm sure that people are likely to list such plants as marigolds, zinnias, gomphrena, Catharanthus roseus, portulaca, and lantana (which is a tender perennial but used as an annual.) And MANY more.

Steve Soloman says lots of things...and he has critics of some of the things he says even if most of it is good. The amount of N held by adding soil/clay to a compost pile is rather miniscule. It helps, but not much...especially if you turn it. Clays/silts help hold N...as well as other nutrients...but in an active pile it doesn't benefit very much. It's action is best achieved in an undisturbed-yet-active soil...and even then you experience great losses with air/water/heat (all 3 of which you should find in excess in a compost pile). He has a hand on some information, but the scale of it's benefit is what he's lacking. Where he came to suggest 5-25% as an amount to add is just odd...seems like something he randomly came up with. Adding 25% soil to a compost is a great way to add a lot of extra weight to your pile with very little benefit for why you're composting to begin with.

Orange Cosmos From Backyard Summer 2009 Another orange cosmos In full sun and good rich soil they get very tall and huge, I wish I had a picture of one of them "orange cosmos trees" :) From Backyard Summer 2009 Annual Phlox This year I have whites, and different shades of pink. I originally moved a few plants we found growing along a road (when in season, you will see masses of them near highways). The plants flowered and disappeared..And for a few years now, they reseed and bloom in large clumps From Backyard Summer 2009 From Backyard Spring 2009 Salvia Same thing, reseeds. I recieved one plant at a swap two years ago and since then, my yard is covered in them :) They are nice plants to have, I really like them - and they do live for more that a year it seems. From Backyard Summer 2009 Blanket flower Same story, found a plant growing by a road, moved it to my yard and now I have masses of them. They tolerate draught and lots of sun, and poor soils - but boy do they love good soil. In my rose garden, I have to weed them out so they do not eat the roses! The plant gets big AND the flowers are much larger in diameter From Backyard Summer 2009 I do not have a picture of Alyssum . It likes colder weather, or at least does not like the heat as much. It is very popular in Russia in the summer, so very different climate there! In the cooler months, it grows really well, so I would start seeds around that time. Same goes for Calendulas and the pink and white cosmos, they seem to like less heat Marigolds, I start whenever :) They reseed once they are done Here is a picture of Salvia (perennial) with marigolds From Backyard Spring 2009