in zone 5 pretty much the only annuals you can plant in the fall and expect to
see in spring are pansies. Of course, once it gets hotter they will tend to
crap out really fast. I have seen dusty miller make it through the winter
here(michigan) as well, but they also tend to be pretty ragged by springtime.

Toad

Does any one plant hardy annuals in the fall so they will have a head start
in the spring? What is the procedure for this?
Thanks in advance.

Gary zone 5

New to the north country

gary, you can plant the SEEDS of hardy annuals in the fall for earlier bloom
next spring and summer. Examples would be poppies of all varieties, bachelor
buttons, chinese forget-me-nots, california poppies, alyssum, possibly
lavatera, etc. To do this, you need to have some cleared, disturbed ground
ready in early October in most areas of the north, and you can just
broadcast the seed on top and lightly (very lightly) tamp it in. Some of
these seeds benefit from the freezing and thawing cycle because it seems to
break down the seed coat better. If the seeds survive, you might see bloom 2
or 3 weeks earlier than seed planted in March, and sometimes the plants will
be healthier and more drought-resistant, because they will have a bigger
root system.
"gary" wrote in message
...
Does any one plant hardy annuals in the fall so they will have a head
start
in the spring? What is the procedure for this?
Thanks in advance.

Gary zone 5

New to the north country

I live in zone 8b, but yes, I do plant "seeds" so I don't have to go out and
spend money on bedding plants which melt in the heat of Texas. I plant seeds
of:

allysum
viola (sorbet series does best for me)
snapdragons
evening scented stock
bluebonnets
larkspur
poppies
cleome

I don't know if any of these would be good in your zone.

On Sun, 26 Jan 2003 20:27:40 -0800, "gary" wrote:

Does any one plant hardy annuals in the fall so they will have a head start
in the spring? What is the procedure for this?
Thanks in advance.

Gary zone 5

New to the north country