Hi bdazl,

Amazingly, it appears we have the same Zone, even though I am in Kansas. But obviously our Latitude is significantly different, so you will be getting less sunlight. What is your probable first killing frost date in the Fall? I think that might have bearing on what annuals, if any, qualify for your conditions. If your local greenhouses, nurseries, or garden centers have pansy plants for sale now, they might work. Also, the personnel at those places might have some suggestions. As an alternative, would you consider biennials that grow over the Winter and bloom next Spring? In Ontario, you "aren't in Kansas anymore." (grin)

ZM

This post was edited by zenman on Sun, Jun 30, 13 at 13:03

The two I can think of off the top of my head are larkspur and poppies. Many recommend simply tossing the seeds wherever you'd like to have them grow and letting them sprout on their own. Typically, they'll sprout in the fall and hang out all winter and then pick up in the spring where they left off. I'm sure there are more plants at work similarly. Really, anything that easily self seeds would work similarly.

Martha

Calendula and bachelor buttons are ones that come to mind but don't plant it or anything until the ground starts to freeze or you will have them sprouting and dying before spring.

Why don't you check out the winter sowing forum here. You can start many annuals by this method

I garden in a temperate climate (zone 8) and grow heaps of hardy annuals in Late August, Spetember. They certainly will sprout but will happily overwinter in the UK. The difference between autumn sown seeds compared to spring sown annuals is immense. Cornflowers, for example, grow into enormous 5foot tall bushes, as opposed to the rangy (and puny) spring specimens.
So, here is a list of some of my usuals - calendulas, cornflowers, agrostemma, lavatera, clarkia, poppies, cerinthe, ammi, orlaya, rhodanthe, echium, linum, limnanthes, nigella, alyssum, candytuft, linaria, lunaria, dianthus, stocks, godetia and, of course, sweet peas.

When I lived in OH, I'd do pansies, sometimes snapdragons, mums, primrose.

I cannot help the OP since he lives so far north. However, I would like to chime in about fall annuals. Here in the deep south, most summer annuals are really pooped by mid September. And IF you can find any at all in the garden center, they are dreadfully expensive because they are in large pots. So, I start fall replacements NOW the first week of July. I just sowed bright yellow marigolds (to serve as much longer blooming chrysanthemum replacements) and dark blue angelonia this morning. I put the marigolds outside on my deck where they will get water each day with my potted vegetables. The angelonia I started inside (need lower germination temps), and will gradually move outside later.

They are really a small investment of time and money, and come September, my beds are stunning again.

Annuals I have grown that sprout in fall and bloom in spring:

bachelor buttons
larkspur
agrostemma
nigella
red poppy

Biennials that have done very well:
digitalis foxglove
canterbury bells
sweet williams
hollyhocks have done OK, not spectacular. Took 3 years to flower so my timing must be off.