marvel of peru .... I THINK.. is a perennial in peru .... go figure on that ... but you will want to check that out yourself ...

FMNots are true biennials.. there is no such thing as s perennial biennial ...

now.. i have no z9 experience .. but i have lots of opinions.. lol ... so that wont stop me ...

FMN have just finished blooming here in my z5.. and jsut recently spread their seed ... that seed will sprout soon and grow into a very small plantlet ... that will bloom and die next season [the definition of a biennial] ... how that changes in your zone will have to be answered by others ....

MOP's ... are just getting ready to bloom here .. from planting in late may .... so i dont see why you cant plant them.. and some bloom in your late season ... PRESUMING you can baby them along when planting in the deep summer ...

there are reasons things are planted in spring.. which have to do with weaker sun.. warm but cool soil .. and dampness that allows a tiny seedling to grow enough roots.. to support the giant plant above that is going to come along in the heat of summer..

when you try to do seeds later in summer.. those seedlings will need a LOT of TLC to get past the juvenile phase to get to flowering ...

all that said.. what do you have to lose.. go for it.. buck the advice.. live and learn ... again.. maybe in z9 CA you can get away with it.. since it wont be snowing in oct .. lol ... that is the problem here in MI .. i dont have enough season left with this late of a start ...

good luck

ken

Ken is right about four o'clocks. They are tender perennials and form tubers. In my zone, they can be dug and stored through the winter and replanted the next year after danger of frost (like dahlias). Whether there is time accomplish that this year, I don't know.

I started Forget-me-nots from seed. They were started indoors around mid-February and bloomed starting in early June, I think.

If your seed packets give you "days to bloom" information, that can help. Otherwise, I've googled and found that information. Ferry Morse is good about giving that information. Beyond that, I can't help much. I can only dream of gardening in zone 9!

:) Lisa

One thing not mentioned above is that both of these plants re-seed themselves rather successfully. You won't need to worry about overwintering, replanting, etc. In some locations, they can become prolific and will require time in removal.

Arielle,
Up north, zinnia, snapdragon, forget-me-nots and four o'clocks would die in full shade as you describe it. Your climate is a whole 'nuther world. For maximum color in your garden, I'd recommend talking to local people to find out what thrives in your area. Talk to neighbors with nice gardens and staff at the better nurseries. Find the website for your local agricultural/horticultural extension - it will be associated with a university. Many have searchable online databases and some offer classes on gardening, composting, etc, either free or for a small fee.

I also recommend you do some more research before you replace all your soil. That's a big project, not fun, and only necessary where the soil is contaminated with toxic chemicals. If you just have ordinary but uninspiring dirt, sand, clay, etc., you can improve it by adding compost and other goodies. Another option would be to add soil on top of what you have to make a raised garden. And if you get the right plants you may be able to grow them in the soil you have now.

Four o'clocks - if you can get them to bloom you'll have them forever. I deadhead mine daily and still miss seeds.

One source to get you started:

Annie's Annuals is a CA nursery with an online catalog and a great website. There's a lot of information there and it's well organized. Check the "Totally useful plant lists" - there's one for dry shade. (Is your shade wet or dry?) For the rest of us, they do ship plants and they do have plants hardy to at least zone 5. I haven't bought anything *yet.*

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Annuals