I have moved from Richmond to SW VA, Floyd County. It is 6a possibly here- am on a highland plateau at the base of the Blueridge Parkway. It is quite cold here.

That said, I am so excited about beginning to winter sow. I just picked out my first 18 kinds of seeds to sow in cut down kitty litter containers. I have so many more seeds to sow too. Since I will be snowed in for at least two more days, I should be able to get a lot done.

I have a spring fed pond about 35-40 feet across. Before I moved, I ordered about 9 water garden books and pond books from www.betterworld.com. They sell many, many garden books at $3.48 which includes postage. I am building a huge garden library thanks to them. Now I have seeds of all kinds of grasses, ligularia, primrose, species, Siberian, and Japanese iris, perennial hibiscus, thalacrium, astilbe,

and many, many more plants which would be compatible with a pond.

In addition, I have purchased a fortune's worth of seeds for beds other than those close to the pond. I have winter sown twice before. Last year I started in March, but I still had considerable success. Here our first frost free date is in early May so Feb, March, and April will still be good for cold stratification. It is so great to read all these books on gardening and then get the seeds to the flowers shown. By winter sowing, I can have drifts of flowers of the same kind, not just a few specimens. I feel as though I have died and gone to heaven.

Please excuse my going on and on, but I am so hopeful and excited!

I particularly enjoyed all the information on growing primrose from seed. I hope to have a bumper crop of them in the spring!