Well, today you would be Summer Sowing. I mention this because there is a big difference in the the techniques. With Summer Sowing you need seeds that don't require cold stratification to germinate, and then you need a deeper and larger container because it holds more soil--the soil will hold more water. If you use a lid it need lots of big vents, with placement in part shade. Coneflowers and Hollyhocks sprouted now via SS should bloom for you next season. Larkspur is an annual and liks cool temps, so if you sow it now you may see blooms this fall, so you might want to hold off on them and either scatter sow the seeds over prepped ground before a snowfall and let them winter over in the ground to sprout next spring, or wait to WS them in 2011.

T

Rud hirtas will do well too. Planted out in fall as seedlings, they'll winter over and take off in spring. I sowed them around July last year. This was taken in May of this year.
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This was in June
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Karen

Karen,
Funny how we envy what others have. Your rocks!! I know I have rocks, but yours are FLAT, and mine are always oddly and ball and egg shaped... Nice corner garden!!

Tiffy, the rocks to build that wall were bought from a landscaping company. They might have been shipped from Nova Scotia for all I know!

Karen

Karen, what is the yellow flower in the 2nd. picture? There all very pretty.
Jennie

It's a rud hirta mutt.

Karen

Gorgeous flowers Karen. Any chance you'll have seeds this fall?

I want some of those flat stones too. The good news is I have a source--Skyline Quarry where I bought my stone garden bench is just 9 miles from here. They sell it by the ton. I even have a little 4WD Toyota PU to haul them in. What I DON'T have are the muscles to load/unload them. There must be a way...

I'm very new at planting/gardening. My question is..when winter sowing with 2-liter soda bottles, do you cut it in half to deposit sirt & seeds, then position the top half over the bottom? Am I missing something so simple that I just don't get it?
TY for your time :)

belle26101 - yes, that's basically it! The FAQs and wintersown.org will give you more details, though. Welcome aboard!

Does anyone know if sweet William that's summer sown or fall sown will bloom the next spring? I'm leaning toward fall because of our hideous heat. Don't know if I could keep them watered enough even in shade!

Yes. Sweet William sown soon and planted out will bloom next spring. That's how I did some of mine last year.