Hi roundpeg, I am pretty much a newbie myself, and I don't have a clue about the answer to your second question. But I would definitely put the gaura in the ground - unless someone chimes in, I see no reason to wait.

I waited a bit long after buying my gaura to plant them and they looked really dried out and dead in the pot. But I had heard they were a pretty tough plant so I planted them anyway. They recovered and have made new growth and are blooming...just keep watering them. You might get some nice blooms this year still, I think.

From what I can remember reading, I think they like well-drained soil, can stand our full blast sun, and make a long deep taproot (so they're hard to transplant later). Good luck!

ps there is a winter sowing forum with people who know all sorts of stuff about growing things from seeds.

Hi roundpeg,

You can put the plants in now or any time. Conventional planting times are autumn and spring for many plants, but that's because you don't have to water every day in the heat to keep something alive. If properly cared for, plants can thrive when planted in midsummer.

Seeds are a totally different story because there are many different germination requirements for different plants. For many perennial seeds, it is an ideal time to sow, but for others it is a horrible time. For many annuals it is a bit late. You would need to determine exactly what seeds you are sowing. Even different species of phlox will have different sowing seasons, and it depends on several factors. Winter sowing is a good option for many things; however, to grow some plants you will want to acquire fresh seed and keep it warm and moist for a prolonged period before winter. In other cases, it may take two years or more for germination to occur. Artificial methods can also work. For example, I sometimes get seed from the southern hemisphere. Their season is opposite, so I have to "trick" the seed into thinking it is winter in summer or summer in winter etc. Think about exactly what seed you want to sow and then we can be more helpful. Or you can think of the method you want to use and choose seed accordingly.

Thanks for the great info. I will go ahead and put the Gaura in the ground. I was having trouble figuring out how they would be happier in the bucket instead of the ground. I am home alot, so high maitenance is not a problem for me.

For seeds, what I need is some good groundcover. I am in Rutherford county, which is just basically a big limestone rock. I have many areas where the rock is sticking out of the ground. I am digging around those areas, planting things on the outer perimeter of the new bed. What I would like is something for the inside perimeter, something that will prevent erosion and maybe crawl around the edges of the rock.

My mom has a ton of vinca vine that lives on her cave, I can get alot of that. But many of my spots are full sun (vinca wants shade, right?)

So I am looking for a low growing groundcover, flowers are optional, that will stop erosion and be crawly. And can withstand being 6 inches over rock. Grass has trouble growing there in the heat, that is why I am trying to get all the grass off the rock and see if I can get something nicer there. My daughter said my new rule is "You can sit on my rock, but you have to look good doing it" (daughter is 9yo).