I feel spoiled... got LOTS of new seeds today, could use some help!!!

[vfem]

I made a small order, partially gifts, but mainly for me!

DD Ranch, show'd me some of the most GROGEOUS sunflowers I've ever seen. I've become obsessed with trying some that are not the norm. So I ordered 2 packets of sunflowers I found to be unique. Claret Sunflowers and Lemon Aura Starburst. I hope they turn out as gorgeous as the pictures... I'm going to line the hill in the back of our property with them. Its mostly sun back there. Should I plant them now and leave them on their own, or should I sow them inside and move them out in spring?

I also orderer Yellow and bronze colors tall grasses to help fill in my pots on the porch. They are perennial grasses too... never thought of doing that before. Suggestions on sowing grass seeds would be awesome!

I am also trying some English Daisies for the first time. I didn't realize some seeds would not germinate if covered in dirt. That seems so strange to me, but any pointers on that would be great. Thats like a foreign language to me!

Everything else I got is pretty much self explanitory. I'm just so excited! All these seeds (especially the 2009 release ones) were all marked down to $1 or less.

I got chives, garlic chives, spinach, Linaria, Larkspur, Snapdragon, Bellflower in mixed colors, Lobelia (which I have in purple already, but I wanted more colors), and white lancer. I have 20+ packets! How am I going to have time to plant all these?! LOL

Anyways... please feel free to offer advice on any of these plants. If some are annual let me know, they are written on the packets. Also, My yard is almost all sun all the time, if some would do better in part shade... let me know. I'd hate to kill any over me just being such a newbie!

 

[DrakeMaiden]

What is your USDA hardiness zone?

I'm in zone 7 bordering on 8 so I don't get my seeds started until about February at the earliest.

Assuming you have frosts where you live:

My advice is to get cultural information on all of these plants and make yourself a table with dates of when each should be started and any special notes on what they might need that is different from the others. To do this, look up how soon before your last frost you should start them indoors or how soon after your last frost you can plant them outdoors and write it down. Then you can mark a calendar or look at your table to make sure you are starting all the seeds at the right time. Get organized now and it won't be quite the scramble!

 

[vfem]

Thanks! I'm 7b maybe? I can never remember!

I will definitely be starting a map of the yard with the plant labels, and the dates for planting and noting them inside start and date or outside seed sowing date.

I'm trying the cheap way out with seeds as I'll be here for YEARS I hope to enjoy the fruits of my labor

I am sending some of these as gifts now for Christmas because I do have way too many!

 

[Reinbeau]

It is waaaay too early to start sunflowers - they don't transplant well, either, you're better off planting them where they will be growing. In the spring you can plant them in peat pots or something similar and transplant them when they're very small, don't let them get rootbound, they really resent any root disturbance.

If you put the seeds out there where you're planning on planting them now they'll be wild bird or squirrel food!

Patience - I wouldn't start any seeds until February, maybe it's mild enough you can in January, but today it's way too early! That's why we get seed catalogs, so we can dream until it's time to plant! :watering