Perennials sown now may be too small to plant out this autumn. You could of course grow them straight through winter under the lights, but a better plan would be to sow them later in the year or early next year and then plant out in spring. Some fast growers and biennial types like Hollyhocks and Foxgloves are often sown now for flowers next spring.

If you have any deciduous trees around your house I think you can let them be your guide, when most of them have started leafing out from their leaf buds its probably OK to plant. Most years I don't think you have to worry about frost after March first, but I do remember one year when it was bitterly cold in March. For myself my clay soil is the determining factor. I always want to do a final rototilling to try to kill any weeds or bermuda grass that is growing where I plan to plant, and with clay the amount of moisture in the soil is very important, too wet and you have a sticky mess that clumps right back down, too dry and the rototiller blades just bounce off it and I have to get my 66 pound electric jackhammer and 14 pound clay spade for a total of 80 pounds to lug around to dig my planting holes. I also live near the bottom of the north west side of a hill so my yard is usually three degrees colder than the official weather report as the cold air pools in my yard, plus sunrise comes later because of trees above blocking the light from the east.

I'd love to but I cannot access the American site in Canada. I will keep an eye out for it - read the write up/reviews and it sounds good. Ta, Peggy

Seasoning time for bulbs is like onions and garlic- you can eat onions and garlic right out of the ground, but if you want to store or ship it, you need to let it cure a bit first. Bulbs are like that too. If you plan on transplanting them quickly, you can pull them and use them fresh. But if you want to hold them for replanting later, you need to give them time to season and really go on hiatus before storing them. I've moved around daffodils, crocuses, and hyacinths no problem without seasoning if I do it directly. I also don't treat bulbs like a lot of folk do. When I get a package, I pot them up and grow them out for a year first before putting them into garden spots. After their blooming time is done, I empty out the pot and let the bulbs season till it's planting time in the garden later that year. It takes a year of patience, but most pots divide a lot, so I end up buying half the bulbs I would otherwise. Anyway.. I came to give an update. I planted in the first bed with plants, and the second bed will be finished by the end of the weekend. I haven't done any bulbs yet, because I figure I'll do all those at once when I'm doing other bulbs in the yard.