When is the best time to start seedlings?

It says to plant them after the last frost, but last year none of the flowers matured in time to do anything before fall, but the veggies did fine.



Also, I live in zone 6, hot semi-dry summers and cold winters. Will medowsweet, Queen-Of-The-Prairie, or Astilbe grow here?

When is the best time to start seedlings?
4-6 weeks before the last threat of frost
Reply:Most flowers you start indoors about 5 to 6 weeks before transplanting outside. Or you buy transplants. If you don't want to make a nice setup for starting seedlings, I would just get them at the garden center. You can get a limited variety at places like Home Depot or Walmart, but if you go to a local nursery, there will be many more (but costs more). You can ask for help at the nursery tho, and not end up buying something that will not do well for your garden conditions.



Direct sowing, you would probably do well with marigolds, alyssum, california poppies, nasturtium (poor soils, don't fertilize) sweet pea, morning glory, zinnias, 4 oclocks, moonflowers. I can get them all to bloom here in central MN, zone 3. Much shorter season here, so it will be good for you!



Astilbe like shady moist conditions. How about near a drippy water faucet? zone 6 isn't very cold winters. Most common perennials are good in zone 6.



Have fun!
Reply:Very detailed question depending on what you are growing and how you want to grow it. Now is the time to start most seeds indoors. Some annuals can take as long as a month to germinate. Veggie plants seem to germinate quite fast. My tomatoes and pepper and eggplants all germinate in about 5 days. If you want to start seeds outdoors, you can plant before danger of last frost if you have Walls of Water for individual plants and/or row covers for rows of plants. If none of your plants matured last year, it is best to start an indoor program or buy plants instead of seeds. I am in zone 5 barely and fringe on 6. I have many Astilbe's. They do just fine and come back every year. Same for Meadowsweet. My queen of the prairie never made it but I tried that plant years ago and did not give it the care it needed when I put it in the ground. I am going to try again this year. I am in Northern Michigan and do not plant seeds outdoors with the exception of Cosmos. Outdoor seeding had the same result for me as it did for you. I got very late plants with little bloom so now I start indoors.
Reply:You start them inside about 4-6 weeks before your estimated last frost date.
Reply:I am in zone 6 also, in SW Missouri, and I grow all of the above in my garden. So yes, they will.The astilbe needs part shade or filtered sunlight. I have mine in the same bed with the hostas. Meadowsweet needs full sun and lots of moisture.



If you are planting perennials from seed, they will probably not mature until next year, to do anythiing much. Annual flowers should be fine, but I usually don't even bother with the seeds, I just buy the bedding plants.



I have grown annuals from seed before, and zinnias, marigolds, bachelor buttons, cosmos, morning glories, all do fine from seed but petunias, impatiens, periwinkle, alyssum, whatever you buy as bedding plants seem to do better if they are bought already grown.



I usually sow my seeds in the garden direct after the last average frost date, which is around April 16-21st here.



Good luck with your garden!