can anyone tell me what kinds of perenials

I could start now so they would be good sized by next spring? Was planning on having a sale in spring. Also what can I plant(perenial & annual) out side in trays from the first hard frost & on thrue the winter?
Jen

Hi Jennifer' Having friends and family in Mn. I have to say nothing outside' Sorry'

Jennifer, if you're wanting to have a plant sale, I'd approach this from a different angle. Think about what might be popular with local gardeners AND will do well in your zone, then figure out when to start those plants that meet your criteria.

While you probably won't get to start everything at the same time, that can be a good thing. You can focus on each group of plants as you sow them, and monitor their progress, instead of trying to keep track of several plants you start at the same time, but which have different germination requirements.

Places to look for possible "best sellers" - ask your nursery what perennials are most popular. Or if your newspaper has a gardening column, go back through the issues and find out what was highlighted last year - usually folks will be interested in what has been highlighted in the media. We have a garden tour each spring. I can just about guarantee that many of the plants I saw in those gardens will be requested by gardeners next spring.

Look through some gardening catalogs - online or in print. Look through past issues of gardening magazines - GardenGate, Better Homes and Gardens, etc. have plants they spotlight in each issue. Those plants usually catch on in popularity in the following season.

Winter sowing is a good way to start many seeds that need stratification. But I'd first think about what I want to plant, then determine if they'd be a good candidate for winter sowing instead of planting things just because they can be started that way.

Hope this helps :)

Didn't read your post as well as GV,only on my 2nd cup of java,lol' Good luck''

Hi, Jennifer! Go_vols is right when she said, "Think about what might be popular with local gardeners AND will do well in your zone, then figure out when to start those plants that meet your criteria." Are there any plants that you've seen in yard after yard after yard? Those would be a good bet to start as a neighbor of one of those yards will most certainly have seen that plant and want one.

I work in a nursery and can tell you that whatever's blooming around town at the time is what people want. No matter what it is, if it's got a pretty bloom that they see in lots of other yards, they want it. When is your plant sale going to be? Do you know what's blooming then? Can you ask someone? I would most assuredly start some of those plants so you'll have them for sale.

I'm in Texas and don't know which of these are hardy in your area (if any) and how much this will help you, but I'll tell you what we sell a lot of at the nursery and when. Just please remember that I'm in a MUCH warmer zone so some of these may not work for you at that time or at all.

The perennials we sell the most no matter the time of year are crepe myrtles, oleanders, lantana, salvia, rosemary, tropical hibiscus, bougainvillea, mums (this time of year is the best time for mums down here) and whatever the deer won't eat. The hibiscus and bougainvillea have to be in bloom or no one touches them (use hibiscus food on both for great blooms). For hedges and "landscape plants" people like hollies, dwarf yaupons sell well and ligustrums.

Annuals that people like in spring down here are impatiens, petunias, begonias, coleus, hypoestes (Polka Dot plant), periwinkles, portulaca and purslane. For veggie growers, we sell a lot of tomato and pepper plants, but also some squash, cukes, collards, watermelons, okra, etc., which I don't understand as they're so easy to grow by direct-seeding in our clime, but people buy them anyway! They may not be so easy from seed where you are, so you may want to start some of those (start squash, cukes and melons in pots bigger than those little 6-packs if you can as they resent transplanting and do better if the root ball isn't disturbed much ~ transplanting from a 4" pot is less traumatic than from a 6-pack cell).

In fall it's petunias again, snapdragons, pansies, Johnny-jump-ups, flowering cabbage and flowering kale along with more veggies ~ cole crops mostly (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and brussels sprouts). Keep in mind that it's a lot hotter down here, so some of those annuals and veggies that we use in winter may be spring sellers where you are.

In spring and fall, trees do well. If you can do a little research on what kind of shade trees do well in your area, you could start some of those. Or maybe find someone who has some of those trees with young ones underneath it that you could dig up (just make sure you have time for them to leaf out in the spring so you know which ones took the transplanting well). We sell a lot of fast-growing shade trees as well as slower growers and even quite a few of what some consider "weed trees" like willows and mimosas, so don't pass up selling something because someone tells you it's not a good plant (unless absolutely everyone tells you it's not a good plant! LOL!). One man's weed ...

And you'll need pots. Good sources are country clubs and golf courses. They do a lot of planting and usually will be more than happy to give you their pots if you come pick them up soon to get them out of their way (don't ask at the club ~ just ask where their landscape dept. is and ask one of those guys ~ they're a lot nicer). You could ask at your local nursery, but they may reuse them themselves, have a company policy to throw them away or just not want the competition so won't want to give them up. Wherever you get the pots, wash them in bleach water before you use them or "Typhoid Petunia" just may spread something nasty to your new plants.

Good luck, Jennifer! And if you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line!

You guys are GREAT!Hmmmmm.........means I won`t be bored out of my gourd(did I say that?)this winter! Good thing I asked santa for gardening books ( I need the kind w/ pictures LOL)for christmas. LOL...SIS ...but how true that comment is huh?
Jen

Yes'

Jennifer
I think you are running out of time from starting anything outside in zone 4.
The roots need time to grow a little.
I would think you probably have about a week (depending on the weather) to start anything and have it survive.

Paul

Well, to expand on my answer above just a bit, here's a tip I recently read: start perennials outdoors in September or November, but not in October. Now our seasons are going to vary a bit by zone, but the point being made is to not start perennials in the month you expect your first killing freeze - there won't be time for the plants to germinate and root before they get nipped. On the other hand, sowing seeds after your first freeze can be a successful way to start seeds that require stratification.

Jennifer, if you're interested in trying the "winter sowing" technique, see if you can catch Poojer's attention - she's a big champion of the method, and has a lot of years of successful experience under her belt.

POOJER!!!!!POOJER!!!!!WHERE R YOU????

I have some annual seeds (mixed moss rose) that are always good sellers around here, also have bi-ennial Dames Rocket( purple and pinkish white (for those who are looking for fragrant night garden), Have some starts of 18" white with green eye allium,. Loads of tiny columbine plants-but do not know what color- probably purple but? I am going to try to save them from 2 nights of frost, and check with me on other seeds- annual etc. I, like many others , are hungry for plants early- and maybe a variety will help.

Awsome Marcia I`ll let you know...I supposed it would help if I went thru my seed box first huh?