Seed-Starting Schedule for Perennials and Annuals in Zone 5b: What to Plant Now

In late May (Zone 5b), a gardener has a long list of perennial and annual seeds but no packet timing info.

General Principles

• Perennials: Start indoors now; bloom second year. Expect no flowers this year.
• Annuals: Late for indoor start; direct sow outdoors now for late blooms.
• Exceptions: Poppies, dahlia, carnation—don’t transplant well or aren’t hardy.

Grouped Advice

• Most perennials (lupine, painted daisy, sweet william, coreopsis, flax, salvia, dianthus, echinacea, snow-in-summer, dame’s rocket, chrysanthemum, achillea, columbine, Chinese lantern, blue fescue): Start indoors, harden off 10 days, transplant.
• Dahlia: Dig tubers in fall; store frost-free.
• Carnation: Treat as annual in Zone 5b.
• Annuals (aster, nasturtium, cosmos, baby’s breath, calendula, zinnia, forget-me-not): Direct sow now; keep weeded.

Follow packet drawings for seedling ID. Good luck!