I'm guessing they won't bloom the first year from seed but do remember the plants my friend gave me from her garden were a foot tall when they bloomed. They bloom late--my notes show they bloomed August 26 last year. Mine came back after our horrible, snowy winter and have put on healthy new growth this year.

This is a beautiful perennial (Eupatorium coelestinum). It will come back reliably and reseeds around quite abundantly when happy. I WS it in 2008 and now there is a patch out back in one of my wilder garden beds, competing with the other stuff out there.

Mine did bloom a small amount the first year, if you get it planted out early enough. Then it blooms strong the 2nd year.

OK, now I'm getting confused.

Caryopteris x clandonensis (Dark Knight, Longwood Blue etc) is more of a woody sub-shrub, leaves a framework over winter. Mine, including the gold leaf variety, will self sow occasionally but much quicker from cuttings. They aren't going to bloom first year.

Caryopteris divaricata is an herbaceous perennial in my garden, dies back to the ground every year. Mine is Snow Fairy, and I haven't grown it from seed because it hasn't bloomed in the three years since I bought it - my summer may not be warm enough is my guess - and I grow it as a variegated foliage plant.

Now Eupatorium coelestinum...totally different altogether, also known by a few 'mist' common names.

Must admit the name terrene gave it threw me as well since I know it as caryopteris that's a sort of woody sub-shrub the way you described it morz8. I'm no master gardener so thought I might have the wrong name since I don't recall offhand where I heard caryopteris to begin with. I have three small plants a friend gave me 2-3 years ago, each planted in a different full sun bed. Whatever it's called, I absolutely love the late-season blue flowers.

Love-in-a Mist,
This is what I have, is it the same plant?
This is the only name I have for it, seeds were from a trade.
Thanks you guys,
cAROL

Now we turn another corner :)

Annual nigella, yes it will bloom for you this year.
Nigella damascena. It's one of the few annuals I grow, I sowed 'miss jekyll' years ago and have kept that one going, true to seed. It makes a great airy filler in between perennials and shrubs. I let it self sow, or break up a dry seed pod approximately where I would like to see more the next year.

Just to be sure, seedlings kind of carrot like, ferny/feathery??

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:407828}}

cAROL, love-in-a-mist is nigella and I think it's an annual. Caryopteris is a perennial commonly called blue mist shrub that comes back year after year and often self-seeds. If you want blue mist shrub, I can harvest seeds from mine and send them to you to WS and then you can plant the shrubs along your fence. The nigella/love-in-a-mist won't come back year after year unless it self-seeds and I don't know if it does.

Does that help?

Gardenweed, we saw this at approx the same time. I'm sitting here waiting on a plumber, I'm having to turn the water to my toilet off and on to use it! He said 5 PM.

Nigella will reliably self sow

Just a followup to my mention of a plumber and really OT but I don't frequent the houseplant forum -

While in the bathroom with my plumber I discovered first time flowers on my coffee tree under the skylight in there :) Three, and more forming. I've had that tree and a second in another room for years and never have had blooms - if berries form maybe I'll be able to brew a cup.

oh my, now my head is spinging.
Thank you so much for getting this straight for me.
Morze8, yes, the foliage is very airy and pretty,small as it is.
Eileen, Please do save me some seed,I would love to try it
this winter.
I will look all of these up, just to see what they all look like.
Again, my thanks to all of you, rained today,and rain tomorrow,maybe inbetween rain drops I can plant out a few.
cAROL