Sowing Seeds

I am giving seeds a shot.  I love the instant gratification of buying plants with buds, but in the gray days of March, I couldn't resist these pretty seed packages.

I wasn't interested in the grand production of starting them indoors, so I waited until the instructions said it was okay to plant them outdoors and and am hopeful that I will have some nice new additions to my cutting garden in a few weeks.

Have you had luck with seeds growing directly in the soil?  My seed experience is really limited to morning glory vines (and a fun heirloom vegetable garden last year with the Beekman 1802 Seeds) but I have never tried it with flowers.  Is my growing season long enough in Michigan?  Here's hoping!