I've grown these several times from seed. I would suggest you go ahead and sow them in place, in a area that gets a little shade in summer. Maybe someplace that gets morning sun and is shaded in the afternoon. They tolerate shade well and will bloom with less than full sun. Seems to me I just tossed them out early spring when the days started getting warmer. 8" seems a bit far apart, don't sweat the small stuff, if they grow so good they get crowded you can joyfully thin them out, LOL. Just keep them damp until they sprout, they're easy. Check out your local farm supply when you're looking for wild flower seeds, sometimes they sell them in larger packages for reasonable. These are also nice "under" other plants. Use them as a ground cover under bushes or as a filler in a potted plant. You can never have too much blue!
