Hi everyone, Thanks for the new replies. Gem1, this is indeed full sun. I took these pics at 5:30 a.m. so the bed is showing what little shade it gets. By 6:30 it's in full sun and it stays in absolute full bore sunshine until 6:30 or so at night, so it's getting 12 hours of direct, full sun. That being said, I do have some zinnias in half a day's shade and they do great too--they just get a bit leggier, but still bloom their heads off. DesertHeat, I don't do anything special at all with these--I definitely don't avoid getting the leaves wet--I slosh water all over them each time I water, though I do water just in the morning. Glad you like the marigolds too-they're another one of my favorites. Mine are all the French type (small flowered types) and they're doing really well. This year I'm doing a lot of the 'Janie' hybrids (link below), but I also plant some old time heirloom types too, plus there are always some self sown marigolds popping up here and there (my most attractive marigold of all is one that popped up in the cracks of my back patio--I'd feel sorry for it baking all day and not having much root exposure, except that it looks so great!). Easy, I noticed that watering wand after I took the pic, heh heh...yes, the fountain is more of a fancy holder/statue than an actual fountain (coffee cup while I'm dragging the hose around, occasional hand shovel, or sprinkler head, lol). Glad you all enjoyed the pics. I've got some similar beds with vincas too. I'm all about clown's-pants color! Take care, Grant, off to Flag for a four day weekend. Here is a link that might be useful: Janie hybrid marigolds from Parks

Hi Sue, Ummmm my delphs don't die back till they get frosted. However by the end of the season they are starting to pale a bit. But my growing season is very short. I would just wait and see if they come back next year. Delphs are pretty tough. The summer before this one, while I was away there was a huge wind storm. When I came home my white delph at the front was broken and flattened. I cut it back to the ground.....and it grew and bloomed again by the end of the season. It also came back huge this year. I also had a fancy lilac that went dormant mid summer last year.....but it came back this year just fine and even flowered. Gardening is a lot of just wait and see....and many times you will be pleasantly surprised. Sierra

Hi Michele, Mine are normal size, and were only watered a couple of times during the summer. Maybe you were dryer for a longer period of time though. I'm afraid I don't have any ideas but (instead) I'm guilty of jumping in your hollyhocks thread to ask another hollyhock question. I have hollyhocks planted in three separate areas. In one of those areas (happens to be the one in the middle) the hollyhocks have had a huge number of leaves either dry up and turn brown entirely, or dry around the edges. I suppose it 'could' have been dry hot weather related, except that I can believe you and I might have weather (and moisture) different enough to make a difference in how the hollyhocks turned out this summer... but my three patches are no more then 10-12 feet apart, so I don't think weather is what's causing the blackened leaves. I'm curious to hear what information others can offer on both problems. Joyce

I've heard that high temperatures also prevent tomato pollination because the pollen gets clumpy, but I've also heard that high temperatures simply make the pollen sterile. In the former case, in principle, cool nights could allow pollination. In the latter case, they wouldn't. Not sure what the right answer is about how high temperatures kill tomato pollination. I've always considered tomatoes to be evolutionarily "dumb", in that when it rains a lot, the plant is encouraged to grow and thrive, but fruit doesn't set as well. Also, you'd think that if a tomato plant is going to keep chucking out flowers when it is very warm, those flowers would pollinate. That is, why keep making flowers if they aren't going to set fruit?