That's an odd one. Where I have Becky in south front with white paint on foundation (reflection), doesn't get total full sun during the day. I noticed her leaves looked droopy in the afternoon sun the other day, and it's not that hot yet, 3rd year for her, planted late summer so not a full 3 years. I now have a soaker hose hooked up there and put in on slow drip, perked her right up. And I've been using the soaker a lot because I've tried to get some seeds going between her that should not dry out. I had the same problem with a wilder kind of shasta daisies a couple years ago and no soaker hose then; I would be out in the hot sun watering them (which you really shouldn't). The following year I didn't need to water so much, but had to do some, then dug them all out. Becky has gotten pretty large and needs to be divided, but I amended the soil with peat and compost before I planted those. I've got some slow drip spikes on 2 liter bottles for some plants rather than having to fight with a very long soaker hose in back. My crazy daisy seems ok for now, but I know I'll have to water it later, and I don't have a bottle ready for that, just my roses. My ligularia does the same thing when the sun hits it in the afternoon, perks back up in the evening, but that is almost a total shade plant, so I can understand that better. My conclusion is that the beds drain well, dry out fast, and trees nearby soak up a lot of the water, but it might even be worse without the trees as Becky would be blasted with hot sun all day in the worst months.

My crazy daisies, had a tiny ziplock bag of seeds, don't remember where I bought them, yielded all different kinds but they are all crazy, some prettier than others. I didn't mark them to save any seed, darn it. Since I WS'ed those and planted HOS, I don't know which ones clump or not; they are a large clump that will get larger. They are all winners in their own way, don't get disfigured, a few toppled in the heavy rain, maybe those didn't, but I deadheaded them all, and they have put out some more nice blooms, not as many as the first ones. So that is a plus. In the front bed, I sowed from unknowns that didn't clump and the blooms got splotchy and ratty, but the plants were vigorous, didn't topple or get over 4'; the following year, they took over the bed, so I dug them all out. I direct sowed those, and they didn't bloom until the second year. Those did come true to seed, all of them. Then I replaced with three Becky, purchased plants. They clump which I thought was good at first but they get too big too fast and took over again. One Becky got crown root rot, dug it out, letting the soil lie fallow for the winter. But I'd rather have some that don't clump that I can interplant with poppies and maybe perennial lupines, couple others. I thought Alaska might be it. Does it clump? Are there any other July flowering ones that are nice but grow as singles? The only ones I know that grow single for sure are oxe eye or Marguerites, but those are invasive and only bloom in spring. I have some better spring bloomers now, but I want some for summer. Maybe I should divide my crazy ones in the spring into three smaller groups and start with those or pull off all the outer stems. I notice if I pull a stem (some toppled), I get some roots with it. The two remaining Becky are very healthy, but I want them out or much smaller. Can I do that? I don't know where to put the left over ones from dividing. Sigh.

Thanks for the replies. I think Al nailed it. Many of my flower beds are especially nitrogen right before I re-plant them in the fall. So they stop wilting after rains and after the spring bloom period--then leaves and stems are less lush. I was a vegetable gardener for years and only took up perennial flower gardening on few years ago. It's taken me quite some time to learn that many flowers really dislike my idea of the perfect soil. Kristine

Not a Shasta but does anyone grow Marguerites, Chrysanthemum frutescens not a hardy perennial (have to take cuttings) for me but should do well in warmer climes. I haven't grown them for years, in fact I can't really say I've seen them in the garden centers the last few years. Annette