Hi ya Christie!!! Long time no talk! I grew Joe Pye Weed for the first time this year, though I have been photographing it at the botanical gardens for years. I seen 'Little Joey' this year, and it was every bit of 5 foot tall. Made me wonder just how tall mine are supposed to get! I planted several of mine (indoor started from seed) and pinched them a couple times throughout the season, and they ae only about 3 foot tall,maybe less and are smothered with blooms and butterflies! I also planted in part sun, which makes a considerable difference compared to ones in full sun. Since it was a perennial I didnt do too much homework on, I didnt expect it to bloom the first year, so I just kept pinching it. Low and behold, it is blooming profusely! One thing I am curious of, some of the blooms are white, some are purple. And I dont mean the different stages of bloom some are loaded with almost spent blooms, and they are snow white. Wasnt expecting this! I say, pinch yours throughout the season, maybe plant in part sun to keep them shorter. I'll take a pic if I get a minute. Take care Christie!

My Ice Plant, Verbena and African Daises have all done very well, survived the coldest winter I've seen here, down to 18 degrees F. (- 8 degrees C.) even! And hot weather as hot as 120 degrees! My Calendulas have always survived just fine, but need a little more water. My Calendulas had flowers fully bloomed this year on the day the temperature got down to 18 degrees F.!!! I couldn't believe it! Other garden also survived that extreme cold (Verbena, African Daisies, Dusty Miller, Ice Plant, Kohlrabi, Chinese Cabbage, Radishes, Stinging Nettle and a few others. Potatoes died that day (18 degrees F.). Geraniums died back, but now they are coming back stronger than ever. I thought the African Daisies would not make it, but they pulled through (just barely).

Caroline, after most of my plants frying, even the Fuchsias in the shade house got hit. The thermometers in some places in the garden were registering high 90's and even as high as 100, I know, you're saying that's nowhere near what we've had to deal with, true, but these temperatures are not what we are accustomed to. Is it a sign of what's to come, or is this just a freak year. Today the temperature is at this moment 68 and I'm loving it. It has cooled right off here and usually after the first cooler temps we have in August we USUALLY don't get really high temperatures again. I was just wandering around my disaster of a garden, can someone tell me why the couch grass and weeds are thriving and looking so good and everything else is looking so sad? Is this mother nature telling me to plant not necessarily more drought tolerant, but definitely more of our native plants? Knowing me, I will not follow what old mother nature is so blatantly pointing out I should be doing, so, you will probably find me here again same time next year, whining and complaining about my garden. At least now that it has cooled down I can get out and do some cleanup instead of having to hide in the house. I sincerely hope that cooler weather and a few good rains come your way. The plants might look so hot right now and if they haven't kicked the bucket there's always next year. I know it's newspaper, newspaper, newspaper and mulch, mulch, mulch for me from now on, these are the only spots in the garden that seem to be hanging in. Hope you all get some relief soon, play it safe, stay indoors. There's always next year and as gardeners go we will all be planning new strategies. Give up gardening, never. Annette

Here in Elgin, IL, we finally had a good rainfall today. Hardly knew what to do after work tonight. So just walked around and looked at the various planted areas, and enjoyed leaving the hoses alone. In bloom in the front rose garden are Knockout, Rugosa Rubra and Snow Pavement. (can't guarantee spelling today!) Then there's the triangle garden in between the driveway loop, and blooming there is Joe Pye weed, Endless Summer Hydrangea, Phlox Nicky and Bright Eyes, Yarrow and a variegated lacecap hydrangea is starting to show some bloom. Alongside the driveway are several Angel's Blush Hydrangeas, they're white now but will change to a pinkish then a rusty color later. The hostas (unknown variety) are starting to send up their blue flowers. More Endless Summer Hydrangeas in various garden beds as well as Nikko Blue. Those babies have been getting water EVERY DAY and are thriving. Most of the phloxes are in bloom, can't remember all the names. Miss Lingard still has a few white flowers here and there. The rugosa roses in my back garden are doing OK -- been picking off Jap. beetles with a large pair of tweezers (all you have to do is catch a leg) and send them to their death into a jar of dish soap and veg oil. Then I leave it out as a message to their cousins -- beware!! Rudbeckia Goldsturm is in bloom, so is the Carefree Beauty rose. The Inula Sonnenspear, a strange, corn-plant type perennial, is not only in bloom, it's having babies everywhere. The flowers look like daisies, growing along a tall stalk. The ligularias are all blooming, both the rocket and the other one with the purple leaf underside. The Hall's honeysuckle has some flowers and it smells so good! The oakleaf hydrangeas are doing nicely, with big panicles of flowers getting fuller and fuller. The Annabelle hydrangeas are also doing well, their white mopheads drooping just a little from their own weight. That's all for now. Greetings from Elgin. Aunt Peach