The sun shouldn't have killed any plants from seeds you sowed directly in the soil, unless the ground was very dry -farmers plant seeds in the open ground with no protection. Might have been slugs, cutworms or damping off fungus, although damping off doesn't usually occur in the open ground. You'll need to harden off the plants you purchase - expose them gradually to sun and the cold of night over a week or two. You start them with just a couple hours of morning sun, until you get them up to full sun. Some of your plants look like they have yellowing veins, which you might google on. Since it seems to occur in different kinds of plants, it's more likely to be a nutritional deficiency than a disease. But don't over fertilize. Your prepared bed looks great.

Welcome Ray, I was going to wait for others to chime in. I would just say if you trim all the branches this spring, you certainly will not get any blooms this summer. Are you wanting to trim because it's getting too large for your space? Plumerias bloom on mature, beefy tips most times. If you trim, the new shoots won't probably bloom until next season. You may consider trimming back just 25% of the tips this year. And do the same next year and so on. This will give you at least a chance of getting bloom. Also, some varieties of plumerias are just ungainly. I have several that get huge and have long branches between blooms. Others I have are more compact plants. I'm trying to move toward keeping only the compact ones, but have a hard time throwing out large ones, as the blooms are beautiful! Do you set your plant outside in summer? Sounds like your winter space is good. But I would consider plunging it -- pot and all -- in a sunny, well-drained spot in your yard in late May for the summer. Sun, your humidity, and some fertilizer (low nitrogen) should really get it going. I like to use Bayer All-in-One Rose fertilizer with disease, insect control and fertizer. The roots will likely grow out of the drainage holes of the pot and into your garden soil. This will give it a boost too. Have you repotted recently? You may want to pot next size up, or trim an inch of the rootball in early Spring and repot with fresh soil. Some people also plant directly in the ground (no pot) for summer. I may do that with some this season. Ground needs to be warm -- as well as night temps. Don't know what else to tell you but healthy, fast-growing roots make happy blooming plants. Sounds like yours might be a bit rootbound and is needing more root room -- as well as sun.

Don't feel bad David (N.E. Georgia ) I have been growing daylilies for over 10 years now and I still don't get all the abbreviations used. The worst is when someone decides to use abbreviations for the plant's name such as MRI x VFT or something like that . In this case it stands for Margot Reed Indeed x Venus Fly Trap . Well with something like 80,000 plus registered daylilies not all of which can grow all over the different zones it is almost impossible to figure it out. So don't be afraid to ask someone . People are very helpful here. Glad you could join us . Lots to learn here and lots of sheer enjoyment viewing the pictures . Of course , the pictures are what contribute to the passion. I myself am a hemeroholic !

I'm Kate and I live in the Central Valley of California - where it is presently 106 degrees.... for the next two weeks... or more. I am quite interested in this forum since my body has decided that there are things I just can no longer do. I have been an avid gardener for 60 years and am quite put-out by what I find I can no longer do. Thank goodness I have a Mow, Blow and Go team that will do small quick tasks for me when I ask, and larger ones that I pay extra for their doing. I successfully grow everything - but the fruit trees - in huge Pots, and so continue to enjoy fresh veggies as long as the heat allows. It is July and so I'm limited to squashes, peppers and tomatoes. Later I will plant a Fall crop of beans, etc. Winter will have the peas and cooler-growing vegetables that most of the nation grows in the Spring. I try to stay active as possible and my gardening still is part of that plan.