It's been a really rough year for gardening in New England, especially southern New England.

Almost 3 months of all but no rain, 90 degree temps with humidity to go along with it since early June.

A mandatory stage 2 watering ban that is permanent in my town; meaning that I can only water every other day from April till Nov.

Add to all of that there was a mass attack of chipmunks from June till just about 2 weeks ago that feasted on many of my seedlings and when they where done, the "new groundhog" decided to show up and do "his/her thing".

Far from the best conditions to garden in this year, plant WS seedlings and have them survive.

It's been a "feast or famine" gardening for the past 3 years.

2 years ago it was a month of nothing but rain and cold in July.

last year it was 2 months of nothing but rain and cold most of June, most of July and part of August

This year it was the heat, humidity and drought.

BUT, there where some winners this year, regardless of the weather conditions and the critters and thought I'd list them for all to see, that even with terrible weather conditions that most of the country has had, there are WS plants that will survive.

My beds have 3 inches of pine bark mulch and deep watering every other day certainly helped.

My pots have miracle grow potting mix in them, just the regular kind, and 2 inches of pine bark mulch on top of the soil.

THIS YEARS WS SEEDLINGS

Basils

lime

lemon

thai

geonvese

mammoth

cinnamon

dill

marjoram

parsely

sage

rosemary

thyme

chives

garlic chives

malva zebrina

dahlia fireworks

dahlia diablo

dahlia colarette dandy

cosmos diablo

cosmos sunset

cosmos picotee

cosmos candystripe

chinese forget me nots

columbines

california poppy

poppy danish flag

poppy Dicranostigma Papaveraceae franchetianum seeds : Poppy Yellow

torenia blue and white

torenia pink and white

torenia fushia and white

dianthus firewitch

coreopsis

scabiosa dark red

alyssum basket of gold

monkey flower yellow

godettia

balsam impatiens

larkspur frosted skies

bachelor buttons polka dot

bachelor buttons blue boy

bachelor buttons cyanus double

zinnia zowie yellow flame

alyssum tiny tim

alyssum carpet of snow

candy lily

nasturtium

bush champion cukes

columbine

foxglove perennial ones

4 O'clocks

zinnias

FROM LAST YEARS WS

4 O'clocks

candy lily

daylily

lupin

foxglove

columbine

chives

garlic chives

all my perennial herbs

alyssum basket of gold

dianthus firewitch

dianthus siberian blues

FROM TUBERS SAVED FROM LAST YEARS WS

4 O'clocks

dahlia fireworks

dahlia diablo

dahlia collarette dandy

cannas

DIVISIONS FROM OTHER GARDENERS RECEIVED THIS YEAR

sedum autumn joy

perennial phox that is going to bloom shortl

japanese anemone

old fashioned black eyed susan

true niko blue hydrangea stems that rooted on their own.

PURCHASED PLANTS THIS YEAR AND LAST YEAR

last years mini roses that where purchased in the local grocery store

2 rosemary, just can't get those winter over in the house and the 2 I left outside didn't survive the cold winter

3 phlox volcano purple and white ( if you are looking for beautiful phlox that are about 2 feet tall, stay bushy, resistant to rust, mine have none on it, repeat bloom at least 3 times during the summer; and are beautifully scented,this is the one to buy. just google phlox volcano to find out about them. they are hybrid and make no seeds. from what I was told, they are grown from tissue culture and are a wonderful cross.)

THE ONES THAT THE CRITTERS GOT AND WOULD HAVE SURVIVED IF LEFT ALONE

lychnis vesuvius. my several year old blooming plant never got above 4 inches before the chipmunks got it. every time it grew it was eaten. the few seedlings I have hidden amongst other plants have survived and hopefully will bloom next year

lettuce down the mouth of the groundhog

salpiglosis, chipmunks delight

viola yesterday today and tomorrow. 6 pots down the mouths of the chipmunks, just sat in the pots and ate away.

aster purple burst, a true favorite of the chipmunks

lupin seedlings, this is without question the groundhog delight and favorite. every one of my seedlings went down to the groundhog, but he/she wasn't around to get my several year old one.

sunflowers, another favorite of the chipmunks as seedlings. If they survive the chipmunks attack, then the groundhog will finish them off when they are about 3 feet tall.

gazania, if it isn't the chipmunks getting them, it's the rabbits feasting on what the chipmunks left behind.

for some reason, they are being left alone and maybe I will finally get a few blooms from them

tomatoes. oh, oh, oh, they where doing wonderful. they love this heat, humidity and even lack of rain.

unfortunately they had a disasterous run in with the groundhog, in July and the 3 -4 foot plants, full of buds, flowers and toms where chewed down to about 6-12 inches, all in a span of 3 hours while I wasn't home.

they have come back beautifully but the crop, of toms from all 12 plants will be very small and limited this year.

Morning glory. ones in the ground have had their share of being a meal to the chipmunks, and some of the ones in the hanging pots have been fill for the roaming around deer.

Finally they are being left alone and starting to bloom.

That's the results, so far from year 7 of WS.

Always a battle between mother nature and the critters when it comes to gardening.

It's the good, the bad and the indifferent that we all deal with as gardeners.

At least WS makes it so that, yes it can be a sad to see results not as we would like them from one year to the next, but the thought of how I would feel if I had purchased all these plants and then had the same results, would not make me a happy gardener.

To me, this years saddest part is how bare the gardens are looking in August. It's been so warm and hot for so long, that what should be blooming now in what should be hot and humid, has already bloomed and gone buy.

It looks more like mid september in a lot of my beds.

Which means, at this rate, winter won't be far behind and another year of WS will begin.

Hope this helps to see what plants will make it with some of the worst growing conditions.

Fran