First two are Lagerstroemia, Crape Myrtle. Third is Crocosmia next looks like Coreopsis 'Moonbeam' Oxalis triangularis Last one reminds me of Saponaria but may not be that.

Thanks, everyone, for the encouragements to plant now if my soil is ready! Connie - from reading this board over the past several months I was led to your blog and discovered all you are up to just down the road from me. Back in the spring I think you were going to be giving a talk that I even considered attending --- but I didn't. My spring was very unexpectedly interrupted by my husband having to do a business trip to Hawaii, so I spent all of May and part of June with him there. This definitely set me back time wise in my yard work and I'm just getting back into it. (I'm only complaining a little bit). My new house is surrounded by woods, and I don't have very many sunny spots available to grow the "thousands" of roses I'd like to. I have basically a couple of spots in the front to greet my visitors, and two in the back - one smaller one (100 sq ft) is already "gardenized", and waiting, and the other "main" spot is the one I've been working on, and it's prominently visible from my back windows. It backs up to the woods, but gets full southern sun shining on it. It's been weeds and unkept, so I've been getting rid of the overgrowth and bringing in truckloads of top soil and compost. It's about 350 sq. ft, with about that much more available when/if I want to spread the borders later on. My main concern - other than getting enough sun - has been deer. They act like our very own outdoor pets. I've been experimenting with Liquid Fence on the other deer food plants in the garden, which has been working well ... and I just bought Sweeny's dried blood disc-things, but haven't put them out yet. I'm kinda scared about this aspect of wanting to have a yard full of roses. QUESTION (to all who have masses - hundreds or more - of roses): When you plant so many - the DA garden you planted last year,and your field of roses - do you put thought into "what goes where" design wise (co-ordinating colors? sizes? types?)? Or do you just "plant", and it all just looks great ---- because they ARE roses after all! I've bought these so far: Therese Bugnet (hoping to put them in some of my semi-sun places) Living Easy Buff Beauty 1 Crepesecule 1 Garden Sun 1 Compassion Since Heirloom is having a free shipping sale right now, I took the opportunity to order these, and they are on their way to me: Easy Does It Peace (Have mostly gotton away from HT, but this is a special love of mine) Martin Frobisher Heritage Julia Child (simply based on so many recommending it) Others I plan on getting first thing next year are: Borderer Belinda's Dream Bonica Well Being I ordered 1 - 3 of each, to "try". As I figure out which ones work best here in the yard I hope to follow up by ordering more for mini mass plantings. (Also - I am afraid of the deer overtaking my plants and best efforts). Back in the late '90s I first started growing roses - all were showy HT. I got my feet wet with them -- and learned some basics about fertilizer, blackspot, JAPANESE BEETLES!, etc. But, we moved away from that house soon after, and weren't living where I could have my own gardens. Now I"m resettled, and hope to bring Rose Love back into my life. Thanks for asking! (For my shady areas I'm concentrating on planting either Rhododendrons or Hydrangea).

I just kick them over with my shoe. By the next day they are brown and we just mow them and mulch them with the next mowing. They aren't harmful. Some of them are pretty cool looking. I was working in my garden by the front walk last weekend and I had 2 huge ones growing among the rain lilies. A lady walking down the street remarked how beautiful they were. She thought I was cultivating them. One persons unsightly could be another persons beautiful. Made me look at them in a new way. I let them stay till they turned brown, and then picked them out and threw in the compost.

I actually think you might have better luck with anything except the oriental lilies. The lily bulbs have probably been trying to grow in their bag on the shelf for the last month or two and might be close to death! The others will be perfect. I haven't even started my caladiums yet and cannas are barely sprouting. It's been a cool spring and most of the non-hardy summer bulbs are just sitting there waiting for this weekend's hot weather to get here. so feel free to buy on-sale summer bulbs, it's the gardeners who are losing interest in growing bulbs, but the bulbs are still very interested in growing! -but be careful with any bagged or boxed perrenials or perennial bulbs such as lilies, check to see if they're solid and if you want to take a chance go for it... And don't expect blooms this year, maybe next.