Just wanted to mention that I DID get a lot of bloom on my two well-established Endless Summers last season. Most of the bloom was early, as Calliope said, followed by a small amount of later bloom sprinkled throughout the remaining season with some still opening late in fall. This year I got only a small amount of bloom along the brick wall side of the shrubs (as I previously posted) and NO additional bloom yet as of late August. A few branch stems do have some tiny buds. Last year I had buds in all stages of development at this time of year plus fresh opening flowers. So ES has not been a total bust for me, as macrophyllas do not generally bloom at all here (unless heavily protected or you are just plain very lucky). In an earlier home closer into the metro area I did inherit an unknown Hydrangea macrophylla that did occasionally (every 3 years or so) put out a handful of blooms for me. My ESs are on the east side of my house along the brick wall, but received no other protection and have never been fertilized, except one year when I used Aluminum sulfate (if that counts) to turn them blue. Worked pretty well.

This is the first year that my ES have not bloomed yet and are not yet showing buds either. I have never trimmed them in the fall but waited until the new growth came out in the spring/early summer then trimmed off any unsightly stems that did not have new growth by late May/early June and was rewarded with beautiful pink flowers. Unfortunately this year they froze down to the crown and all growth was from the crown, none on the old stems so I cut out the old stems in mid June. I am hoping that I will still have flowers this year but no buds yet. I am disappointed because I am planning a big graduation party for son in mid August and was counting on the lovely pink blooms I usually had from the ES when other perennials were not as fresh. (4 years running) Any suggestions on how to get the blooms coming? Will the slow release fertilizers granules work for ES? That is what I normally use in my garden as I don't have a lot of time. I do try to throw on some water when it doesn't rain and they do get shade during parts of the day that helps with water also. They were also freshly mulched in mid-June. My Oakleaf H are blooming well and another H has several buds even though it is leggy because I didn't get to prune it last fall. Could using Preen affect the growth coming from the crown? I should think the landscapers who mulched would know not to get it too close, but you never know. Any ideas?

Hey neighbor! We're probably a bit south of you in Metrowest. I think of NH Hostas as a short drive - compared to some of the other places I've gone for plants. We also like to go to Maine and it's on the way (or so I tell my hubby). Now Minnesota - that's a little farther. Is that a big hosta convention? Sounds very dangerous. I'm glad to hear you still have 12 hostas to plant. I just moved my last one today and was thinking it was pretty late, though it was probably happier going in the ground today than all the others I planted this summer in the sweltering heat. I don't know much about crab shells detering foliar nems - will have to find out more about that. I tried the pot them up, leave them in the garage in the winter and forget about them method and it seemed to work fine on my sample size of 2. I did pour lots of hot water in their former holes. Sorry you lost your shade. I'd love to swap some with you - I can't plant anything that needs sun, though I am trying some hydrangeas in my somewhat more sunny front yard.

No, I have never eaten the beans altho they are edible. Every report I see on the flavor intercepts my desire to eat them. They are supposedly very bland. Also, when you cook anything purple, it ends up being a rather muddy brown color, and that is not appetizing to me either. But, please help yourself! Hee Hee. I don't think pulling the pods will affect the bloom on these rampant blooming vines at all. I have pods all over mine. I grew the white blooming ones this year, and they really show up nicely in the evening and early morning garden. One purple showed up (from where, I don't know; perhaps a reversion or something). Bright pink MGs mixed in with it, too, so the free-standing trellis looks very nice. Want some white lablab? I'll have plenty and more. Another amazing annual plant I grew from seed is absolutely amazing, and I will definitely grow it next year. It is also a fall bloomer. Senna alata. Have you ever tried it - they call it the candlestick plant. In the pea family, so the leaves are just gorgeous. I direct sowed the seed in April, and the plants are all about 7 feet tall! Just now getting ready to bloom with those awesome yellow candelabra blooms. Very easy, drought tolerant, no fertilizer necessary, what more can you ask? Nothing eats on it (like grasshoppers or any other pest). From seed to 7 feet tall with fall blooms? Gotta have it again. Also grew senna bicapsularis, same family. It flowers earlier, and is still flowering, but the seed pods look like very thin sickles. Very attractive - grown from seed also. The purple double datura 'Black Currant Swirl' is just NOW getting ready to bloom. Love the dark green foliage with a touch of purple, and bright purple stems. Verbena bonariensis still going strong, and I love, love, love the red zinnias I planted. HUGE flowers that turn to a rustic bronzy orange as they age. I never thought about the gerbera daisies - always thought of them as a spring plant. Thanks for that info! Susan