Tom, Don't give up! You've had a setback a lot of new growers experience. Don't let a little bad luck discourage you. It will get better if you keep trying and learning from past fails. Actually, from experience, great success in your first year gives you a cocky over confidence that damds you in year two and three. With respect to paprika, I only have Alma paprika seed. I do however have a variety of other chili peppers if you want to give it another shot next season. If you're interested, email me at: ottawapepper (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Ok, I've had a laugh about the eye allergy thing. That is just too funny. Because honestly I have two that do have that issue. Well.... 3. DH, DD and MIL. However, I can one-up you all on that. How do I deal with a person who believes and I mean seriously believes that my house plants take oxygen out of the air? Honest to gods, My MIL believes this with all her silly little heart that the house plants take oxygen out of the air! LOL And she's starting to convince my DH of the same silly notion! *groans* It's absolutely silly, to be honest. And I just do not know how to cope with it. Nor have I figured out how to teach them both that they are wrong! LOL =) I've gone the passive aggressive route so far. Each time either of them mentions that my plants take oxygen out of the air, I go buy another one. ROTF ~Tina

Vee, I felt quite sorry for him. I found Helen to be a bit much.....She loved him like mad but I don't think the passion was quite reciprocated..... But that's the way of things, I'm afraid. His poetry is amazing and apparently so simple! No great images, or masses of adjectives or any hype.The following is not a 'war' poem, but it deserves to be shown. It was introduced to me by the poet Vernon Scanell who was a friend of mine and one of the best poetry critics ever. His Radio 3 programmes were a joy and an illumination. He died a couple of years ago. Here's Edward Thomas's poem, anyway: Old Man Old Man, or Lads-Love, - in the name there's nothing To one that knows not Lads-Love, or Old Man, The hoar green feathery herb, almost a tree, Growing with rosemary and lavender. Even to one that knows it well, the names Half decorate, half perplex, the thing it is: At least, what that is clings not to the names In spite of time. And yet I like the names. The herb itself I like not, but for certain I love it, as someday the child will love it Who plucks a feather from the door-side bush Whenever she goes in or out of the house. Often she waits there, snipping the tips and shrivelling The shreds at last on to the path, Thinking perhaps of nothing, till she sniffs Her fingers and runs off. The bush is still But half as tall as she, 'though it is as old; So well she clips it. Not a word she says; And I ca only wonder how much hereafter She will remember, with that bitter scent, Of garden rows, and ancient damson trees Topping a hedge, a bent path to a door A low thick bush beside the door, and me Forbidding her to pick. As for myself, Where first I met the bitter scent is lost. I, too, often shrivel the grey shreds, Sniff them and think and sniff again and try Once more to think what it is I am remembering, Always in vain. I cannot like the scent, Yet I would rather give up others more sweet, With no meaning, than this bitter one. I have mislaid the key. I sniff the spray And think of nothing; I see and I hear nothing; Yet seem, too, to be listening, lying in wait For what I should, yet never can, remember; No garden appears, no path, no hoar-green bush Of Lad's-love, or Old Man, no child beside, Neither father nor mother, nor any playmate; Only an avenue, dark, nameless, without end Edward Thomas

I agree - annuals for shade is kind of tough, and the ones that are available are, IME, not difficult to WS, but take too long to get to blooming size. I have quite a shady yard, with most areas of the yard not getting more than two to three hours of sun. However, I have had surprising succes with some annuals I would not have thought would do well in these conditions - and often found out because they reseeded there on their own! For example, rudbeckias. I have had these reseed for me in some areas with 2-3 hours of sun and do well. Same for larkspur, feverfew, and most surprisingly to me, chinese asters (which I think are a beautiful and underused annual). Not saying all these look as spectacular as they would in full sun -or that they are, as you call it, "no-fail" - but they do rather well and add some nice color. And in areas with a tad more sun (maybe 4 hours), amaranthus and celosias have done quite well too. Not sure how your sun patterns are, but thought I'd throw these out there in case they may help you. Dee Forgot to add, Queen Anne's Lace does well in partial sun too, but be careful before you introduce this into your garden. It is a prolific reseeder, and some consider it a weed. I LOVE it, and use it in bouquets, and am sure to cut it back often to keep it from reseeding, so I do grow it in my garden.