Same here! This is my first "real" year gardening, and I'm about to give up. Outside of vegetables (and my wall of mg) none of the ws annuals made it. I have one lil petunia that keeps trying too bloom, and it just started a week or two ago. There was one other, cant remember the name right now that put up one bloom then keeled over. My sunflowers (the mamoths) range from 1ft tall to 6ft tall, only 3 out of like 24 are 6ft tall, making for a very uneven sunflower house. My cukes aren't growing, they just finally had a small growth spurt this weekend, and some mole or ground hog decide to dig a huge tunnel under my cuke tunnel!! My pole beans are just starting to grow. No zukes showing yet, only 2 summer squashes. My toms aren't ripening, I thought they were just starting, some were going yellow, but today they're brown mush. My Yellow pear tom stopped growing and went backwards, it only sits 3-4ft tall. I've gotten about 10 toms from that. Gave up on the broccili. It's weird, we got warm weather early this year (been above 70 since end of April, more like above 80, into 90's w/ 100+ heat indexes!) I would've thought things would've grown early w/ the head start and the heat lovers would be going nuts. But it's like everything is just starting to grow, in AUGUST!! My cocks comb is just starting out, well I have one that's 2ft tall and hasn't bloomed, but a few others have (at 4 in tall!) I bought a bunch of young perrenials this spring, they have done NOTHING! Haven't grown a bit!. 1 out of 6 Calla Lily bulbs came up, no blooms from that yet either. The only good things have been my daylilies. All the ones I planted last year gave me, and still are giving me a great show, even the majority of the ones I bought this spring gave me a nice show. And the lovely morning glory foilage that is finally covering my ugly wooden retaining wall, just wish it had more blooms to go w/ the foilage. If I wanted all green I would've planted Ivy! So I guess I should chalk it all up to the weather? I just assumed it was me. Ehh...I still blame my crappy soil!

The garden looked pretty good through June, I managed to keep the weeds down. So hot out now though, they are getting a hold on again. I am going to do some heavy duty mulching this fall when it cools down. Probably mostly with leaves, but hopefully that will help a lot. If I don't get a method to reduce weeding, I won't be able to expand much more. Nat4b, Isaac is a pretty thing, & think its simplicity is what is so attractive about it, a bit different look from anything else. It has been blooming constantly since June 4 this year. Thanks Jean & Julia! I'm really enjoying Wedding Gown. I grew these hibiscus from seed, I just wish the Japanese beetles didn't like them so well. They really like Pink Swirl for some reason, you can see little holes in some of the flowers. I think the beetles are on the way out, don't seem so prolific the last couple of days. Julia, the hardy hibiscus are supposed to overwinter to zone 4. Not sure I would count on zone 4, but they should do fine for you. They die back to the ground each winter & are late the next year to come back. I think it is great that they are blooming in July/August when nothing much else is blooming.

Now athanasia acerosa, euryops pectinatus, leucospermum, pelargonium, podocarpus henkelyii, Rhynchelytryum neriglume(grass) strelitzia reginae (almost always), coleonema pulchella, tulbaghia violacea and watsonia

I just got Belinda's Dream this year. So far it's been really dormant. The bush looks great - but I've had only 1 flower. Can't even remember what it looks like. But it will get better. Sara-Ann - your BD flowers look amazing! So does yours Steven! I love the pure pink coloring. Carol