I used to live in Macon, Georgia, and your post got my attention. I remember the summer of 1977 because I had just graduated from high school and was doing remodeling work on the outside of my parent's home before I started college. It was the most miserably hot summer I can ever remember. I looked on wunderground.com to see if my memories were accurate. For much of that summer, both the temp and relative humidity were over 90. We had several peach and plum trees, which had wonderful fruit that summer. My mother was pealing peaches to put in our freezer, and whenever I went inside to cool off, I would eat so many peaches, she complained that she could barely peal them as fast as I ate them. I know we had one Elberta, which was our latest bearing peach, with a variety of other cling and freestone peaches. The trees were hanging so heavy with fruit, I had propped up all their limbs to keep them from breaking. I did not know then about thinning the fruit, so the limbs were so heavy with fruit they were about to rip off the trunks without support. I drove metal fence posts into the ground around each tree, and strung wire between the posts in a criss-cross star to support the limbs. Even though I had not thinned the fruit, the peaches were still good sized, ranging from tennis ball to baseball size. We had a really heavy bloom that spring, because January 1977 had been very cold. Several days in January 1977 set the all time record lows for Macon, and several days in June and July set the all time record highs. The trees were kept mulched with copious amounts of composted straw and horse manure. The summer before I had started growing organically for the first time. I had just learned about composting and was a zealous convert. I lived in Macon, just north of Peach county where the commercial peach growing belt begins, and also lived in Cordele, "The Watermelon Capital of the World" which is just south of the peach growing belt. I can testify that the summers are both hot and very humid. Maybe your peaches are just homesick and not in a "New York State of Mind". ;-) Greg

There are many variations - but I suspect that yours may be starting slowly from too much heat. Can you arrange some shade/filtered sun using other plants nearby? If you started from seed, Allium can look like tiny grass the first year when it sprouts - so be careful not to pull grass-like seedlings in that area! Yes, for several years new seed and small bulbs will grow larger and be more rewarding each season. And if you cut (mince and eat like chives) the leaves about the point where they flop, you may find that your Allium begins to feed bulbs and multiply from the base. The flowers will throw seed - or you can collect the seed when it begins to dry - and perhaps begin seedlings indoors, or in shade before planting out, to minimize heat-struggle. Flowering Stalks should be firm - so provide mulch &/or Am water if possible. Once flowering begins, it is normal for leaves to flop and die back to feed bulbs. We have opposite problems. I recently moved massive droopy peonies that were not blooming enough, and some over-vigorous clumps of ornamental Allium (medium size purple-globes) to the sunny front garden, and took care - so that the ground does not parch in peak sun...as that is the only spot where that is a risk for me. I added compost and to help hold moisture, and bulbs are aided by a top moist mulch, and the variety of other plants all around for filtered shade at the base. I intend to eat most of the spicy leaves as I don't care for more Sword-play in my garden by late spring - after masses of tulips, narcissus, and hycinths have quit and the lillies and iris are taking over...and Crocosmia ileaves are waiting to join the dance. I'm adding a Dahlia border to the sword beds...and am excited that a Bachelor's button has already pushed thru the mass of swords to bloom cutely. All are worth growing - in their display seasons. Growth and dormant seasons is balanced with other Perennials and annuals. Adding sheer Dahlia foliage mass to existing Roses and monster Rhodies - and by gosh, there's not much dang subtlety about who rules each season in this section of the urban rain forest. Whoo-ah...now to get back to that rain-or-shine deadheading - or the jungle-look will rule. Having so much Spring rain in the PAC NW - we wind up with too much foliage & dense shade unless we deadhead, prune, pull, divide and hack back plants regularly. Wonder if I'll get the courage to prune that lush Magnolia this year - for more light?

do you over feed them anything else??? ken ps: how do you know what they are eating??? why do you think they are not doing it???

"his ex hates my husband she is not sad they they are not together. She likes to cause trouble though." I didn't mean that she is pining away for him, but you said, "My husband was fooling around with the mother of his other child for years on top of everything to start off. I stayed with my husband because I believe in love and 2nd chances." & I thought you are saying that he was fooling around with the mother of this 8 year old & if he was doing that while he was seeing you, then yes this child saw his parents 'together' at least in some way, unless they were so sly that they hid it from their own child. And even if the mother hates him & is not sad, that does not mean she does not let her son know how angry she is (anger is also a feeling that is much easier to express than hurt, so who knows if she truly hates him or is hurt he finally ended it with her and married you) but I'm sure the child picks up on those feelings because children are little sponges & know more than most people give them credit for. If mommy is angry all the time at daddy, of course it's going to affect how he feels about daddy's house & the new wife, baby, etc. "I think that it's good to be proactive and encourage my stepson to be nice to my son. I don't try to force it upon him. To me to encourage him to love his brother should be a good thing. I agree that yes he is eight and may be frustrated which is understandable. I just don't think that it should be ok that he takes it out on my 2 year old son. If their our any mothers out there you know how you are protective over your children no matter who it might be. If it was my neice , my friend son. I would not stand them to be nasty to my children." If you want to protect your 2 year old, then never allow the 8 year old to be alone with him. It's THAT simple. If dad refuses to acknowledge the problem, then it rests with YOU to protect the baby & make sure he's always in your sight when big brother is around. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be a happy little family, but if he (the 8 year old) does not want that, it is going to backfire to force it. I believe he does know right from wrong & he has anger, resentment issues... maybe from how his mother expresses, directly or inadvertently. He is manipulative if he changes face when dad comes around the corner & I agree with Sylvia that is a dangerous child that does that. (reminiscent of "the good son") Lovehadley has a great point that leaving is probably not the best idea since the child only comes over every other weekend and leaving could place the younger child in jeopardy when he would visit. The bottom line is that unless mom & dad are willing to work together to find out why their son is so aggressive & deal with it, then the only solution is to never allow your baby to alone with him. Yes, he was part of the package as you & your kids were part of a package, but YOU and your DH accepted each other's package... the kids don't get a choice. He didn't choose the package so how can you expect him to accept you as you've accepted him. You are the adult.