Thanks :D Actually Mo_girl Nasturtium were one of the last to germinate this year. This here one is from Jewel Mix and it germinated May 11 and just got planted...thats SLOW! The Empress of India has 1 weak seedling and the Tip-Top Velvet has done nothing. All of them were sown on April 16th. In total all I have is only 4 of these Jewel Mix 1 from Empress of India...I'm sad LOL! The African Daisy is in a spot that is VERY rocky/sandy and in full sun. I know it's not the same as the Venidium species of AD but I sure hope it likes the same growing conditions. Personally I've never gotten Cleome to grow like it should. My first time they got swallowed up by mature plants and last year they had space but were stunted all season. This year I planted the seedlings in better amended soil. I believe these can grow as much as 3-4' across and from 4-5' tall. I didn't give them that much room so I guess I'll find out soon! I'm going to get a hold of the native from out this way called Rocky Mountain Bee Plant which is probably better suited to our drier conditions and soil...Cleome serrulata. It doesn't smell good and is known as Stink Flower, but it attracts lots of pollinators. Cypress Vine just died out on me last year, but so far this year they look much healthier :D Becky, I had my share of poor germination and 0 germination is several containers too. Salvia's for me have always been poor expect of for Salvia officinalis (re-seeds too) and annual S. hormonium (re-seeds sporadically). Yvonne's never germinated for me last year and this year I had to sow a few times to get these ones. Also had poor germination (between 1 and 6 sprouts, but mostly in between) with all the Celosia (Value Seed and trade), Amaranthus tricolor (trade), Calendula (Value Seed and trade), Scabiosa (sown twice; my own), Ageratum (Value Seed), Gazania (trades), Datura (white), Dahlia (trade), Lupine (trade), Malva (trade) and annual Verbena, burgundy. I had 0 percent germination in Datura 'Golden Queen' (Value Seed), Monopsis debilis (Value Seed), Cosmo, dwarf white (trade), Profusion Zinnia (my own), Beaudry's Giant Zinnia (trade), Prairie Dropseed (trade), Silver Feather Grass (commercial trade), Cuphea ( Value Seed), Lab Lab (trade) and Sweet Pea (Value Seed).

I have numerous salvias in part shade and they are in full bloom right now; salvia gregii, salvia microphylla. I think they would be fine in both areas. Another I have in same conditions is polygala dalmaisiana sweet pea bush and will bloom most of the year and frost doesn't seem to bother it. You might try cistus orchid rock rose on the slope. In your heat and mine some full sun plants will appreciate some shade so don't let that deter your choices. CA native salvia clevelandii would also be good and has a nice scent and great for erosion control on the slope. Although it will sort of die off in late summer so may not be as nice next to your door. You should also take a look at lavatera tree mallow maritime and bush morning glory convolvulus cneorum both appreciate some shade. Frost hasn't bothered any I have listed.

Jessica - I am on the 18th floor of a hi-rise with a covered balcony that like yours, faces NE. In my case, since I am above the tree line, I can get about 5 - 6 hours of sun per day. I have a number of vines here but you might want to consider growing your vines against your balcony rail. I have 2 honeysuckles ('Blanche Sandman' & 'Mandarin'), morning glories, cypress vine, hyacinth bean vine, and scarlet runner bean vines. What I did with those annual vines was to plant them in a 3ft trough at my balcony rail and then let them climb on a trellis that I put in the trough that extends up about 6ft. That way, the vines can get the sun and the flowers will face out to where the hummers can enjoy them. I have really been surprised at how much the hummers like the MGs - particularly once they have closed and they can stick their beaks down in them. I have trained the MGs to go up the feeder shepherd's hook and that actually helps to shade the feeder for the hummies. My honeysuckles are back from the rail but still bloom with part sun. Honeysuckles tend to be edge of the understory (eg., woods) type plants anyway, so they can tolerate part sun conditions. Creating places for them to perch (and guard) is also good to do, and a trellis does help in that regard. The below is one of my feeders with the MGs trained over the shepherd's hook and a hummer at the feeder - with another hummer right nearby on a makeshift perch! LOL

Unfortunately with that small amount of sun you probably won't have any luck growing anything with showy flowers. (My first thought was sweet autumn clematis which can grow in part shade, but It sounds like you have shade due to a structure which is not the same as shade from a high canopy of trees, where this clematis would probably do well in.) So I second the dutchmans pipe, not only does it have beautiful large heart shaped leaves, but it is the host plant for the pipevine swallowtail's caterpillars. So if you have these beautiful butterflies in your area you will hopefully be lucky enough to have future generations start in your yard! Also I want to point out that the species name is now usually listed as Aristolochia macrophylla (to save you some confusion if you can't find the other older species name) another pipevine hardy for you is Aristolochia tomentosa. If you'd like more info about growing one here's some info I've gathered: Aristolochia macrophylla Pipevine Perennial Vine Hardiness: Zones 4 to 8 Exposure: Sun to Shade Soil: Moist; Fertile Height: 15Â to 30Â Spread: 15Â to 20Â Bloom: May Color: Green to Purplish Brown PH: 6.1 to 8.5 Danger: Poisonous Description: Pipevine is an eastern North American native vine. It is easily grown in fertile, moist, well-drained soil. It can be grown in average garden soil but it does not tolerate dry soils and wilts in dry conditions. This vigorous climber with pretty heart shaped leaves has been popular since Victorian times for providing shade on porches. The 2 inch pale purplish brown flowers are interesting, but are mostly hidden by the foliage. They are pollinated by flies which they attract with their malodorous flowers then trap. The next day the flower stops producing the scent that attracted the flies and releases pollen on them, only then does the flower reopen and release the flies to carry the pollen to another flower. Aristolochia species are the only host plant for Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars. Provide a strong support for this rapid grower and if desired cut it back in late winter to control its growth. Copy and paste this link for a cool site with pictures! http://www.abnativeplants.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=plants.plantDetail&plant_id=14 Here is a link that might be useful: Check the map of your state to see if you have pipevine swallowtails