My standout new plant this year was by far Gallardia "Oranges and Lemons". It was the last plant blooming in late Nov after frosts and made tireless stands of beautiful, bright flowers all summer long. I just deadheaded whenever I walked by, and this plant took care of itself. I sure hope it comes back this spring. If not, I will buy another one as an annual, it was THAT GOOD. Agastache "Tutti Frutti" did very well, making a 3 ft small bush that was always beloved by hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. I would like to find a closer place to put one next year so I can better enjoy the creatures that love it so much. Perhaps as part of a container planting on the patio... Disappointments are Monarda "Jacob Cline" because it won't stand upright. It sprawls sideways, etc and is not the look I had hoped for. Nor did it bloom very well this year. Same story for my Gallardia Goblins in same bed, now they did bloom profusely, but not standing up. Instead they flopped all over the place and were a distraction to me. We'll see if they come back too. Not sure what to use in their places if they don't comeback or perform well enough. I need hot colors for a full sun, dry bed in front of house. Sections needing a 3 ft tall upright grower and sections for about a 2 ft tall upright grower. Suggestions ? Thanks in advance !

Hi all, new to the forum. :) Hubby and I are gardening in Wheat Ridge. 2013's good, bad, and just plain weird... Yellow Cherry went steroidal on us, breaking down the biggest tomato cage we had. It had so many fruits on just one plant that I made tomato juice out of self-defense (it was delicious, btw). Golden Jubilee was a big disappointment. It ripened one fruit, which I never tasted because my visiting six-year-old niece was so enthralled with it that I gave it to her. The plant unfortunately never produced any more, but I'm hoping it was a good investment in the next generation of gardeners. Siletz had what I ended up calling "Teenage Mutant Ninja Tomatoes". It producedvery well, but the fruits were the weirdest thing I've ever seen. Almost all of them had what looked like stubby fingers growing from inside the fruit out through the blossom end. We later heard that there was a seed lot that had this strange mutation - evidently our packet was from that lot. (I had thought it was maybe our proximity to Rocky Flats!) They tasted fine, but were very weird-looking! Burgundy okra was a definite winner. I grew it out front in a rose bed we'd built that we didn't have the budget to plant entirely in roses. The okra flowers were pretty and occasioned lots of questions from neighbors who didn't know what it was, and we got enough okra pods to freeze a few bags. We haven't used it all up yet. Sugar Snap peas (the pole type) - another big winner. Nice fat, sweet pods and lots of them. We froze a bunch of these and are still enjoying them. Giant Marconi peppers - our first successful year with these. They really were giant! Good producer, too. Brassicas in general did rather poorly for us this year. Spring broccoli didn't produce till October, only one head of cabbage survived, and the cauliflower died the moment it was set out. Hard to tell with the potatoes. They got caught in that September deluge as we were starting to dry down the vines, and almost every spud split because of the sudden excessive moisture. They taste good, but look awful. That was our 2013...

I totally agree with you. I felt really bad for Adrian and Daphne, although they really did themselves in. They should have just worked really hard and kept quiet until everyone got to know them. I absolutely cannot stand Conda, and to a lesser extent Jeremy. She is a spoiled brat and I cannot tell you how many times I have wanted to reach into the tv and throttle her and her whining voice. She will never, ever be able to keep off her weight, if she indeed loses it. She is an undisciplined emotional wreck, and the whole family is obese so there are years and years of bad habits to overcome. I am about to give up on this show also. It reminds me of the season with really mean girls, Heba and can't remember her name but her husband was Brady the pharmacist.

I was glad she won. ALL of the contestants did very well, in my opinion. My only complaint about the finale is that they wait until the very last second to announce the winner, and then there's not even a couple of minutes for them to let that winner speak, etc. Vannie, you say you slept thru the ending? I always set the recorder to tape it while I watch, because I've been known to do that. I looked at the clock at 9:58 pm eastern....(YES, only two minutes left)...and dozed off till 10:01 !!!! I was sooo glad to have it taped. Shirley