Thanks - I'm pretty proud The beds were made from scrap boards I had at hand. Some of them are cedar, I think the others are oak and pine. The man that owned this house before me left quite a bit of nice lumber. I designed the garden based on the lumber I had. I may have to actually buy some next year when I expand. The unhealthy plants aren't in the pictures - notice the tee-pee with nothing on it? I put in sweet peas that produced 2- 3 peas each and then died. Bush beans havent done well for me either - lots of insect damage, there has been some fruit production, but the plants are about the same size as when I put them in. And yes T-Bird, Carmen Miranda was my first association so I had to include the pic.

Congrats on your first garden. As they years pass, the better you'll get...the more failures you'll discover...and the more successes you'll master. You're paying attention to not only what's growing well and what isn't...you're paying attention to how plants compete with each other in your environment. "I planted peppers in the ground and they all went crunchy. So I took them to the greenhouse and they gave me new ones." ...and it sounds like you've found one hell of a friendly supplier there. Good on them. Good luck with the rest of this season and next season, too.

Jessica, Thanks for the pic... wowzers - I can't wait!! I am currently taking a break from sweating like crazy from putting my 'black gold' into my beds (getting ready for my order to arrive). I figured today was perfect since it is only 75 and overcast! Great day to dig holes. P.S. that is amazing for Texas in July... Juliet - I hear you... The BF listens but sometimes I think he is thinking about washing his socks or something that interests him more! He is not real interested in gardening, but he will digs holes if I ask!! I use part mushroom compost, part peat, part vermiculite, part perilite, and lots of a regular garden soil and mix it all together... then blend it with my regular bedding mix that is already out there (which is cow poo compost, sand, soil and I guess some left over clay as that is the natural Texas garbage I have naturally). Everything seems to grow like crazy in it. All of the DL I have gotten (which is not too many - 16) seem to just love it. I put them in, and within 2 weeks they all have new leaves and some even new scapes. Could be the varieties I bought (Strawberry Candy and Going Bananas are just that... Going Bananas - do I have a food DL thing going on here???). But my understanding is that they can grow just about anywhere... but I think they like loose, well drained soil. I just want my purples and blues to be vibrant!! We will see what happens... I am new to all this too, so I read as much as I can and defer to the experts here! Jan - I am still in the buying phase... maybe after a few years I might breed my own and toss them to good friends, but I hope the need to have a daylily farm dosen't hit me!! I hear that is the last step in the disease progression. ;o)

/Beth I think davidcummingii just really needs consistency. It is not tolerant of going too dry or staying too wet. I haven't had mine as long as others have, so you might receive more thorough advice elsewhere. What I know is that mine isn't routinely high maintenance, just violently upsettable during seasonal changes (read: fall). So, maybe that just further confirms that it doesn't like inconsistency. Perhaps it comes from a very stable region? When David recommends growing davidcummingii in hydroton, he is referring to a semi-hydro setup (with water reservoir), which allows moisture to be consistently wicked up to the roots without the risk of overwatering. /Susan That's true, merrilli has jawdroppingly SHINY leaves. I wish it was easier to capture in a photograph because they look like they are covered in high gloss lacquer irl.