Hello, texasanna. This is a very bad time to plant anything in Texas. The temperatures have been in the 100s for eons and most of the state is in an exceptional drought. The wilting of the leaves is a combination of transplant shock, heat stress and little moisture. If your soil drains well, it would be ok to water often since the plant's root system was cut to fit into the pot. I suspect that wilted leaves return back to normal once the worst of the day is over. Make sure that you have 3-4" of mulch about 6 inches past the drip line to make sure you do not have to water often. Then as long as the soil feels moist on the top 4" inches, you can skip watering. When you water, water the soil early in the mornings starting with the main truck and then watering outwards. About 1 gallon of water per watering should be fine. Make sure the plant gets shade in the afternoon. I find it ideal to get shade starting at 11am or 12pm. I start having trouble with the ;eaves if they get more sun than that. It is not necessary to fertilize this year. The potting mix probably had some of those round fertilizer pellets and that will last until Spring. Besides, plants stressed by transplant shock and heat should never be fertilized. Check the soil acidity if your soil is normally alkaline. You may want to ammend it in the Spring and again in late Summer or early Fall. Does that help you? Luis

Hi Courtney! It is raining here now as I write this and it was raining at bedtime last night. In our county, April through June is our best chance for rain. Some years we receive little if any rain in the summer months, although rain often starts up again in very late August or early September. In a bad year, the rain may not start up again until October or November, so I know we need every bit we receive. After two years with a lot of drought and the corresponding low humidity, it is a little hard to get used to the higher humidity again. I am really dreading the onslaught of mosquitoes, which has already begun here. I won't spray insect repellent on my skin, but will spray it on my clothes if the skeeters are abundant. Your ornamental sweet potato is probably Marguerite, which is the one that's been around the longest. There is a newer one called Sweet Caroline Yellow, but it has a different leaf shape and is not as rampant of a grower, at least not here so far. Two nights ago I noticed blooms on my Sweet Caroline purple. I seldom have blooms on my ornamental sweet potatoes, but they are pretty, somewhat resembling a morning glory. Isn't ornamental oregano gorgeous? I don't know why it hasn't caught on more with the public. It still is fairly rare in nurseries in our area. The first one I ever saw was 'Kent Beauty' but my current favorite is 'Amethyst Falls', although 'Rotkugell' is lovely as well. Rains like we are having now is why I have to build raised beds for almost everything, and also why I am constantly trying to amend my slow-draining red clay soil. At this point, our soil is so wet and there is so much standing water that I feel like I am living in the middle of a pond. We have not experienced much flooding, just the creek being up a little out of its banks briefly, so I feel very fortunate. Your DH has my undying respect for his service to our country. I hope you both will remember that there are many, many of us 'anonymous Americans' out here who appreciate everything they do and have done for our nation and for the cause of freedom around the world. My DH and DS both work at D-FW Airport. One of their favorite parts of their work is the chance to help welcome home arriving troops. The folks at D-FW try to give all the arriving military troops a big welcome. On a day when DH or DS has been a part of that process, they come home raving about how wonderful it was. I am glad you are having butterflies. Red Admirals are all over the verbena bonariensis in my garden this week. I just love the butterflies. My very first garden bed on this property was a butterfly bed right outside my kitchen window so I can watch the butterflies even while working in the kitchen. I love the fact that your son considers the butterflies his 'friend'. And 'Norm'? Oh, that is just priceless. I think everything about having a garden and landscape that attracts butterflies and hummers and other forms of wildlife is great for kids. It does provide you with numerous opportunities for 'educational experiences' and you son will be having so much fun, he won't even realize how much he is learning! Dawn

It's true, planting a small plant in a big pot is often risking root rot. I didn't say anything because planting companion plants is one of the best ways around that problem. Master Gardeners have recently (on the "garden geezer" scale) found out that a layer of gravel actually slows drainage. Any sudden change in soil texture stops drainage until the layer of soil above is saturated, even a change from moderate to fast drainage: try it with an old ant farm, sometime! Instead, just put a piece of plastic window screen, or counted cross-stitch screen, over the drain hole, to keep the soil from running out. Kevin : )

...that's quite a clump to dig out, might need two of you.... I've got a Miscanthus with roses, but feel it's better with the flimsier blooms of Teas and Chinas.... how about another rose in its place to go with the others?.... it just seems a little odd to put some other type of plant there.... that would be my first impression... ...but Clematis are always good to use and I see you are thinking about one, so my suggestion here would be for Clematis 'Durandii', which is herbaceous, so it's simply cut down to the ground each winter and will grow upwards of 6 foot very quickly during the summer... it obviously needs support.... it has a long season from mid June to end August over here... ...here is part of one in my garden, I grow it with an Austin rose not in shot...