I've had Graham Thomas for 3 years in Ohio...in varying conditions. I purchased him as a potted rose and planted him in a backyard with plenty of sun near downtown Columbus. He was planted in the spring and just kind of did a whole lot of nothing for a LONG time. I actually sat around and asked myself....this rose is supposed to get big? He was planted in mid-June, then just exploded in later September. The little potted rose through out some 4ft tall canes out of nowhere....I'm guessing his roots had finally spread enough that they hit a "sweet spot" and from there on out, he just grew like no other. In the 2nd year, I let him go up to almost 8ft tall until September of last year when I moved from my Columbus property. He was transplanted in my mother's garden...which I am still working on. He was put in there last September and he lost a lot of those real deep feeder roots so when he blooms this spring for his 1st flush he will only be about 2.5ft tall...but I expect him to explode again up to his 8-10ft and I'm growing him as a climber. As far as characteristics from mine. Graham Thomas doesn't seem to like mid-day heat. The blooms tend to crisp a little bit and wilt in summer mid-day heat, but he probably does need a lot of sun for all of his vigor. So ideally(for any rose really) morning and later afternoon sun with a mid day shade. When I was in Z6 Columbus...keep in mind, inside the city, Graham Thomas had almost no dieback whatsoever. Now I can't REALLY say yet how bad the dieback will be in my mother's z5B garden since he had a lot this winter, but quite frankly, I was skeptical he even survived under the circumstances....I transplanted a huge rose and cut off most of the feeder roots and planted him in mid-September....doesn't give much time for the roots to establish themselves for a healthy plant to take on the harsh winters. My GUESS is that once Graham Thomas is established, that he will have a little more dieback in z5B but it will mainly just be tip dieback, but that's just my guess. I won't really know until after this winter.

Tranger2, FEEDING VEGGIES WITHOUT OVERFEEDING NITROGEN: You can do it several ways. One way is to put a thin layer (1/2" would be fine but 1" would be better) of compost or composted manure on the soil surface. Then, layer the mulch of your choice on top. For mulches in the summertime, I use anything and everything I can get my hands on, including packaged mulch, grass clippings, and hay or straw. Then every time you water, the water will filter down through the mulch and through the compost or manure and feed the plants. This provides your plants with constant low-level nutrition. And, as the mulch breaks down it is decomposing and turning from mulch to compost, so it will feed the plants too. You can use organic fertilizers instead of chemically-based ones. Most organic fertilizers are drastically lower than chemically-based ones in terms of nitrogen content. There are many kinds of commercial organic fertilizers available, although you'll normally find a nicer selection of different brands in larger cities. You can use an organic water-soluable fertilizer like liquid fish emulsion or liquid seaweed, or some form of compost tea or manure tea (the teas can sometimes be purchased as concentrates you dilute down and use, or you can make your own). You can use granular organic fertilizers as a side dressing on the soil surface and watering will carry them down into the soil over time. Some of the common brands of granular organic fertilizers include Gardenville, Espoma and Rabbit Hill Farms. I especially like the Espoma products like Tomato-Tone, Holly-Tone, Plant-Tone and many other targeted products in that line for specific types of plants. They are low-nitrogen and also have minerals needed for growth. New in the Espoma line this year is the inclusion of Bio-Tone, their own patented blend of microbes, in the Tomato-Tone. The Tomato Tone, for example, has an N-P-K ratio of 3-4-6 and also is 5% calcium, 1% magnesium and 3% sulfur. I like organic fertilizers because they do not push rapid leaf growth at the expense of root growth and blooms (which, in the veggie garden, give you vegetables). I usually get my Espoma products in Texas because I'm very close to the border, but some people on this forum have found them in central OK and northeastern OK. One of the Home Depot stores in Texas that is close to us had Plant-Tone and Tomato-Tone last year, but this year they only have Plant-Tone. I get my Tomato-Tone at nurseries in the Denton-Lewisville-Grapevine area. I'm going to link the Espoma website so you can learn more about their products. Like I said, they are only one of many manufacturers who make organic fertilizers. You'll find others in your area. PEAS: If they are English peas (snap, edible pod, etc.), those are cool-season crops and would not be producing in this heat. If they are southern peas (crowder, cream or black-eyed types), they'll need to be fenced or the deer and rabbits will eat them. In my garden, it usually was the rabbits before we put up a critter-proof fence. HOLES IN LEAVES OF OKRA: In the current hot conditions, it is likely the holes are from grasshoppers if they are large. If they are very small holes they could be any one of many small leaf-eating insects. SLOW GROWTH OF PEPPERS AND OKRA: Both of these like heat and tend to grow well in it, although there can be extenuating circumstances that slow their growth. One such instance would be if they were planted outside when the soil was still too cool for them. Soil temps below 55 degrees stunt peppers and sometimes the stunting effect lasts the whole season, and soil temperatures 68 degrees or lower have the same effect on okra. Or, if your plants were set out when the soil was warm enough but then a late cool spell brought cold temps (a few days in the 40s for peppers or in the 50s for okra), that can stunt them. Other reasons for slow growth in okra include soil pH 6.0 and lower, overwatering and soil that stays too wet, or a lack of nitrogen. Other reasons for slow growth of pepper plants would be low fertility or low sunlight. WILTING IN SUMMER: Many plants show some wilt during the daylight hours in the hot parts of the summer. It is important to remember that wilt is a sympton of stress, but not necessarily a sympton of dryness. A plant can wilt because its roots are staying too wet. Most often, at this time of year, wilting is a sign of heat stress. The plants don't like the high temperatures and intense sunlight at this time of year any more than we do. If your plants are wilting because of heat stress and not because they are too dry, they should perk up on their own in the evening hours. So, don't be too quick to grab the hose and water when they wilt. Check the soil by sticking your finger down in it to see if there is moisture there. If the soil is moist, the wilting is not an indicator of dryness and you don't need to water. If you water every time they wilt, you're training the roots to stay close to the surface and that leads to more wilting. You want to water less frequently but more deeply so the roots will reach down deep in the soil. This will make your plants less likely to wilt. Mulching the soil heavily can help hold moisture in the soil and help keep the soil cooler and that will help reduce wilting too. There is nothing inherently wrong with using MG through a hose-end sprayer, but maybe once every other week and not once a week. If you're using it weekly, your plants are likely to have more green topgrowth than their roots can support and that contributes to wilting too. I'd stop using the MG in the veggie garden. If you do, you'll probably see less wilting and more production. If you want to continue using MG on your veggies on a regular basis, get the Bloom Booster one for flowers to encourage more veggies on the plants. SOIL IMPROVEMENT: If you have real sandy soil that is low in organic matter, it will get better every year as you add more organic matter to it, and I know that you know that. Read some of the things Jay (who posts here as Elkwc) has written here about how he improves his fast-draining sandy soil. Hope that covers everything. Dawn

I noticed the same issues with my plants. My Tepin and Mole sprouts are growing VERY slowly - 2 inches tall, just starting to grow their 2nd set of leaves. My sweet banana peppers are almost 4 inches tall with fully a developed 2nd set of leaves. After a few waterings, I have been giving all of my plants a full dose (10-15-10) of fertilizer. The Banana peppers love it. The leaves are long and thick. The hot peppers show no signs of fertilization.

FYI, yews are one of the most shade tolerant of conifers but they are perfectly happy in full sun - no concerns about that at all!! And they take pruning or shearing extremely well compared to any other sort of needled evergreen, however the low growing or spreading type seldom require it.