I usually think it's just my novice status that's mostly to blame for anything that goes wrong. I didn't plant out in April/early May because it was too wet. Thought little roots needed "air" to flourish and not sodden soil. Didn't know it would get so much worse. Slug invasion non-stop and deer are eating more which I don't understand since rain must have helped grow wild foraging plants. We have sticks for rose bushes...not a bud or leaf left. Thanks a lot Bambi...hope you got nicked while crushing the rabbit fencing around them. All echinacea now without buds. What's the use of growing "first year blooming" perennials (Prairie Splendor & Baby White Swan) if they're going to eat all the first year blooms? Buds just sitting there on Bachelor Buttons and Calendula. I keep telling them "it's JUNE...you can come out now"... at least the ones left that deer haven't eaten. There are a few that aren't face down in the mud who have no excuse not to bloom...LOL. Extra Morning Glory I sowed in 16 oz. cups are bigger than ones I already planted out in ground. Thinking of putting them in pots next to ground planted ones in hopes something fills the space they're supposed to be the main star in. The one truly happy plant is Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum) which is topping out at 7' already. I have to knock earwigs off it regularly but it's standing proudly out there towering among slug/deer eaten or puny non-growing plants in butterfly garden. One Datura metal looks like if has a flower bud...on a plant about 12" tall. Hope that's normal. Slugs eating their leaves too. The list of things to whine about is endless...LOL.

Ken; that was probably a male ruby; they're smaller than the females and do appear darker. Don't get discouraged! I've been there as well. I tried for years to attract them, I faithfully put the feeders out, although I was very unknowledgable about the whole process and didn't change the sugar water as frequently as I should have. I started growing sweet peas because I hear that the hummers liked them. One afternoon, I was stringing up some twine on the deck posts for them to climb, and a foot in front of me, a female stopped and checked me out. OMG was I in heaven! When she left, I ran inside, made a new batch of nectar and cleaned out the feeder. Luckily for me, she stayed, and brought a friend or two. I don't get many, but one year I did know of 7, because I spotted 3 females at the same time and 4 males at the same time. It could've been more, but I'll never know. It was also the first year I had gotten "buzzed"; stuck in the middle of a chase. What a thrill! It's been downhill ever since; the numbers have dwindled for me. I put my feeders out starting in mid April, although I don't normally see a hummer until Mothers Day weekend, when I had a male & female. Just as I thought they disappeared and moved on, they had shown back up again. I just got to witness my very first juvie this past weekend at the feeder. She was too short to drink/reach the ports (saucer feeder), but she just sat there, and didn't mind the humans gawking at her. She even let me walk away and get my camera AND take photos! I may be braindead, but I recall you grow alot of monarda, a magnet for them. I find it hard to believe you don't see more activity! My Jacob Kline has dwindled off but a few tall blooms are showing right now, and my boy hits it every day around dusk. That's when my activity picks up; the female comes around all day but the male likes dusk.

If you have problems with places, post consumer reviews. A good place to frequent for customer reviews of garden companies is the Garden Watchdog which contains a database of nearly 5,500 garden vendors around the world. People like you and I can post feedback based on our experiences. According to their Jung Seed Co Ratings, Jung has room for improvement with customer satisfaction. I haven't ordered from Jung mostly because I personally find their selection to be a bit mainstream for my taste. I'm accustomed to seeking out heirloom varieties from places like Baker Creek (which charges just $2.50 per order no matter how large within the US), Sandhill Preservation Center which has about 93 varieties of Sweet Potatoes, and the Seed Savers Exchange (which offers over 24,000 varieties of heirloom vegetables to all members) there's little left that other sources can provide unless it's Evergreen Seeds or Kitazawa Seed Company for Asian vegetables. I do like to have the Cook's Garden and the Kitchen Garden Seeds Catalogs on hand. And many here like to order from Fedco Seeds. But even with all the sources, I've found that most of my varieties come from the GardenWeb Seed Exchange Forum. It's much more economical. If you're starting out, many offer seeds for the cost of postage. I used to send out close to 20 varieties of heirloom vegetables for well under $1.00 to newbies. And when you trade heirlooms, you can really discover some great finds. If you want plants, use the GardenWeb Plant Exchange Forum. I would sometimes send 30-50 plants for under $15.00 to one person. So you should absolutely utilize the exchanges.

As always, fantastic picture Ken. Like Ken, I feed mealworms during the winter. I'm up in MA and I rarely see any Bluebirds in the summer months, but I get to feed them in the winter. I can't just put out a bowl of mealworms though. All the larger birds, and even chipmunks eat them if I do. So I have a feeder with a stovepipe baffle under it to keep undesirables out.