Gingerflower, You're in for lots of fun (and work!). :) I think the first thing I'd do (well, it's not actually the first thing I did because I'm too impatient, but....) is some soil testing to see what you've got as far as pH, soil type, etc. It will also tell you if you need to add organic matter. Are you close to a town with a Cooperative Extension office? They can provide info on how and where to get your soil test kits. I agree with little dani...mulch, mulch, mulch to conserve moisture and cut down on weeds. I am on the coastal plain of NC and Salvias are one of my favorite because they're happy in my sandy soil and hot summers. There is a Salvia forum on GWeb, you might have seen it already. Have fun and happy gardening! Pam

You certainly weren't expecting it to be this way, were you? You and your wife have vastly different parenting standards. Without serious intervention and agreement to specific changes, this isnt going to change. And you would likely confront these issues if you had a biological child of your own with her. My personal opinion is that if she won't address this NOW, with the help of a professional, than you should spare yourself the possible years of grief ahead and get out now. As step parents, we are here to support our spouses. But if their decisions are so fundamentally opposed to ours, how can that be done? The best scenario is to figure this out BEFORE getting married....but that is not always possible. People change, and when we are dating, we don't always see the bigger, longer term picture. You sound desperate, and it is understandable. Please seek professional help asap. You need to manage your own stress. Ask for a referral for you and your wife to seek help together. If she wont go, IT ISNT YOUR FAULT. You need to do something, and you will feel better and begin to think more clearly with an expert helping you. Allowing the children to behave in the way you described is not acceptable. You have reason to be concerned about the future!

It looks like everything isn't getting enough water. The amount of water a plant needs is highly dependent on the soil that it's in, and how much heat/sunlight it gets. That soil looks like it's very fast draining so you may have to water more than 1 time a day, and for longer periods of time (try to keep the flow low). The perlite mixed into the soil makes it drain really fast and the roots dry out shortly after the soil does. I have a lot of plants in containers and I use an automatic watering system for them. They get 10 minutes of water every morning from 1/2 gph emitters for 1 gal containers, and 1 gallon emitters for the 2-3 gallon containers. Anything larger than that and I use variable emitters. In summer, I change it to 8 mins, 2 times a day. You can get one of those timers for your hose and just leave it on real low for a few mins each day for these. As far as if everything is savable, everything except maybe the first picture has a really good chance of being saved, and that first plant might be savable but I'd give it a lot of shade for a few days and definitely give it regular and long watering.

Yep - Berkeley is all about supporting electric companies (they just passed the NG ban on new construction). Yep - Berkeley is all about corporate interests and doesn't care about the environment. Right.... There is a problem if rich folks get solar and batteries and get off the grid. The utility is required to be at your house even if you pay zero for it. They are required to come to houses that are completely shaded and have no hope for solar. There is a problem when there are less ratepayers to pay for the mandatory hookups. Listen - CA has one of the most solar friendly environments - explains why it is number one for solar installs. You can complain about that and call it corporate greed but it doesn't change that you are number one state by any measure (ok maybe Hawaii by some measures). Yes - utilities are fighting for their self interest. But you still have one of the best environments anywhere. Installed my second solar system (on second house), so I am very pro-solar. Utilities are going to fight certain things. That doesn't mean NG bans are not environmentally motivated. And doesn't PG&E supply both gas and electricity? Hence the G and E?