Debbie, Kathleen's right, go ahead and sow some Hollyhocks, they'll have plenty of time to develop in your zone.

Lucy, I loved the wild Aruncus when I lived in the woods, it was the tall kind. Your mention makes me miss it. Do you have any pics?

I've got so many wintersown perennial seedlings that need to get in the ground, I'm so far behind! Penstemons are the ones I'm most concerned about, but they're looking really good in their containers. The gardens are insanely full, full of weeds too, but thankfully the flowers are bigger. There's nowhere to plant any of these seedlings till I do considerable weeding and whacking back. Even then its going to be a challenge. I think I've finally overwhelmed myself with plants...it was bound to happen. There's so much blooming each day, by the time I walk around and observe, its getting dark.

Neal, I had great luck with all my WS perennials last year that got potted in small pots and spent the summer on the deck. If they survived my sporadic watering and the heat, they were extremely grateful once they got in the ground in the fall, and are gorgeous this year! I'm actually doing some that way on purpose this year (because I still have weeding and some other planting to do for now too :).

Im afraid no pictures. I will try & take some, but they will be sitting in the film camera until next yr.

Thank you both so much!

Oh darn, I've been so concerned trying to get annuals in the ground yet I STILL haven't planted my HH's yet either thanks Debbie for reminding me! It's just been so darn hot outside can't handle this humidity anymore I can't believe it got so hot and humid and is staying that way I'm just wondering what is coming in August when our hottest weather will arrive if it's worse than this weather which is usually the case it's going to be a scorcher! Not looking forward to August at all. I just planted 4 o' clocks a little while back and they are up about 8" lol Some didn't come up but I'm guessing it's the heat and l lost quite a few seeds this year because of it being so wet in my jugs I had some late seeding of foxgloves had little babies and they all melted in the rain Lost my cardinalis that I WS too but ended up with a lot of reseeders of those but most of them are blue and I really wanted some more red ones.

Neal I still need to get my sunflowers in the ground too I have a couple of reseeders from last year and they are already up and almost ready to bloom! With it so hot I'm almost afraid to put the bottles over them to keep the critters away from them afraid it will cook the seeds! I may need to rethink about those and just put some screen over them.

I never even got around to sowing my sunflowers, but thankfully have some volunteers from the Italian whites. I love those, they already have buds.

I have a large note at the top of my "notes for next year". MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS DONE BY MAY 1ST." LOL This has been a miserable year in the garden. After about 11 am, the only thing I can do is look out of my window and wish it were cooler.

Ha! I say that every year and it never works I enjoyed that for a good laugh though

Yes I know. The scary thing is, I'm already getting my garden bulbs and plans ready for next spring. I am pitifully in love with plants. What can I say. I'm learning to go out early in the morning for about an hour at the time and then after that I go out for about 30 minutes at the time. I am armed with a sweat band and towel. Then I go in and drink lots of water and let the pounding in my head stop, and go again. Now you know, that is pitiful. Now I am having to move some of my "Full Sun" zone 8 and 9 plants into the morning sun only area. The leaves are turning brown. My roses and bougainvilleas and things like that LOVE this hot sun. I just shake my head at them & say 'How do you stand this?".

Gaillarda has to go in my top 5 for sheer length of bloom time and for withstanding the heat.

I have Troillus and just love it.

Salmon Classic and Matrix

I love irises, of course, but heuchera works well, especially as different colors of foliage are appearing.

This deserves a look
http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf...

I bet mommy robin wouldn't let people too close.

They must have had a fixed camera.
I loved the section where both parents were feeding frantically,then the nest was empty and they still came with food.
Those of us who have raised a family must know how "into the kids groove" we got and then one day Poooof it was over.
Mixd feelings of relief,panic and saddness.

Many people can still grow lilies. I think that ours were wiped out by the red lily beetle.

Rosepoint Lace today

rosecampion reseeds not a perennial


lollipop lilies

geranium Midnight Reiter

campanula Blue Falls

completely crazy colors

coriopsis Helios
JM
and Spireah noid

Neal was just thinking about your lupines did they come back this year? I've completely given up on them here :(

Thought about you the other day never did see any of my barbatus penstemons coming back up this year never did get to see them bloom only lasted one year for me so I had some old old seeds and decided to do a late planting of them hoping to get at least one and low and behold I got two Now if the birds don't get them for nesting material I'll be able to plant them this fall but it will be on a hillier site so they can stay dry these wet winters I think did them in.

How are those painted daisies doing this year?

I just planted a new Monarda well I got it last year but didn't get them in the ground but think it's going to be my favorite for sure 'Pink Lace' tried to find a good picture of them but this is the best I could come up with:

http://audubonworkshop.com/pro...

Got this from a mutual friend Neal so you may have them too

The june 20 photos
https://picasaweb.google.com/j...

Hey Lea! Good to hear from ya! The Lupines were a bust for me too, a couple returned and melted in the heat, and no blooms. Those Penstemons behaved like a biennial for me too. The blooms were lovely, but the plants didn't get very big. In my chaotic, overcrowded garden, if it doesn't beef up quickly and fend for itself, it doesn't stand much of a chance, LOL. A few of the Painted Daisies disappeared in a bed where I had a lot of vole damage over winter- I kinda think the tunneling under the roots was the problem. Some I have in another bed returned and bloomed well.

I didn't have any of that Monarda, looks lovely though. For some reason, Monardas don't do very well for me here. I don't get it at all, always thought of them as a no care perennial. My neighbor has some that are gorgeous, I can't figure out what they don't like here.