When did you plant the plants? Just lately?

I've been planting over the course of the past year. The coreopsis looked good last year, then as soon as it got a little cold it stopped blooming and seemed to shrink. It hasn't really grown much this year and then when the flowers were about to bloom, it turned brown from the flowers down. I have other plants shrinking into the ground, too. I thought it was the heat but watering doesn't seem to help.

Could it be a gopher? Min

Not watering enough most likely. Its been a long hot summer and plants out of a container into the ground need to be watered as if they were still in the pot. Its not until you see that "in ground flush" that tells you they can get by on less water now are you home free..