I'm actually enjoying getting to deadhead the last 3 weeks or so. Everything was so far behind that I didn't need to do much of it until then.

It's picking weeds I can't stand ! How many weeds is a person supposed to have to pick anyway ?!?

All of my annuals are finally doing beautifully the last few weeks and my petunias are the best I've ever had. (that's keeping in mind petunias aren't my forte) My roses are blooming fairly well considering it's their first year in the ground. The marigolds I started from seed in the house are perfect, and better than the ones I bought. My new Compact American Cranberry bush is loving it's new home.

I struggled for years with weeds in one part of our yard. This year I covered the area with cardboard and topped with grass clippings that I add to from time to time. Voila! I wish I'd done it years ago, so that's my lesson learned this year =:)

My petunias are awful right now. I've already dumped a couple of containers, and was eying up a couple more today.I know you're supposed to cut them back in the summer, but it's hard to do that when they look so nice. Million bells don't need deadheading, but they start looking leggy and ragged after awhile too. I've been thinking this summer that i should rethink my container plants.

I don't deadhead anything unless it would seed itself all over the world if I didn't. I have never deadheaded lobelia and mine looks really good still. I have found the secret to lobelia is to plant it where it gets shade during the hottest part of the day, but full sun otherwise. And keep it damp.

I have a giant volunteer petunia in my new garden that looks great, covered in bloom. The $5 wave petunia I planted with my lobelia has died. :/

Anyway I don't deadhead because I'm lazy and also like to collect and horde seeds.

I don't really deadhead either, except for perhaps geraniums and sometimes marigolds, in order that they look better. It's funny no matter how scraggly petunias get, they still seem to keep blooming.

The wave petunias I planted in big pots with other plants look great. The ones I have in smaller hanging baskets never did get very big. I think part of the issue was that they were too soggy for too long earlier in the season.

my petunias need dead-heading, and i'd rather not, too. what i am enjoying is harvesting beets, carrots, broccoli, snap peas, and rhubarb!

My petunias are getting scraggly too. I always deadhead, because my pots are right by the front door, and I think deadheading keeps everything in full bloom and at maximum attractiveness all the time. BUT. I really, really should have pinched my petunias back this summer. Now they are only blooming from the top of their tall, scraggly stems. Oh well, this is the first year I've used many petunias, I guess you learn from your mistakes each year! I agree with Glen3a - petunias really are troopers, they are still blooming, even though they're dying!

northspruce - I also have a volunteer somethingorother growing in with my perennials. Must have self seeded when I threw the dead plants over the deck railing last fall. It isn't petunia, but it sort of looks like the million bells one? I think it is called cali-somethin. :D Kinda neat anyway, even though the bright pink doesn't go with the orange, yellow and red perennials surrounding it!

I wish I had the money to replace my summer stuff with fall beauties like mum's and stuff. Then I could have Martha Stewartish pots! Ya right..when I have the money for a second wave of plant buying. Never!

I'm with ya. Around the end of August I'm tired of deadheading and weeding and watering. I wonder if southern, especially tropical area, gardeners ever get tired of the maintenance.

Weeper - I actually did buy mums to replace some past their prime annuals in pots. I resent having to water them! lol How sad is that?

Is that you, Judy? LOL

I was going to buy some mums today too, if there had been any at Walmart. There wasn't, so i was saved!

On my walks i've noticed that a lot of people use marigolds in their containers and they look really nice. I've been rethinking the petunia thing because i never take care of them like i should and they end up looking terrible.

I was in at Rona last weekend and picked up 7 beautiful annual Mums for $3.49 each.

As of 2 days ago, all of my annuals were still blooming pretty well, so I didn't need them yet, but knew they'd be gone if I didn't snap them up.

I'm afraid to go outside tomorrow. My annuals may not have liked the weather the last two cold days =:( I might have needed the Mums afterall.

My marigolds and cosmos still look great and the Shirley poppies are not bad either. Oh, and one really nice clump of zinnias. The impatiens in the ground are nice enough too. Most of my containers have really scraggly plants in them, though.

Well, call me NUTS ( Weeper wants to anyway LOL ) but I went outside this morning in 11 degree drizzling weather, and deadheaded my marigolds, dianthus, and petunias. I just can't let them go yet. I also stabbed about 6-7 slugs that ticked me off =:)

Yes, Marcia, it's me. Don't tell your friends here that I'm not really "far north", ok? Only it feels like I am when there's 4 feet of snow on the ground. ;-)

And i've seen pictures, people, so i think she can qualify! LOL