First, have your soil tested. Your local extension office (if there isn't one in the city, check the county across the MD line from you) or any good garden center can tell you where you can get this done. If the pH of the soil is not right then all the nutrients you add are just sitting there and can't be used by the plants. What kind of fertilizer did you use and how much? Too much can be worse than none at all. Also, how much and what kind of amendments did you use to try to "fix" your clay? It takes more than you think at first to make clay into a good garden loam but some amendments, like peat moss, can make the problem worse if not used in a good balance.

Second, time is really important if everything else is right. There's a saying about perennials and it applies to most things, the first year they sleep, the second year they creep, the third year they leap! The plants need time to put down a good root system before they expend energy in top growth. The quality and age before purchase of what you planted may be some of the reason behind your apparent slow progress, too. Buying from a reputable nursery rather than the big box hardware stores is always a good idea, especially for a beginner. They will have people who can help you with any questions you have and most stand behind their plants as well.

Next, look to your watering techniques. Most everything does better with 1" of water a week. If you get a good rain, then watering is not necessary for a while but if not, nutrients can't be absorbed from dry soil. Slow soaking is far better than a lot of water added at one time. Soaker hoses are my personal favorite but a good sprinkler system is helpful if managed carefully. Plus, mulch helps keep the soil moist and keeps the temperature of the soil moderated.

Note that some of what you planted is not hardy in zone 7. Most calla lilies and cannas are chancy at best due to the cold in the winter and should be dug up in the fall and overwintered in a cool but frost free location. Lupines don't like the heat. There are lots of other plants that would be better choices for a sunny location in your climate. Do a little research before you make any other purchases. Garden centers will sell you stuff that won't do well. You have to learn what will work in your area and your specific yard.

Those are a few suggestions to look at. I'm sure others will add more "food for thought."

Sandy

You might see if you can get a master gardener to come and access your problem. Contact your local extension agent to put you in touch with master gardeners. Steve in Baltimore

Have you asked your neighbor how he does it? Gardeners usually love to talk about their gardens!

Gardening is difficult in the DC area--we usually have hot humid summers with not enough rain. Give up on lupines and sweet peas, they both need cool weather. I start seeds in pots indoors where I can keep them continuously moist, then move them into a cold frame, then once they're well established plant them outdoors. It is very difficult to get good results from just planting seeds in the ground. Most varieties of roses do poorly here, you have to select which roses to grow carefully. Also, roses need lots of fertilizer and water. As others have stated here, improving the soil is important. The compost (or peat moss) needs to be worked into the soil, then put in the plants, add fertilizer, add mulch, and be sure the plants get enough water all summer. Mulching helps the plants stay moist. Most of the plants you listed need lots of sun, foxgloves prefer some shade, and hostas prefer full shade.

Gardening is fun, but it's a skill that takes knowledge and lots of experience. Your neighbors may have been gardening for years. Don't get discouraged or give up. My guess is your soil needs to be loosed up (the more easily the roots can spread in the soil, the better the plants will do), and then your plants need to be mulched and kept watered.

Anne

First of all, be patient.

One thing you need to do is check the soil continuously. It sounds like you're doing exactly the right thing by adding compost. This is perfect, but it also takes some time to work, especially if the compost wasn't completely finished when you added it (this is OK, though). Keep on adding as much as you can every year. You can use compost as a mulch, just by spreading a thick (thick!) payer of it on top of the soil. Don't forget to add another (THICK!) layer in the autumn, after the weather cools off. From time to time, poke your trowel into the soil to see if it feels dry or if it's hardening back up.

Roses are not difficult to grow, but you have to choose them with great care to find the ones that will accept your conditions. You don't say which ones you have, but you don't mention blackspot, so I will guess that yours are healthy, just not prolific with flowers. Here's an idea: head out toward the nearest Southern States and buy yourself a 50-pound bag or two of alfalfa pellets or meal - the kind that is intended as horse food. Should cost you about $10 per bag. Dump a couple of cupfuls of meal or pellets in the soil around each rose and scratch it in. Wait. Alfalfa is a slow-acting fertilizer that also has a plant growth hormone in it. Do another application next spring. Use leftovers anywhere you like in the garden.

Clematis take a few years to really get going, but if the soil is decent and they're getting sun, they should do well for you. They may not like the trellis because they want to wrap their little arms around very small supports, like chicken wire, small branches or plastic netting. If the trellis is wooden or has a framework of thick pieces, try stapling or tying plastic bird netting or a piece of chicken wire to it. Mulch.

Lavender needs good drainage, which you can provide if you have sandy or gravelly soil (you probably don't) or if you plant in a raised bed or area. It really doesn't want to be in soggy soil in winter, but ought to be able to be happy in DC generally. Be sure you're not pruning it too much or too early in the spring.

Iris have some special cultural requirements, depending on what kind they are. If you have tall-bearded iris, they should be happy so long as they're not planted deeply in the soil. Sometimes they really need to be dug up, broken into pieces and replanted. Do this in the fall, if yours is looking crowded or if it has a dead zone in the center.

Foxglove may appreciate a little shade in the afternoon, if it hasn't got any now.

Caladiums are also not hardy in DC, though you can dig them up in the fall and store them if you want.

Pick up a copy of "The Well-Tended Perennial Garden" by Tracey di Sabato-Aust.

I agree that you should forget sweet peas and lupines. They are beautiful, but not well suited to the heat of our summers.

Starting in January of next year, check into the "Growing From Seed" forum here on the GW for help with growing things from seed. Once you get the knack, you can have lots of plants for very little money. You can get seeds on the GW's Seed Exchange Forum.

One more thought: If you had a lot of tree roots before, but you added compost or something else tasty to the soil, the tree roots will be back and it may be that the trees are stealing all your water. If that's true, you need to think about how to just live with your trees and plant things that can tolerate that level of competition. There are many plants that fit the bill.

Go to the fall plant swap organized on the Mid-Atlantic Gardening Forum and take something chocolate!

Thanks so much for your help and encouragement--but, you all are such experts, it makes me feel like I will never have enough expertise to get things to work out around here!!! I will follow all your advice, however. Although, I do not believe I have ever been in a Southern States before!!!

I believe the roses are going to be ok--I have different kinds--some, I planted near my privacy fence because I wanted them to eventually climb up and cover (so I bought climbing roses), some I placed in foreground areas (so I bought rose bushes). I also paid attention to purchasing florabunda, tea, etc., although I am not plant literate enough to tell you at this writing which is which--but, I tried to pay attention to their differing habits and purchase accordingly. I do have black spot problems, although they were not what I would have called severe until this morning. When I went out to check on things, I noticed that some of the roses are pretty bad off. I thought this was caused / promoted by wet conditions. I hve been careful not to wet the roses, but, to water their bases. BUt, we had a good rain recently. I also have rose fertilizer I have used twice this season; and I have some spray stuff that's supposed to help with the various fungus problems.

I did not order the mulch yet because I was trying to wait for seeds to come up. I guess I will go ahead and order since it looks like that's a very important part of stabilizing the garden environment. Also, I thought I might end up having to dig stuff up, and I didn't want the added expense of the mulch!!! I also used newspaper as a barrier last year to keep weeds down. This seemed to work fine. There were very little weeds, and the newspaper seems to have just gone to the earth. Is there any problem with this practice?

Most of my purchases were made at Behnke's, if you are familiar--I spent a pretty penny for that. But, I must say, I do not find those people too friendly. I had made a mental note to find another nursery, actually. At anyrate, I felt good that their plants were premium quality, alhtough I have purchased some things at places like HD, Kmart, etc. Also, I purchased 2 alberta spruce topiaries year before last for my front entrance--they died and behnke's took them back without a problem.

As far as fertilizers are concerned, I use the green powder stuff that you can probably find in every houshold (can't remember the name). BUt, I don't think I used too much, because I'm always forgeting to apply!!! I also bought this elixir at Behnke's--again very very expensive, which I believe was fish guts, and maybe seaweed, or something like that. I have only used that one time this season; and I have used the green stuff maybe once or twice this season--both applied as directed with a garden hose and bottle applicator.

With the swap meets you all talked about, would I have to have something to swap? It's pretty obvious that I do not right now (smile). But, that sounds like a great idea.

the newspaper seems to have just gone to the earth. Is there any problem with this practice?

This is a wonderful practice. Cardboard works, too. If (when!) you get mulch, it will do the same thing, but it will take longer. Though it is counter-intuitive, this is exactly what you want - when mulch rots, it enriches the soil. Before you buy a lot of something, call around to a couple of tree services. Often, they have truckloads of ground-up trees/branches that make good mulch and will simply dump on your driveway. The city parks department or sanitation may also have a free mulch pile.

I also bought this elixir at Behnke's--again very very expensive, which I believe was fish guts, and maybe seaweed,

It IS expensive and stinky, but plants seem to love it. I would think, though, that if you add plenty of compost and horse manure to your soil, you won't need to buy anymore fish goo.

You can swap pretty much anything garden-related at a MAG swap meet. Food also works well :-)

I would be wary of putting truckloads of ground up trees and branches from tree services just anywhere. You really don't want to put fresh wood chips down as they require Nitrogen to decompose, so it would essentially be using the nitrogen from your soil making it unavailable to your plants. Let it mellow for a couple years, add some compost if you like to sweeten it up a bit.
I have also imported some annoying weeds from truckloads of fresh mulch...

I moved to the Eastern Shore of MD 10 years ago and was making the same complaint...my garden would not grow. I moved from the Chicago area where the topsoil doesn't quit,to an area of heavy clay that had never been gardened much by previous owners. Plants I brought with me did nothing here. Even my daylilies and hostas petered out after a couple of years, and they will grow almost anywhere. I discovered why the black eyed susan is Maryland's state flower...it took off. I kept trying new plants thinking I just had to find the right thing for my site. Nothing died, but nothing flourished. My New Jersey mother said I needed lime, but would I take her advice? Noooooo. So I dug compost and additives into the soil and they would just disappear into the clay. Finally, 2 years ago, I hired a landscape architect and did have the soil tested and guess what...it was very very acid. I needed LIME...lots of it. We also have a wetland condition so we had a landscape company dig dry wells and drainage ditches as well as dig in lots more top soil and sand. What a difference! Astilbe that had never been more than 2 ft tall suddenly filled out and grew to 3 ft. Daylilies are so big now I have to move them to other places. Native stuff is popping up, Virginia Creeper and spring beauties. Grass is growing, everything is happy. So my advice is, LIME...lots of it, more than you think you need!! Especially if you are using mulch which can add to the acidity of the soil, just what you don't need. One native that was growing well on the property was coast leucothoe, so we added more of that. It is a very attractive shrub with spring flowers and is evergreen in our climate. Very underappreciated I would say. Hope this helps.

Idamon when is the best time to add lime. I've admended my soil with compost but never used lime. I guess the first thing would be to have my soil tested. I've never done that either. Ree

It seems things are starting to look up. Everything has had a growth spurt. I have the mulch down. I still need to have the soil tested, and will get that done next week. The lime sounds interesting--I tried putting some down last year, but, it broke my spreader and I got discouraged!!! But, maybe I will try again. Is this a Fall activity; or something I should start right now?
ej

Lime can be applied just about any time but you need the results of your soil test first! Believe it or not, some gardens/lawns don't need any lime. It will depend on your native soil, what topsoil may have been added over the years, how much lime has been applied in the past, and other factors. Results from a good lab should tell you how much you need to use and how many times you need to apply it, if at all. People often get carried away with lime and think they can't hurt their soil by applying it but that's a myth. All of that said, most soils in the east are acidic and need lime for good growth. But the best thing to remember is "Don't guess. Soil test."

BTW, ground-up wood USED AS A MULCH will not deplete your nitrogen levels. This is one of those gardening myths that just hates to die. Worked into your soil is another matter altogether. On the surface of the soil, it will take nitrogen only from the soil that is actually touching it, which isn't enough to matter. This is why it takes longer to break down on the surface of the soil than worked in; it's just not getting enough nitrogen to rot quickly.

So do feel free to use it as mulch.

Finally, the old saw about perennials: the first year they sleep, the second year they creep, the third year they leap. If you are in year two and your neighbour is in year three, that's enough for a dramatic difference.

Janet's Garden

Please be carfeful with free mulches or mulch in general. In some cases it can have termites. The other thing to watch is having it close to your house. We ran into a problem with Walmart pine bark mulch. Maybe this is a myth too, but just in case it isn't.

I second the advice to talk to your neighbor. If you see him out there every day, he obviously loves his garden very much and would probably love to talk (your ear off) to you about it. ;-) I know I always get a nice warm fuzzy inside when someone complements my garden.

Hope this helps.

Jen