I'm not very educated in pruning either. I usually just hack away until it looks good to me. I've got a few shrubs that need some hacking now but I haven't had a chance yet. I did manage to cut the beauty berry shrubs on our property line.

The first picture is sunflowers. Not sure about the second. Sort of looks like garden phlox. I have some like that too but I can't remember what they are. The third, I've never seen a flower like that!

I can hardly wait for next year when we won't be babysitting so I can get out in the garden everyday. Right now I have to walk around with the kids and look at all that needs to be done. I did have to water in the GH. All those small paper pots and six packs dry out really fast with the breeze and heat. Very breezy and hot here but the same as you, it doesn't feel that hot because of the breeze.

I need to go back out and water some seedlings in the cell packs, just doesn't seem possible anything could be dry after all that rain. Now, the water level in the bog is up to the surface, don't even have to pull the mulch back in places to see the standing water. When you walk down there you feel like you are on a trampoline, you just sort of bounce on a cushion of leaves over water.

What a vivid description of walking in the bog. And things will grow down there?

The only thing I have growing in the really boggiest spots are daylilies, and they love it. Like you I thought I had posted pictures recently but looking back I can't find them. I'll post some tomorrow. Not quite so boggy but still very wet is my tomato area, so far the tomatoes are loving it too. The squash and cucumbers were doing great till the O'possum dug them up twice, I replanted them and they are looking better again now.

My tomatoes have blooms: Oh, that is standing water over to the right of the tomatoes.

Cucumbers looking better.


My "Black Elephant Ear"

Went back and read the post about walking around with the kids, enjoy it while you can, I really miss it. I have a great grandson, but don't get to see him often, and I would love to walk around the garden with him.

Colocasia, that's what the Elephant Ears are. I can never remember that, much less how to spell it.

I like the coloring on yours!!! Do you lift them in the winter? I've never had them before. I got mine at Santa Rosa Gardens. Here's the link to their picture.
http://www.santarosagardens.co...

I see the water! What is that planted up against the fence to the right, just before the water? Is that your daylily starts?

Gosh, your garden looks so nice! no weeds!!!

Oh, I know what you mean about the time with the grandkids. I grumble but I am happy I get to spend so much time with them, especially now. They are the reason we moved down here from MD. And they have been going to the garden with me from the get go. Miranda (age 5) can pretty much name all the vegetables and flowers. She used to help me a lot in the garden but it's harder to keep her attention on it now. Jackson is almost two and he tags along and likes to pull out my plant tags and help me pull weeds. Now if he could only tell the difference between the weeds and my flowers!

Wow, you have a great grandson! My kids got a late start so unless the grandkids don't follow suite, I probably won't see greats.

Yes the little white tags have numbers and each one did represent a daylily, now there are a few empty slots due to the O'possum.
No I don't lift anything I grow, even the caladiums (but some years they don't make it ) . I just noticed today I had a few starting to show some leaves.
My large elephant ears are actually

OH. MY. GOSH!!!!! Now that's LARGE!!!

I think I'm going to lift mine this year because we have been having some really cold winters. I don't have caladiums but I never lift dahlias or glads.

I hope my colocasia get that big! I bought a root of Borneo Giant and it's growing in a pot in the office...just a tiny thing now, but fingers crossed.
RE: Pruning holly. I wouldn't dare...they grow so slowly up here...I've got one that's probably 15 years old and it has only just now reached about shoulder height. Pruning isn't something to be afraid of...it's been my experience that with shrubs, you can't really kill them unless you prune them really drastically in the heat of summer. In that case, the best thing would be to cut them right down to the ground instead and let them "regenerate". A shrub that's dying you can kill, but it would have gone on to join the choir invisible anyways *grin*.