Thank you so much Jo Anne, many years ago I spent time in NY as a graduate student in Stony Brook, on Long Island and looked at the soil.It is a brown clay with pebbles. I also visited Cornell which is upstate N.York. There most of the soil is permanently amended. Topsoil is quite thin but compost does marvelous things and can change almost anything into a miracle. With you explanation I now can picture how to go forth. Our summers are much cooler than yours, never humid, very sunny though and I'll give Monarda's a try. I find those plants of the Mint family so attractive...I still have to find out why!
