QUESTION: This is the third summer in this house and I cannot find anything for our front stoop that will grow without watering it every day. I would like something that is more or less permanent in an urn or large pot. I figure I can add annuals around the edge. This side of our house gets a direct hit from the afternoon sun. Add to that the heat-absorbing brick and concrete, and it is like a desert. Can you suggest anything?ANSWER: You have a challenging environment to work with. Your front stoop gets direct sun at the hottest part of the day. And of course, a potted plant dries out faster than one in the ground.Some good-looking pots contain water reservoirs that allow the soil to take up water as it dries. However, most are plastic, which may not be quite right for your front entrance. Water-absorbing crystals worked into the soil at planting time will help greatly to keep soil moist over a longer time. The tiny crystals expand as they absorb water and release water as the soil dries.Plant selection is a challenge since you're looking for something with year-round interest. A yaupon holly, which tolerates dry soil, would be one choice, and you could dress up the planting with seasonal annuals such as pansies for the cold months and trailing lantana for the warm ones. Various kinds of junipers would work provided you like their looks. There is a lot to choose from: vertical, roundish or trailing and a range of colors, including golden green and blue-green.And I have found leatherleaf mahonia to tolerate drought. The one I have in a pot is never watered except by rainfall. It has survived, but it has never grown robustly.

QUESTION: Finally, after several years of searching for the moon flowers you always rave about, I found them in seed packets this spring. Though I hate starting from seed, my six vines have been thriving for weeks. When do they flower? They are in full sun, lots of water, but only vines with leaves so far.ANSWER: The moon flower vine is a plant for late summer and autumn. It takes until around mid-August for the vines to set buds and open the first of their dramatic blooms. It is worth the wait, I promise you.Moon flower vines have the good sense to put on their big show just as the weather is cooling and people are back outdoors in the evening. If you were a moon vine and were preparing to give a great show, wouldn't you want an audience right there?

QUESTION: We have Casa Blanca lilies that were planted in April and have put forth green buds, but they are not opening. They have been hanging there several weeks without any progress. These are also planted in full sun. Do they just take a while to open?ANSWER: Yes. Relax, everything is on track. Those green buds are slowly maturing and they will open into the beautiful white lily you're waiting for. Casa Blanca is one of the later-blooming lilies, so you should still look forward to its beautiful flowers. Nothing is amiss.Send your gardening questions to Nancy Brachey, The Charlotte Observer, P.O. Box 30308, Charlotte, N.C. 28230.By KRT News Service