Question
I removed old dirt and weeds to put in flowers. The dirt that was there the previous owners had old motors and car parts there we cleaned it up and I removed about 5inches of dirt then replaced it with top soil. My problem is the flowers I planted  are still alive but they just dont seem to be growing other gardens I have seen with the same flowers are beautiful mine are still the same size. What can I do?

Answer
I think you did right by replacing the top 5 inches of soil.

It is not uncommon for perennials to take about a year to get settled. They usually say about perennials that "the first year they sleep, the 2nd year they creep and the 3rd year they leap". Being transplanted is not without stress and it takes time for roots to settle in.

Annuals tend to settle in faster but can even take upto 30-45 days. It is not uncommon for annuals to wait this long before setting flower buds and flower after being planted.

The last thing I would recommend is fertilizing. If you have not fertilized, then you probably should. I would pickup a bag of perennial or annual flower fertilizer at your local garden center or hardware store. Follow directions on the bag. Perennials usually only need 1-2 application per year. Annuals are a bit heavier feeders.

Finally, make sure you water on a weekly basis and do not let the plants wilt (induce draught stress). During the initial few months after being planted, plants generally need extra water. At least make sure they are not stressed for water (e.g. on very hot days, make sure you water in the evening). When you do water, it is better to water deeply so the root zone is thoroughly wet as opposed to a quick surface sprinkling which does not do much for the plans.

Finally, note that most plants bloom better with more sun, so if yours are planted in heavy shade, you will unfortunately not see many flowers at all. By full sun, the definition is that the plants should get 6+ hours of direct sun per day. 4-6 is light shade, and less than 4 hours is heavy shade. There are very good choices for shade, however. Let me know if you need some suggestions as this is one of my favorite topics.