Thanks for the additional mouse plant information. I'll be sure to mark it somehow so I don't dig it up (or at least reduce the likelihood of me digging it up) during its summer dormancy. Amy, you're as likely, or unlikely, to get fruit from your seedling as from most grafted, named varieties, so I'd say test-drive you new seedling and see what you think. Otherwise you'll be spending prime money for a grafted named variety that probably won't bear fruit anyway in this climate. My old one has become a very, very attractive little tree. As gardengal mentioned, they really can't be expected to bear fruit in the Pacific Northwest unless you can give them additional protection. My old one does flower reliably, so that's a start, but in this climate they're basically fun foliage plants. The raintree catalog mentions that clearly, and I hope the sales person did when you talked with them. I still may plant one in this current garden as a foliage plant. Let us know what you do with yours, and how it works out. Take care, Grant

Just the inserts. I guess you could do new cushions, but I'd be worried that the fabric wouldn't match. I'm sure Bauhaus would replace the cushions. Where did you buy the sofa from? I'd give them a call and find out if they can get a price and order them for you from Bauhaus. Another idea I had was to go to a local reupholstry shop and ask them how much to replace the cushions. I think if you use the sofa alot, it's worth the extra $$ to get the cushions done right. I've done foam cushions for patio furniture and it's hard to get the foam cut straight and then you have to wrap it in the fiberfil stuff so the foam doesn't stick to the fabric etc...

I have looked for pillows for many years at TJ maxx and Home goods to find PB replicas and finally just bought some this year at PB. Sometimes you get what you pay for. The crewel work is lovely and the patterns unique. I have some very nice needlepoint pillows that were high dollar from Michelian Home (not frou frou cabbage flower type either) that I have NEVER seen at the discount stores. I looked for a solid year on ebay under needlepoint pillows and never saw ones there either. At least not at a price cheaper than Michelian Home.

@Karen Lee regarding the "oaks" it just depends what you're looking for. Both are used for flooring. Red Oak has a redder color, and a more elaborate, wilder grain pattern. White Oak has a more subtle, finer grain pattern, and a lighter warmer color. If you're planning to stain, Red oak might take stain slightly better. If you want a natural finish like polyurethane, White Oak looks very beautiful finished naturally. They are both hard and durable for flooring use. Of course with all wood species there is variation depending on the part of the tree it's taken from, etc, but here's a quick comparison pic of Red Oak vs. White Oak to show the differences between color and grain. (Red on the left, White on the right).