I've grown Acalypha wilkesiana since I arived in Florida 25 years ago. They take full sun to 1/2 day shade. And yes, they can freeze back in tempatures that dip around 32 degrees. In south Florida, they can reach upwards of 15 foot. but here in St Pete, 6 foot is more like. I have several around my yard. My big red one - "Louisiana Red" stops traffic. The white one named "Java white" always gets an Wow! And don't forget about the chenille plant, it's in the same family, too. I think they're very easy to grow. If you can grow a hibiscus, you will not have any trouble growing one of these. Does anyone know the name of this one? http://community.webshots.com/photo/85749816/102335439FbLFIe Here is a link that might be useful: Louisana Red

Sounds like the twilight zone to me and I have no idea why internet photos would download and save without your knowledge. All my Adobe programs install to C:\Program Files\Adobe Inside that Adobe folder, you may find the Album Starter, and inside the Album Starter folder, you may find a folder with the photos.

Our back porch (not screened) is 12 x 30 with steps at each end, and it's a great size. The 12' wide means it's easy to have a table . . . and still have space to walk around without scootching sideways. My husband's a big griller and has his outdoor kitchen set up on one end (Big Green Egg + lots of toys) and we still have space a-plenty for the table and other seating on the other end. The covered porch is one of the best features of our house. Our new house has a back porch alllll the way across the back of the house, which'll be 34 feet . . . and I'm widening it from 8' to 12' so it'll be essentially the same as what we have now. And we're going with a patio instead of a wooden floor -- less maintenance. We will again NOT go with screens. Our current porch columns were placed /sized so that screens would be inexpensive to install, but we've never wanted them. We do have two ceiling fans out there, and moving air helps a great deal with bugs. We also burn Citronella candles when we're at the table.

I've never seen a laundry room that had curtains to the floor. That said, most simple cotton decorator fabric is 45" wide. If that is what you use, you will need one width for each panel. Measure from the top of your rod to the bottom of the sill (if that's where it will stop)and add about 8" to that measurement. This will give you extra for a hem and a rod pocket if that's what your're using. Then multiply times 2 and you have your total yardage. If you want each panel to match exactly across, then add about another 8 inches for a large print.