Mike, First I want to say, the plants I received, beginning Jan 1, 2010, were in 3-4" containers, bulbs and cuttings. Only a handful were larger, meaning 8" to 1' tall. Total: 58. :) :( Marguest, your Banana Tree is beautiful. The colors amazing. There's even a pup. Did you find it on Ebay? Mike, to answer a few questions. I MUST stay away from Ebay..It's one addicting site. Not only do they have great deals on plants, but plant supplies. There's also a few online nurseries I browse every other wk or so. The internet makes it too easy to shop for such an exciting hobby. A few clicked keys, next thing, a package is at your front door? One word of Warning for those who really want to stop buying plants.. Well, an attempt. Do NOT sign up for nursery News Letters. It's convenient, swaying us to their site, displaying their wares. Hear the clicking keys to Paypal? lol. As for local nurseries, fortunately, there are two that sell very very nice and rare specimens..luckily, opposite directions, both a long distance drive. An hour on non-congested days, 1.5-2 hours during 9-5, Rush Hour traffic. Although, traffic has gotten so heavy the past five years, the only time to go anywhere with time to spare is between midnight and 5am. Problem is, the stores are closed. lol. Our grocery store, Jewel's, always has plants for sale. Mostly, basic plants like Spaths, certain Dracaenas, etc. My problem arises when they have dollar sales. 3-4" potted plants for 1.00. Every so often, they'll have a rarer specimen. Buy 3, pot them up, and you have a lovely plant for 3.00. Four years ago, they had, mixed in with other dollar plants, Schefflera 'brassaia/actinophylla, a plant I hadn't seen in years...last one) I grabbed it up fast. lol. That's about it. Not too bad for 9 months. lol. Toni

Corrie: It's great to hear that your weather should not be a problem. Those cooling ocean breezes must help temper the scorching heat I remember from my visits to Florida. Boy, do I envy you, especially today with snow on the ground! I wanted to point you to a less expensive list of clivias than most of the ones I suggested before. For as little as $15, you can get a one or two year old clivia from Floral Architecture in a one-gallon pot. this probably means it would take a couple years to bloom, but they can live for decades once they're established. The French and Belgian hybrids tend to bloom a little younger than some others. The other possibility is to ask one of your neighbors for an offset. Happy clivias produce one or so every year. And this way you would know you have one that can thrive in your climate. Here is a link that might be useful: Floral Architecture Clivias

That is a good point Babs...I have not been in the habit of using a potting bench to this point. I usually pot/divide etc right in the bed, most of the time. At other times I end up using the kitchen to pot things up and I would really like to get out of doing that. I will have to try to think about when I actually do pot in the house. Off the top of my head, I have done winter sowing in the kitchen which I guess I wouldn't be using a shed for, since it would be too cold out there at that point. The only other time I use the kitchen, I think, is to do my houseplants which I would normally do either in the spring or the fall. Other than that, I am usually digging, moving, potting up right at the place where the plants are coming out of. I have also wondered how I would feel about the usual counter-like height of most potting benches. Whether they are designed to work standing or if trying to work sitting on a stool with no overhang on the bench would be uncomfortable. Maybe that is another topic for another post. [g] I have played with the idea of using a rolling tool holder that would go with you so you are not making ten trips back to the storage area for that one thing you forgot. [g] Unfortunately, I don't have an overhang that I could put a bench under either. I have not heard of any prison program for building sheds here in Massachusetts. Isn't that interesting that they have that in New Hampshire. You are very lucky that your husband is a builder and that he actually finds the time to build things you need. That isn't always the case. Thanks.. pm2

Les, thank you for those links. You had mentioned those kilim pillows to me before. My limited decorating mind can't wrap my mind around some of those patterns. Some seem a little southwestern if that makes sense. I know Turkey isn't in the southwest, so I need to broaden my vision! I love the colors in that style as well as the patchwork ones. Although, those are a little out of our price range. I'll have to wait for a sale or look for similar ones at the Home Store, Steinmart, and other such stores. I think that's part of the reason I'm struggling. We're on a budget, and sometimes those types of discount stores don't have enough of the same patterns to work together on the sofa, loveseat, and chair. I really need to find a good deal! Plus, it seems like there's a lot of shiny, silky pillows out there right now which just doesn't work with our family room. DH doesn't care for blues, so since he has to live here, too, I'll try to keep him happy ; ) I do love green, but I had my heart set on red. Maybe I can find the perfect pillows that incorporate all of the colors I need in a pattern I love. I really do prefer the neutrals & reds as the dominant colors, but I don't mind if greens, blues, or even oranges are used to accent it. I love rich, deep colors! So I think I tend to look at those first, and those are the ones that blend into the color of the leather too much. I also saw these (see link) which would incorporate some blue without being overpowering. Do you think these could work mixed with others with stronger color? Can I mix the solid red ones with the patterned ones at all? I'm glad you feel like the reds can work though. I wanted to use prints, accessories, and accents with the red hues and was feeling a little panicked that I might have to totally rethink that. Thank you for letting me "talk" this out with all this rambling. I really appreciate your time and thoughts! Here is a link that might be useful: other pillow