>I don't intend to split hairs by offering differing opinions, but the photos of the first two laurels look like every other 'Otto Luyken' I've ever seen, so not at all sure what the confusion might be>Dwarf English laurel, Prunus laurocerasus, probably 'Otto Luyken'>As to the ceanothus, I am also confused as to why one considers 'Victoria' to be the same or synonymous with 'Skylark'. The mature size of 'Victoria' would seem to negate that - 'Skylark' is typically considered a compact ceanothus, achieving a height of about 5' (one source states 3'x3') and about as wide or slightly wider. Victoria easily reaches double that size. And I've yet to locate a resource that confirms 'Victoria' is a hybrid - most sources and vendors are pretty unanimous in it being a cultivar of thrysiflorus. 'Skylark' may very well be a hybrid - its origins are a little sketchy - but I seriously doubt the two are the same plantThe origin of 'Skylark' remains ambiguous. Introduced by Mitch [sic] Nursery of Aurora, Oregon, the cultivar filtered through West Coast nursery channels until it was finally named by M. Nevin Smith with 'a desire to distinguish it from others in the trade' (Smith 1979). Parentage is thought to be Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. thyrsiflorus x C. velutinus, which is consistent with the broad physical characteristics of the plant. It is believed by many to be the same plant grown in the nursery trade as C. thyrsiflorus 'Victoria'. Dense and compact, 'Skylark' has a dome-shaped form to 4 feet tall and 6 feet wide... --Fross/Wilken, Ceanothus (Timber Press) The dimensions given are of course not cast in stone or frozen in time, especially for such fast-growing shrubs. 4' x 6' would approximate a plant acquired as 'Victoria' I grew for a few years on Camano Island fairly well. Another specimen from the same source, planted in a different part of the property has not yet grown so broadly relative to its height. Two one gallon plants purchased from Emery's Garden as 'Skylark' and 'Victoria' were completely interchangeable at that stage of development. Since then growth on the hot sandy planting site has been slow, and one of them may have been lost beneath an overwhelming growth of weeds. >And having grown and sold C. obtusa 'Blue Feathers' for years, I have to say the shrub in question looks nothing like any other 'Blue Feather's I've seenAs far as can be seen in the picture it looks quite like another specimen I just planted.

So -- I just bought two Blue Muffins thinking they would pollinate each other. Now I know they won't. And I don't want to struggle along with a plant if it's not likely to fruit. It's going to be in THE prominent place in front of the house, so I want it to be a good one ... So I'm thinking about returning them and buying something that's going to flower AND produce berries ... without me having to get yet another plant to pollinate. I have several American Cranberry Bushes in the yard. I also have a Witherod, Blackhaws, and a Onondaga cultivar. Oh, and several very young Mapleleaf viburnum. Can you guys recommend a beautiful native, or native cultivar, that would get no larger than 8-10' wide ... look good against a red house ... and berry? I really love the Cranberry Bushes (Trilobium) but I've resisted because I'm concerned the red berries won't show against the house. I might give in. My Witherod is very young and I haven't actually seen it bloom yet ... a possibility? I still am not entirely clear either on whether a single native Arrowwood (Dentadum, not cultivar) would fruit on its own with these others around.

Thanks, I will sprinkle seeds when the time comes....would like it in a garden "up the hill". The Jack in the Pulpit seems to have dwindled to just one plant....I need to watch for seeds on that one. Think I am remembering that one of the noids is wide brim... About 5 years ago I bought a bag of 5 bare root WB's from WalMart....what can I say...it was late in the season and they were on sale for ...maybe $1....and all but one lived. But they took so long to amount to anything I sort of forgot about them....now I am discovering these large lovely hosta!

In the way you describe what you want your kitchen to do, I would recommend a range top and separate wall ovens. You can then pick the appliance that best fits your needs for each part. If an oven goes out you are not stuck replacing the whole thing. I can't really recommend a DF range. I have a 36 Wolf DF and it works great but if you search blue enamel chipping on this forum, there are plenty of posts about wolf blue enamel woes in the wall ovens and ranges. You can pay a lot of money for a range and it only lasts 4.5 years. If you like to use cast iron, I would definitely consider a Blue Star rangetop. Cast iron has some great characteristics but they do not conduct heat as well as something like heavy copper or aluminum. BS has the star shaped burners and they will spread the burner ports across the the bottom of the pan better than ring burners, especially if you can match the pan size to the burner. You might even consider a 48 inch rangetop. An additional benefit for prostyle rangetops is extra room front to back. You will be able to use a little bit bigger griddle too. You might want to have BS put 2 burners the same size front to back or side by side depending on how you use the griddle. I use a heavy 7 guage aluminum Royal Industries griddle for something like grilled sandwiches. It conducts heat well so is pretty even and is 15x23". It will also season but not as quickly as iron or steel. You can also get a Chef King steel griddle but it is heavy. There are also some that are fitted and I think BS has one. The BS Platinum comes with a cast iron griddle overlay and a grill overlay. If you are used to cast iron and the way it seasons, I think you will like the way the top of the BS seasons too. As far as an oven goes, I would certainly consider convection. It is a learning experience as to how it works but well worth it. I use it where it will benefit what you are cooking. Convection is different oven to oven. By moving air, it is drying to what you are cooking. This is great for things you want to brown but not so great while something like a cake needs to rise. If you want the benefit of baking trays of cookies, a third element is helpful in even heating and this is mostly found in an electric oven. It will usually have its own mode like "pure convection" but also works in the other modes. This is also marketed as True or European convection. The Platinum range has a gas element but not sure how that works in relation to making the heat even. You can get a simple gas or electric oven with convection, no baking modes but it is likely the fan will just turn on and off rather than variable speed so that you get a slower fan speed for baking and higher for roasting. The air movement will also increase the rate of heat transfer, making things cook a little quicker. Most ovens turn the convection fan(s) on during preheat to help even out the temperature quicker. I have an Electrolux wall oven that preheats to 350 in 7 minutes and bakes very evenly. If I am baking a cake or something that needs even heat, I let it preheat for 30 minutes to stabilize. Even with convection the heat radiating from the walls of the oven is very important. They have just redesigned the Elux oven but made it with dual fan and you can leave the racks in now for self clean. Some people like Bosch and Gaggenau as well. I would read the use and care manuals online as you can learn a lot.