I don't know of any place to recommend, but here's a link to Garden Watchdog which is a site that lets people rate mailorder nurseries. One nursery showed up when I searched on "Plants: Wildflowers/Natives", and then specified Colorado. (These drop-down menus are towards the bottom of the page. There are probably additional nurseries for nearby states which I suspect would have some plants also native to your mother's area). If nobody gives you specific recommendations, this might be your best bet. Here is a link that might be useful: The Garden Watchdog Guide to Gardening by Mail

How about a winter honeysuckle? Blooms November to March/April in east Texas and smells SOOOO sweet. I was at SFA gardens in Nacogdoches this weekend, and they had a gorgeous bank of Virginia sweetspire, just coming into bloom. If you get the variety Henry's Garnet, the leaves turn beautiful garnet and fuschia in autumn, and the stems are reddish in the winter. They also had some anise shrubs - Florida Sunshine is a variety with golden leaves. There were several Deutzias just ready to bloom - one was Godsell Pink, but I don't know the names of the others. And viburnum! I saw a Doublefile Virburnum that was just coming out of bloom, and there was a Viburnum Dentatum just coming into bloom. You might have some fun scrolling through their index of plants... Here is a link that might be useful: Index of plants at SFA Gardens

How about a broccoli cheese?....just add steamed broccoli florets to this recipe....or leave out the broccoli....or a carrot soup?...or roasted red pepper...I think you need something with assertive color. Recipes included....scroll down. Cheddar Cheese soup 1/2 cup onion chopped very fine 1/2 cup celery chopped very fine 1/2 cup shredded carrots Melt 1/2 a stick of butter in a heavy pot and sautee veggies. When they are no longer crisp but not brown, add 4 T flour Stir and cook about 1 minute and add 1 qt chicken broth, slowly whisking so there are no lumps cook at a simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Mix: 1/4 cup ( or if you really like a thick soup 1/2 cup) AP flour with 2 cups cold milk until smooth. Slowly add to cooking soup. Simmer for 5 or 6 minutes to thicken and cook the flour.Add: 1 Tsp worchestershire sauce pinch cayenne pepper of a couple of dashes of Tobasco. Add: 8 oz grated sharp chedder cheese...and heat and stir until smooth...do NOT boil! Serve! LESLIE'S RED PEPPER SOUP "My husband and I spent a weekend in Mendocino, and one evening out we were served a red pepper soup," says Leslie Cohen of Loomis, California. "Not being a red pepper aficionado, I was surprised at how delicious the soup was and vowed to replicate the recipe." Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr 6 large red bell peppers 2 onions, chopped 1/2 stick unsalted butter 8 cups chicken stock or low-salt broth 1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence 1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon Dash of cayenne Accompaniment: sour cream Preheat broiler. Quarter peppers lengthwise, discarding stems, seeds, and ribs. Put skin sides up on rack of a broiler pan, and broil about 2 inches from heat until skins are blistered and charred, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer peppers to a bowl and let stand, covered with plastic wrap, until cool enough to handle. Peel peppers and thinly slice. Cook onions in butter in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft. Stir in peppers, stock, and herbes de Provence and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes. Pur�e soup in a blender in batches (use caution when blending hot liquids). For a smoother texture, force pur�e through a food mill into a large bowl. Return soup to pot and season with salt, tarragon, and cayenne. Reheat soup. Cooks' note: � Peppers can be roasted 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Serves 6 to 8 (10 1/2 cups) Gourmet October 1999 Ginger Carrot Soup 2 tablespoons sweet cream butter 2 onions, peeled and chopped 6 cups chicken broth 2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger 1 cup whipping cream Salt and white pepper Sour cream Parsley sprigs, for garnish In a 6-quart pan, over medium high heat, add butter and onions and cook, stirring often, until onions are limp. Add broth, carrots, and ginger. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender when pierced. Remove from heat and transfer to a blender. Don't fill the blender more than half way, do it in batches if you have to. Cover the blender and then hold a kitchen towel over the top of the blender*. Be careful when blending hot liquids as the mixture can spurt out of the blender. Pulse the blender to start it and then puree until smooth. Return to the pan and add cream, stir over high heat until hot. For a smoother flavor bring soup to a boil, add salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with dollop sour cream and parsley sprigs. *When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth. Recipe courtesy Maxine Bonneau Show: All American Festivals Episode: Carrot Festival

Sunny, One of the things that my husband agreed to early on in our marriage, is that if one of our kids wants/needs the step parent to do things for them (because the parent can't), then the child has to ask the step parent, not the parent. When my son wanted a co-signer on a car, I couldn't help him because I had just started my own business. I talked to my husband and he agreed to help but I felt that my son should ask him, not me. My son did ask him and got the car with my husband's help. My husband does the same with his daughter. If she wants something from me, she has to ask me. She still asks him all the time and he tells her, 'you have to ask SM'. My sons got angry a while back because they don't like when my husband has an opinion about anything. They think he should stay out of 'our life' but then I remind him that he's my husband and he is a part of 'our life' and I remind him of the things my husband contributes and that they don't mind when he does something where they benefit. They don't like it but they know it's true. What your husband should have told his daughter is that she would need to ask you to cook the food because he doesn't know how or can't do it all by himself. It really is up to the parent to expect their children (even adult ones) to respect their spouse enough to ask for themselves instead of going through the parent. It's much easier for kids to let themselves believe that their parent is doing everything for them and they don't need the step parent if all they have to do is ask the parent who then asks the step parent. Then they don't really appreciate the step parent because they can tell themself that their parent is the one doing everything for them. It's funny that my son will ask me for something and when I say, you need to ask stepdad yourself... he'll decide 'I don't really need it.' He has been giving my husband a hard time and would rather go without than ask my husband, well, that's HIS problem, not mine.