I admit..it is odd. But true. In spring the bed was in full shade - bright light but no direct sun. I actually checked one Saturday - hourly - NO direct sun. Now when I get home around 5:30 it is in direct sun and dh says it's like that most of the afternoon (I need to check it out tomorrow to see how many hours of direct sun it is getting). I know it sounds weird. But there you have it. The cannas? Last year I put them out in spring and they lived but didn't thrive. They grew to about 2-3 feet high and didn't bloom. After I moved them this year (to full sun) they have grown to almost 9 feet tall and are in bloom. Last summer I didn't think to check the light exposure - I have to guess that the full light late in the season just wasn't enough.??

Can I not recommend the Saracocca? I think it is subject to winterburn and is more of a groundcover type of plant, something to use around other plants. You say that the site is exposed to the elements. Does that mean the site is windy? sunny? a lot of reflected heat from a building? are you on an upsweep on top of a hill? is there a lot of water? What about the soil? baked? wet? drains too fast? not fast enough? This is what I pictured when I read your post. A hot dry site in full sun with reflected heat that gets a lot of wind. What do you say? If this is so, then I would lean toward the conifers but not knowing your site, I can't say if I would mix it up and make it more interesting or create a hedge. Also, I don't know your taste.

I have to agree that if a child has the opportunity to repeat the same bad behavior over and over, there is a lack of supervision. I also agree that some kids require more supervision than others. When you have a kid like that, and you know, you have to work harder. It's not the parents' fault that the kids is more difficult. But the fact that he/she is more difficult requires more, and different, strategies from the parents. I also agree this mother needs support in the form of other parents. She needs to get an idea of what behavior is within the range of normal, and what is not, and what other parents do to modify the behavior of their kids... normal and not so normal. I'm not sure online will be sufficient. There is nothing like having a good long chat with friends who are in the same place in life as you are. It doesn't help to blame, or even to diagnose sometimes. Doesn't matter why or how the child came to be more difficult that others. What matters is creative strategies to modify the behavior, and coping strategies for the parents who get worn out dealing with it. I have a 6 y/o DS who is difficult. He is the youngest of four, and I swear came into our family just b/c DH and I thought we had this parenting thing figured out and needed to be reminded we have a lot to learn. He is oppositional; he is defiant; he is difficult. I worry about it; I apologize for it; I even joke about it. But I do not deny it. My 15 y/o expresses the 6 y/o's attitude perfectly with this line, "I reject your reality and substitute my own." He does not take authority or instruction well. He will argue with almost everything. He can also be cooperative and respectful... getting it from him just takes a lot more effort and creative thinking than the other kids required. He forces a person to think outside the box... way outside! He exhibits the emotions and behaviors of any other 6 y/o, just amplified. On steroids. With greater zeal and stamina. While some kids will test the boundaries, learn and give up, DS will test and test and test and test... systematically looking for a weak spot or to wear a person down. He tries to negotiate everything, even when it doesn't make any sense to negotiate, when it's not even in his advantage. He just has to debate everything! Not just with me, with everyone. I read the description on that website for Oppositional Defiance Disorder. He fits it, although I'm not sure it interferes enough with school and life. It does sometimes, but not always. For example, third day of kindergarten he was removed from the school bus and I had to pick up him at school. The bus driver enforced a new rule that: kindergarteners sit together in the front, older grades sit with their grade going back the bus. My 6 y/o wanted to sit with his brother in 5th grade and refused to follow the rule or the driver's directions of where to sit. He argued with the driver, defied him, until an administrator was called to remove him from the bus. That day, it interfered with his life. He has not been back to the principal's office since. Now in first grade, about twice/month DS comes home with a comment in his agenda that he did not follow directions at some point that day. About 3 times this year he's had "silent lunch" (sitting at an isolated table) for not following directions. I believe his teacher to be fair, and I believe she likes him and does what is best for him. I've known her a few years and she's earned that from me. (Ironically, the bus driver eventually asked me for suggestions on how to handle the kid when he gets that way, I said sit him with his brother and let his brother work with him. It works. His brother knows what to say to make him think about his choices. So he did, and it works. Go figure.) I have had to learn (and teach DH and sometimes older siblings who watch him or work with him on some task). I know what will trigger inappropriate behavior. Stress, new situations, and frustration are all sure ways to bring it out. So that first week of kindergarten, something was bound to happen. I explain it to DH like this. Think of how you feel, as an adult, when you are thrown into a new situation. It seems like everyone else around you is very competent and familiar with the tasks. You, though, have no idea what to do and even what questions to ask. That is how DS feels every day. He wants to get it right, but has no idea how, so he acts out to release the stress that causes. As the youngest in the family, it probably looks to him like everyone else knows what to do, and he's useless. So I give him tasks and don't let the other kids step in and do it for him. He needs to feel competent and valued. I talk about what to expect from a situation, I have to remember that even though I've taught this lesson three times already, I haven't taught it to him. (I can forget that.) My new phrase with him lately is "People don't like it when you act that way." Or variations on it, "People won't listen if you talk that way." If he starts debating for the sake of gaining control, being in control, I tell him that. So far it is actually helping. He stops and thinks about the way he is acting. He'll even rephrase what he wants to say in a better way, a way that others will listen to. My next step is to make a behavior contract for him. I'm working it out in my head, then I'll put it on paper. I want to list behaviors that I expect from him: following directions the first time; doing homework in X amount of time (not dragging it out with complaints); following the rules in a game; obeying house rules like 20 mins computer time limit. I'll give points (0 to 3) based on how well he met the expectation. Never, sometimes, usually, always. And a reward (or lack of) based on the points each day/week. There are kids who behave worse than DS. I mean, I can take him in public. Usually. ;o) He is just more difficult than the average kid. I don't like to send him to play at a friend's without me b/c I know he will sooner or later defy that adult. He does not obey without some compelling reason. "Because I'm the grown up" carries almost no weight with him. Even with a compelling reason, he will try to negotiate. It's almost like a compulsion to oppose. He could tell me for 30 minutes he needs to use the bathroom when we're out. I finally find one, and send him, and he'll refuse, "I don't have to go now." Just b/c I told him to go. He'd stand there and pee his pants and deny that he has to go the whole time. He could be sweating til he's soaked and when someone says "It's hot," he'll insist it's cold. Dozens of times every day there is some debate like that. Now, I'm saying "People don't like it when you act that way." He also knows that when I start counting down, I'm done hearing his arguments, I'm not listening. I give him a direction, he might refuse to follow, I start counting backwards starting with what I think is a reasonable time to comply. Just doing that triggers something in him, flips a switch almost, to shut off the opposition. In fact, especially in a public place or he's too far away for me to shout at him to hear me, I hold up my fingers and start counting down 10 to 0 that way. He is mentally exhausting. He is a handful, I know it. I don't know what/if I "made" him that way. I don't do things knowingly to contribute to it. DH was home with him recently and had to leave to get other kids somewhere. DS refused to put on his shoes b/c they weren't the ones he wanted to wear, couldn't find what he wanted. DH called me on my cell phone saying DS was having a tantrum, refused to get up and out the door. I just said "How big is he? How big are you? Pick him up, put him and the shoes in the car, stop talking to him, and he'll get is act together before you arrive." He did. And the 15 y/o told me later, "Mom, that's what I told Dad to do!" LOL! Sometimes this kid can just wear a person's mind down until you cannot think anymore. That is exactly what he is going for! So I push myself to resist, knowing it will get worse if I don't. I'm in charge, I act like it. The other kids just did not challenge it as much (at least so far). This one... ay yi yi! He spends more time challenging me about doing a task than the task takes when he finally just does it. I tell him plainly, "I'm not changing my mind. You will not win this." And I stick to it. I do b/c I know if I don't, there will be chaos and anarchy. Sorry so long. I'm just want to say, a parent HAS to have other parents to talk to. To debrief, compare notes, vent, brainstorm... That's how you know if your child's behavior is something other have dealt with and how, or if you've got something extreme on your hands. I think my DS is still within the range of normal, but he's at the "difficult" end of the range.

Hi Rachel Ewald! I am by no means a plant expert, (more of an enthusiast : )), but I hope I will be able to help you out a little bit. You’re dracaena looks lovely! I love rescuing plants as well, it is very rewarding watching them grow and thrive in your home after giving them a little TLC. Dracaena leaf tips browning is a very common problem. It can be caused by a variety of things, but in your picture I see that your dracaena is positioned right next to a heating/air conditioning unit. The air by heaters is hot and dry, unlike the warm and moist air that tropical plants are used to, thus causing the brown leaf tips. I would move it to another window if you have one, or get a heating/a/c deflector. For your majesty palm, I would say that it needs more water and more humidity. Majesty palms grow along streams and rivers in their natural habitat, so they like for their roots to be kept moist, but not soggy. Instead of watering lightly twice a week, I would water thoroughly once a week, or whenever the top inch of soil starts to feel dry, so that when you water the water comes out of the bottom of the pot. As for the humidity, I would recommend getting a humidifier or setting your plant on a humidity tray. Costa Farms has an excellent care instructions page for majesty palms that might be helpful: A Guide to Growing Majesty Palms Indoors. To get rid of the salts and carbonates in your tap water, I would recommend letting the water sit out in a tub for a day or so before you water your plants, so that they can evaporate. Check if your city uses chloramine to purify your tap water. Chloramine does not evaporate. It does not cause significant damage to your plants however, mainly just small brown leaf tips. If you want to avoid this, I would recommend watering your plants with boiled rainwater (boiled to get rid of pests), or reverse osmosis water (water bottle water). You’re pothos looks beautiful! I believe that some of the leaves are turning yellow and brown from under-watering or over-watering, although I’m not sure which. Is the soil dry to the touch or is it soggy? That might help me determine what the problem is. I hope this helps! Have a wonderful weekend, damask_rose_5 : )