It's too bad that you cant go just a tad bit shorter than 2 to 3 feet, I had lots of suggestions for you that stays with the same one plant, but with color varations. One suggestions was to go with the Cosmic cosmos--all three colors red, orange and yellow which are totally stunning and vibrant mixed together. And incredibly easy to grow from seed! Another suggestion was Magellan zinnias, which will grow like dwarf hydrangea shrubs smothered with handsized blooms that last for months. I had blooms that did not need be removed for 4 months, I kid you not! And there is just about every color available, coral, ivory, yellow, pink, scarlet, cherry, orange, salmon. I am growing over 400 of these this year. Another suggestion was a mixture of Celosia 'Fresh Look' colors in red, orange,and yellow. Most people hate celosia because they have never had good luck with keeping them going, but the Fresh Looks are very stunning, lush, healthy plants that get just under 2 foot tall, if I remember correctly. Another suggestion was to do Gomphrena, in a mixture of colors. Gomphrena, if plants are kept together and properly spaced will grow to a 2 foot tall airy "shrub" that stands up to rain, drought, etc. I grow the "All Around Purple', 'Strawberry Fields', and other colors from Park Seed, including white, rose and bicolor rose. Dont underestimate those small colored balls! They can REALLY make a huge standout, if they are grown correctly. I second the idea of using Profusion zinnias. These are like the perfect daisy like flower! Also, the blooms did not need removed for 4 months, available in colors: cherry, white, orange, Fire (reddish orange) and Apricot (my favorite). Very easy to grow from seed. You may want to check into the Tidal wave Petunias. If you space them about 2 foot apart, they will spread out like you wouldnt believe and grow to about 2 foot tall. I have never seen a petunia grow like this before last year! Though, the silver would blend right into your house color, but they do make a purple, hot pink, and cherry color that I will be doing this year. Tidals have a massive branching system to them. Do a search on gardenweb and you will find lots of pictures and ideas for them.

What a great assortment of plants and it looks like you have bright sunny windows--I have very little sun plus this New England weather--cloudy & cold can't wait for Spring--I hope you win the contest--I am not into Face Book --not even sure how it works-so I can't help u there--perhaps others will Good luck Mari

Denise, thanks for a quick reply. I just read one of the old posts on hoya bilobata and you (yes, you) have helped differentiate between hoya tsangii and bilobata: "Posted by denise 5 (My Page) on Wed, Mar 1, 06 at 16:11 Ok, I finally got the "skinny" on bilobata vs. tsangii. I e-mailed Maggie, the webmaster of www.hoyer.net, to ask her to describe in detail the difference between the two, because it's very hard to see the difference in a pic. This is what she had to say: "...tsangii feels a bit like velvet when you touch the leaves while bilobata is smooth and glossy (all Hoyas have tiny, tiny hairs but in many species they are so small they aren't visble unless you have a lens to bring the sight close enough). In photos they look quite alike and I haven't been able to get pictures good enough to show them as they really look like. H. tsangii is also a bit darker in color than bilobata. The latter is quite light green while tsangii is very dark. Both turn redish when exposed to sunlight. H. bilobata does twine a bit while tsangii just hangs straight down. Tsangii can grow upwards a bit but after a while it hangs from the weight of the leaves. Although I find bilobata easier to grow in a haning basket it is possible to let it grow up trellis as it can climb a bit (though not so good as most Hoyas). Hoya tsangii would need constant help up the trellis as it doesn't climb at all." I think this clears it up for me - what I have is tsangii for sure. Denise in Omaha" So I guess mine is bilobata all right because the leaves don't feel like velvet! Xuan Here is a link that might be useful: Hoya bilobata

What will be the distance from the pendant lighting to the chandelier? I think they can go together beautifully, but may fight if they are too close to one another. . If they are close to one another, something should link them. If not colour, then a shape or a feature. I also agree with jillsee that it is much easier to select a style from the store where you get a better sense of the fixture. I feel for you, though. I am going through the exact same thing right now. I have purchased and returned pendant lighting twice now, and still can't decide whether or not to put a fixture over my table. And if I do put a fixture over the table, what style should it be. I am putting my search to rest until the granite is in. I HOPE it will be easier to decide at that point.