Answering questions: (1) Duranta Repens was something I stumbled on and after one year of constant summer flowers I searched for another plant. The nursery tag said low growing up to 2 feet, but this shot up over 5 feet with branches coming off at 90 degree angles loaded with flowers. I was surprised and excited. Only thing I did was to water with Pond Water and I have chickens scratching about fertilizing and aerating. Otherwise it was all in Mother Nature's Hands. Good Luck to your Mom in Calif. It is worth a little effort if she can get her's going. (2)I don't know about Canna / Water Canna. It was just marked "Red Canna". Mine is beside the Pond and the Grasshoppers love it so it looks rather shabby now. I wish it was out in the water. Turtles go for the Iris and they may be hitting on the Canna as well. Everybody, Thanks for your kind comments! Kathy

Franck and Kristi, yours photos are stunning ! What a nice 'bonus' in the GH ! I'm so jealous. Visitors in my GH are not so cute : 2 days ago, I noticed a strong smell in my GH : while I let the door open to aerate, a cat took advantage of that and came in and peed and marked. It just begins to fade away, as I was not able to locate the misdeed and clean it (too many plants and pots averywhere). Grrrrrrrr :)

Kristi, Would you happen to have another picture of Ada's Flower, I'm curious as to whether or not it opens all the way or stays cupped? Myself, I'm not a fan of hippie flowers that seem to cup, as in Susan, some of them start out cupped but then straighten out as they age, I'm hoping Ada's Flower does..... but I just love the dotting and the "red" color..... Thanks, Donna

'Sorry about your red admiral, Sandy! It's interesting that you're noticing toads eating cats for the first time now. My pipevine swallowtail Mamas had been laying eggs on the Va. snakeroot I had growing in pots in my garden. I'd see the hatchlings, then they'd disappear. There's a big toad that's been living in there, and it finally occurred to me that he/she's eating them. So lately I've been planting the Va. snakeroots out in the new raised beds next to my new picket fence. This may also explain why the giant swallowtails wouldn't lay eggs on the ptelea I've got growing in pots while the pots were on the ground, but immediately started laying eggs on them as soon as I put them on the top shelves of some baker's racks - up there, they're out of reach of toads. So I have to agree - toads are predators, 'don't know about green frogs. Green frogs are all over my porch and don't bother the cats, but then they can't reach the cats in their cages. Sherry