Oh my. What is a passionate rose lover like you doing in that glacial hell hole? Reading about your endeavors has exhausted me and I haven't even lifted a shovel. I admire your grit and determination, but would love to see you rewarded with thousands of blooms on your rose bushes for all your hard work. I bet they could use engineers in zones 7 to 10!

Keep in mind that some of the "brightness" can be an optical illusion. Optical brighteners only give the illusion of whiter whites and brighter colours. Optical brighteners, optical brightening agents (OBAs), fluorescent brightening agents (FBAs) or fluorescent whitening agents (FWAs) are dyes that absorb light in the ultraviolet and violet region (usually 340-370 nm) of the electromagnetic spectrum, and re-emit light in the blue region (typically 420-470 nm. These additives are often used to enhance the appearance of color of fabric and paper, causing a perceived "whitening" effect, making materials look less yellow by increasing the overall amount of blue light reflected. Brighteners are commonly added to laundry detergents to replace whitening agents removed during washing and to make the clothes appear cleaner. Optical brighteners have replaced bluing which was formerly used to produce the same effect. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_brightener) IÂm not for or against using OB, IÂm just pointing this out to you. I use Persil Sensitive Megaperls for my white clothes and they do look very white. I often wonder how clean they are vs. how clean they appear. Also, you mentioned having Restoration Hardware towels (?) Â these are made of high quality Turkish cotton and should not be washed with a detergent that has enzymes or brighteners. You can Google information on how to care for quality cotton linens. Despite what some on the forum will tell you, the manufacturers also say never to use fabric softener on them (this can ruin the towel fibers). I launder all my sheets/towels with a mild detergent (currently Vaska as I love the Lavender smell) and use a small amount of vinegar in the rinse. I also use an Oxy bleach agent on the white ones (I have the Vaska and others I use). All mine look white and smell lovely. I have a 9 yr old FL. Just as an FYI, Vaska is used to launder linens for 150 hotels throughout Northern California including the the Joie de Vivre group, Kimpton Hotels, the Fairmont and the Ritz Carleton. (http://www.greenlodgingnews.com/Commercial-Laundry-Chooses-VASKAs-Green-Cleaning-Solutions) Here is a link that might be useful: caring for your linen

I have had trouble with Calatheas, prayer plants, etc when I've tried them in the past. The leaf is awfully thin and they are susceptible to drying drafts, either cold or hot. They're one of those plants that is probably best in a bright but filtered light, high humidity, moderate temperature environment, which is a "greenhouse" environment that's hard to achieve in living space. Doesn't mean it's doomed - just don't feel bad if you don't find it an easy houseplant to grow. Small yellow leaves at the bottom of the plant would be pretty normal after it's been moved. You can pinch those off. In general, if you do find a spot it likes, do your best to keep it there and not move it around too much. It may react badly to a lot of changes of conditions. I've seen old prayer plants that have stayed in one spot for a loooong time. Having lived in San Francisco, I can attest that it is (1) usually humid and (2) usually on the chilly side. Depending on exactly where you are in the city, it can be more or less foggy or more or less cold - all of coastal California is characterized by microclimates, but in a place like San Francisco, microclimates are measured in blocks. The summer months are typically very overcast for much of the day. The most sun you'll see is in Sept-Oct (that's usually when the film production companies do location shoots in San Francisco). IF it rains it will rain between October and March or April, and not at at all other times. So "growing season" is a somewhat different proposition there than in most US regions. Get a Sunset Western Garden book and figure out which Sunset zone you are in and go from there@

SMC, I had a horrible infestation of some bulb fly (Narcissus Bulb Fly?) in some bulb beds I had taken for granted for years! I had three big beds of spider lilies (hymenocallis). Came up every spring, bloomed beautifully, and required zero maintenance by me. I noticed in early February that they were not sending up new leaves. I pulled one up and up came half of a bulb - a sticky, gooey, red mess of larvae and larvae waste. It was disgusting. I ended up having to lift and throw away all three complete bulb beds. Every single bulb is gone. It was a disaster. I remember seeing the photo of one of your bulbs with a big maggot/larvae-thing in it. I hope you don't have whatever pest I had. Here's my spider lily bed in better days (2013): Thanks, Anna! I model my "garden" after photos of yours. I love everything you have and I just try to copy. Carol