Phyl: VINES: Typical vines are poor container subjects. There are some little vines and "viney" things that would work in Laguna Hills... Abutilon megapotamicum TRAILING CHINESE LANTERN Asarina antirrhinifolia VIOLET TWINING SNAPDRAGON Asparagus asparagoides FLORISTS SMILAX x Fatshedera lizei BOTANICAL WONDER Jasminum angulare SOUTH AFRICAN JASMINE Mandevilla (Dipladenia) splendens DIPLADENIA Rosa ÂAbsolutelyÂ, ÂJeanne LajoieÂ, ÂNozomi ÂRed CascadeÂ, ÂWork of Art MINIATURE CLIMBING ROSES Sollya parviflora AUSTRALIAN BLUEBELL CREEPER CUTFLOWERS IN CONTAINERS: Those that would do best... Shrubs -- Azara microphylla BOXLEAF AZARA - foliage Chaenomeles FLOWERING QUINCE Gardenia angusta GARDENIA Hydrangea macrophylla HYDRANGEA Ilex cornuta 'Willowleaf' CHINESE HOLLY -- foliage Ruscus aculeatus JERUSALEM BUTCHERÂS BROOM -- foliage Ruscus hypoglossum ITALIAN BUTCHERÂS BROOM -- folliage Perennials -- Agapanthus LILY-OF-THE-NILE Alstroemeria INCA LILY Anigozanthos KANGAROO PAW Cyrtomium falcatum HOLLY FERN -- foliage Dianthus PINKS, CARNATION Gerbera GERBERA Patrinia scabiosifolia PATRINIA Rumohra adiantiformis LEATHERLEAF FERN -- foliage Scabiosa PINCUSHION FLOWER Zantedeschia aethiopica CALLALILY Bulbs -- Crocosmia hybrids MONTBRETIA Freesia hybrids FREESIA Gladiolus callianthus ABYSSINIAN SWORD LILY Gladiolus tristis LEMON GLADIOLA, MARSH AFRIKANNER Iris xiphioides DUTCH, ENGLISH IRIS Ixia maculata CORN LILY Narcissus pseudonarcissus DAFFODIL Narcissus tazetta POLYANTHUS NARCISSUS Nerine GUERNSEY LILY Ornithogalum thyrsoides CHINCHERINCHEE Ranunculus asiaticus RANUNCULUS Triteleia 'Queen Fabiola' ITHERIALÂS SPEAR Annuals -- c = for cool season sowing (sow in fall) w = for warm season sowing (sow in spring) Antirrhinum majus (tall varieties) SNAPDRAGON -- c Calendula officinalis CALENDULA, POT MARIGOLD -- c Callistephus chinensis CHINA ASTER -- w Centaurea cyanus BACHELORS BUTTONS, CORNFLOWER -- c Centaurea moschata SWEET SULTAN -- c Lathyrus odoratus SWEET PEA -- c Limonium sinuatum STATICE -- c Matthiola incana STOCK -- c Molucella laevis BELLS-OF-IRELAND -- c Joe

Sounds like a great trip - we are likely do the same trip this year. My concern is keeping DH entertained. Two of our boys live there. DS3 has lived on Mulberry St going on 1.5 yrs - it is a wonderful neighborhood no matter what time of year. He was on 58th for 2 yrs, next door to One Columbus and a block down from the Hudson (fun to look at, have a drink, not my taste to stay there). DS1 moved there 1.5 yrs ago - first year .3 mi east from brother on 58th (midtown and near shopping) and now in Hells Kitchen (Lots and lots of restaurants). That is the west of the Times Sq area. I encourage you to find maps on line or Barnes and Noble and look at the neighborhoods. It might influence where you stay. I sometimes stay with the boys, sometimes in hotels very near where they live. (found on line) I would also plan some alternative activities....the weather may impact what you do. Also google places and print them out - it will help you get organized and recognize it. An fyi - Top of the Rock and Empire St Bldg viewing areas are COLD and windy, no matter what time of year, I did Empire in Feb, ....we were almost the only ones there and could only be in the outdoors for a minute or two without warming up inside. Worth doing, but do dress for it. Top of the Rock was freezing in August. Street food is fun in midtown around Rock Ctr - DS1 works in 50 Rock and knows which are the best carts, I can never remember but skip the ones that don't have a big line. Funny though, DS3 won't touch street food....his loss. A few things that haven't been brought up: The Campbell Apt in Grand Central Station. Go for a drink...look it up on line - very historic, most tourists would not find it. Grand Central Station is interesting even if you don�t find the Apt. Eataly on 5th, amazingly fun - google it. La Crepe at 51 Spring in Nolita (DS3 in between Prince and Spring on Mulberry) - OMG good. Last summer I happened upon NY Cake at 56 w 22nd, the most amazing store for baking supplies - it is overwhelming....very fun store. And it was chance I found it, I was trying to get to Home Depot that is a block up, Yes there is a HD in Manhattan ... they just dont cut wood - they cant handle the dust). Go through the Time Warner Center shopping and check out the huge Whole Foods downstairs, fun for lunch just for the experience. (Columbus Circle - 59th st) From there walk up to Lincoln Center - host to so many events - including Fashion Week shows. There is a cute place called Rice to Riches down in the Mulberry - Nolita area - a block from La Crepe that is only Rice Pudding....about 20 flavors, all delicious, fun containers....I was in there once and had just ordered when a tour guide actually brought a huge group in there to see it. In Flatiron, try L.A. Burdick, the most amazing Hot Chocolate ever.. you could hit art galleries in Chelsea then have dessert.it is at 5 E 20th. Great on a cold day. Fun store for house wares: Gracious Home up in the Lincoln Center area. Also not to be missed: ABC Carpet and Home at 888 and 881 Broadway at E 19th - a wonderful old building and 10 floors of wonderful / interesting things to look at....it has been in business since 1897. I have seen it mentioned on this site from time to time. The Apple store on 5th (near the opposite side of the park - maybe 60th and 5th) might be hit with your kids - it is a big clear cube and you go down to shop. Thinking of engineering and architecture, one interesting thing about NYC is that it is so old and yet they adapt through the times and generations - stores that have small store fronts easily has three huge floors all underground. I live in SoCal and don't go anywhere with my car here....in NYC I ONLY take cabs....if I am with the DSs I will do the trains but give me a cab anytime. DS3 is a cab taker too..faster, easier, you see the lay of the land. I can and do the subway to get anywhere (except going to /from the airport) in London but I find the NY subways dark with not great signage and harder to figure out. I also walk and walk and walk and walk. Keep your eyes open when you are there, you never know who you will see! Yellow cabs are a good thing, pass on the Black Cars - not subject to the same regulations. Just get out there and wave one down - the lights on the top of the cab will indicate if they are on duty (or not). You will feel like a native! Sorry to be so wordy, and easily with nothing you are interested in ..... seems I am in a NY state of mind.......

Definitely stay in Manhattan. Last time we were there, we stayed at the La Quinta that Carol mentioned above. It was reasonably priced, clean and very convenient. Short walk to subway, and close to a lot of things including Macy's and the Empire State Building. I definitely recommend walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. Take the subway FROM Manhattan to Brooklyn and walk back so that you have the NY skyline in front of you as you walk. We've done several food walking tours which are always fun so you might check those out. The tours take place in a particular area, Lower East Side or Greenwich Village, for example. You walk around for about two hours learning about the neighborhood while sampling various foods at different establishments. We also did the Brooklyn Pizza tour once, which I recommend. Bus picks you up in Manhattan and drives to Brooklyn where you get a tour of movie locations -- as you pass through a given spot where a particular movie was shot, you see the sequence of that film on the screen in front of you. You stop at two different pizza places and get your fill of some wonderul pizza. Very fun. If you don't know what you want to see on Broadway, you can just go to TKTS in Times Square and buy 30% - 50% off tickets for a performance for that night. Not every show is offered, but plenty of good ones are. And there are helpers who talk to you while you wait in line to help you decide what to see. OH! And don't be intimidated by the length of the line. It's long but moves pretty quickly. Lots of great museums in NY -- I know not all teens are thrilled by museums but my kids and I love them. I'd try to go to at least one, just to get the flavor. The Guggenheim is cool simply because of its architecture in addition to whatever exhibit might be there. In addition of course, there's the MOMA and the MET, and tons of other smaller museums. I really don't want to be in N.Y. when it's cold and snowing Well, I hate to say this, but it's equally likely it will be cold and snowing in March as it is in November. We were there the week of May 16 for my son's graduation from Columbia and it was in the high 40s/low 50s and raining all week. My son attended college there for four years and March is a cold month, with snow not unlikely. Just pack appropriately and you'll be fine. Have fun! New York is a lot of fun with an endless supply of things to do!

Thank you again for your advice on colors. I love the combination of colors you have chosen. But I feel that again, I have not been very clear. The "landing" I am referring to is on the 1st floor. Unfortunately, in that dark niche outside the two bedrooms, I cannot hang anything because a thermostat was placed on that wall, and the A/C man just confirmed that it cannot be moved without a lot of work and expense. That is very unfortunate!! There is a "landing" on the 2nd floor too, along with a long hallway that connects bedroom to bathroom and study. In my opinion, the color of the stairwell will have to also be the color of the walls on this 2nd floor hall. Walls of study are BM 1077; walls of bathroom are SW Krypton; walls of bedroom are BM 1075. Please let me know if the colors you are showing are BM 1077 and SW Dover White. Those are colors I would like to stick with in my color scheme in general. I just believe I need to go lighter than BM 1077 on the walls of this hallway and on the 1st floor landing.