"Cherry Sparkles (7946) 10/08/1993 (S. Sorano) Semidouble-double pink frilled pansy/red speckles, fuchsia sparkle edge. Medium green, plain, quilted. Large" The above information is listed in FC2, which is a database maintained by AVSA of registered and listed AVs. It is not listed online, but one can purchase the program through AVSA. To interpret the information.....the name of the hybrid, the registration number, if any, in parentheses, the date registered, the name of the hybridizer. Then, the blossom description, starting with type of blossom, color, and features, such as fantasy or edge. Then, the leaf description, starting with color, shape, texture. Then, the size of the plant. Since there was a show/sale near you, there is a club also. I would encourage you to join the club for good friendship, helpful information form knowledgeable people, and a wonderful source of AVs that want to come live in your home. Welcome to the forum! Barbara

Wow, you folks are wonderful! Thanks for all the responses and encouragement. Diana is right, I need to label my photos. (And thanks, Diana, now that I have things in the gallery, I will go back and put a supersecret spy code on the PB albums! Nice to "see" you too!)In the L along the post and rail fence, I already have roses planted, and a few lilies which are starting to peek through the ground. I'll get more detailed pictures this weekend, but I have "hot" colors along the short end of the L (bright purple, yellow, red, orange), then white after that, and pinks in the last section. There are five roses there now, with 6 more going in this spring. I do know I need to do some underplanting with things, and add some height as suggested by MeMo. In fact, MeMo, I do have my eye on a teteur for one white rose by the fence, since it just might not ramble along the posts as I had hoped. The slab is actually one of two in the yard. The larger, which is a real patio, is next to the garage. The one next to the lasagna bed was intended as a parking slab for the PO's DH's construction truck. (Say THAT 5 times fast!) Party Music, you are right, the soil there is probably affected by the slab. The two slabs are connected by a concrete path. The PO's DH worked in concrete. They got a lot for free. The grass to the right of the slab in the photo was where the PO had a melon patch and BBQ pit. My DH has spent a lot of time and effort getting grass to grow there, and it is starting to pay off. I've never thought of turning that paved area right off of it into a sitting area. That could be really lovely. GGG, thanks for the offer! Please send me an email, I would love to take you up on your offer! Steven and Xantippe, thank you so much for the encouragement! My neighbor (who has the gorgeous forsythia) has a Mantis, and she is a wonderful gardener. I find it so difficult to get started. I see dozens of things in catalogs, but have no concept of placement and no place to put them. I am going to give some long and hard thought to the "bones" and take it one section at a time. And I'm gonna start on some lasagna beds going for next spring! Thanks again to all of you for your encouragement and suggestions! Keep 'em coming, and I will get more pictures up. Take care, Emmie

Welcome, I'm in South Wales, out by East Aurora, but grew up in Kenmore. There are tons of gardening functions going on around the Buffalo area all summer long and many great nurseries to visit. Don't forget to check out the many farmer's markets! If you want to come get some composted Donkey manure this spring, you are more than welcome. That's open to anyone that wants a couple bushel baskets full ... Attached is a link to my Farm with pictures of my gardens and animals. Enjoy, Pam Here is a link that might be useful: My Farm

The finish and cabinets are holding up great. Have had site painted kitchen cabinets too and there is no comparison on finish durability. No chipping or cracks so far. biggest issue we had was a spaghetti sauce explosion from a guest cook who couldn't figure out the convection cooktop. Everything cleaned up great and there were no residual stains. Glad I sealed the time grout : ) I was worried about inset cabinets being near the water but there hasn't been any issues with expansion/sticking etc good luck with with your renovation. We worked with Ernie at Coventry Lumber-- he was meticulous about the details, measurements etc. I did the basic design work on SketchUp and he made sure it all worked. We were able to save some money by using standard sizes and avoiding custom colors.