Woody I really like the "pass along pink" Mum and the way it echoes the colors of the hibiscus in the background. It reminds me of an article in Fine Gardening this summer about design and using a "big sister plant little sister plant" to tie things together. I have not heard of Mammoth Mums and went back to Kevin's old post and read about them. Now I have plant lust. :(

From my files. I hand this out when I teach classes.: FRUIT SYRUPS I use this all the time with great results. Syrups made from blackberries, huckleberries, raspberries, boysenberries, loganberries, sour cherries, and Island Belle grapes as well as mixtures of berries are of good flavor, color, and consistency (thin like maple syrup, medium thick like corn syrup, or slightly jelled). Syrups can be made with or without pectin and lemon juice. Lemon juice may improve color. Use of pectin will vary consistency. To Prepare Fruit Puree: Sort, stem, and wash ripe fruit or thaw frozen unsweetened fruit; crush fruit thoroughly; measure crushed fruit. Add 1 cup boiling water to each 4 cups crushed fruit and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer to soften--about 5 for soft fruits...about 10 minutes for firm fruits like cherries and grapes. Press through sieve. SYRUPS MADE WITH PUREE 4 cups puree 4 cups sugar 1/2 package or less powdered pectin (if desired) 3 or 4 Tbsp lemon juice (if desired) 1. Mix puree, sugar, pectin and lemon juice. 2. Bring to boil and stir for 2 minutes (boil till jelly thermometer reaches 218F). 3. Remove from heat, skim off foam, and pour into 1/2 pint or 1 pint jars to within 1/2 inch of top. 4. Adjust lids and process in boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. 5. Remove from canner and cool. 6. Check lids, label, and store in cool, dry place. To Prepare Fruit Juice: Sort, stem and wash ripe fruit or thaw frozen, unsweetened fruit; crush fruit thoroughly. Place crushed fruit in dampened jelly bag and drain. For clearest juice, do not press bag to extract juice. For firm fruits, heat is needed to start flow of juice. Add about 1/2 cup water to each 3 cups crushed fruit. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Place hot fruit in dampened jelly bag; drain. SYRUPS MADE WITH JUICE 4 cups juice 4 cups sugar 1/4 cup lemon juice (if desired) 1/2 package or less powdered pectin (if desired) 1. Mix juice, sugar, lemon juice and pectin. 2. Bring to boil and boil 2 minutes. 3. Remove from heat, skim off foam, and pour into 1/2 pint or 1 pint canning jars to within 1/2 inch of top. 4. Adjust lids and process in boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. 5. Remove from canner and let cool. 6. Check lids, labels, and store in cool, dry place.

hey thanks guys! nullzero; no figs or pomegranates here.. i dont really enjoy figs all that much.. and pomegranates are good but to me after having a couple of them i get sick of all the work trying to peel the rest LOL yeah hausman! whole different world out here, I wish my yard were bigger.. mangodog, my mangos are protected by a PVC structure ive built to be easily broken down and put back together for the winter.. even doubles as a sunshade structure if need be: and yeah we gotta somehow figure out how to compare the mangos lol

Thanks Linda, I didn't think I was too far off. I reduced it a lot but probably not quite that far. We love the taste though, really intense.