I think bands are definitely out for me. We only plan on being in this home for 5 years (give a few) and I want to get the landscaping going :) Perhaps that's a thought for the future though... Thanks for the Regan Nursery tip! I gave them a call and they're already potting up their bare root roses so I think I'll head over in a month or so and at least get a good look at the blooms in person. Looks a bit like I missed the rose boat this year, but that's alright, now I have plenty of time to do my research for next year :)

The Lily Auction is a great place to buy. But very addictive. Also you can get carried away and pay too much. Plus shipping charges can easily add up if you order here and there willy nilly. Plus while most of the sellers are at least adequate, afew are not much good and some are just absolutely fabulous. Some always give bonus, others never do. If rust is an issue watch out, not ALL gardens are rust free. In fact the very southern ones spray for rust but you can still get it. Also just because something is listed at a particular price doesn't mean its a bargain, prices really varry on there from seller to seller. If it said it reblooms, that means in Florida, not reblooms for you. Read the action description VERY carefully. Some are for immediate delivery, some for fall delivery which means after mid september and some only for next spring delivery. I personally would never buy something now for delivery next spring. Its like you are loaning that seller money so they can go out and buy the plant they are listing and then hope it increases. If they don't have it next spring, oh well too bad. They had had your money forever. You do get it back but like I said, like you loaned it to someone. However late in the fall and over winter it is common to list for spring and that works out well.

I never got any feedback from anyone on their tubs. The Italian tub that I liked is close to $3000 and I had to face the reality that it just breaks the budget. The double-ended antique that southernmum likes is beautiful - a great buy - but I think it may be a little too deep for me. I'm only 5'2" and it's 27.9" high. Which tub did you like? I recently found tubs by Maax that are priced in the $1500-2000 range - the Jazz, Sax and Ella embossed, Ella sleek - but they're 66" x 36" x 24" high- just a little lower which makes a BIG difference at my height Take a look and tell me what you think. They offer some interesting apron colors too. Here is a link that might be useful: Maax Free Standing tubs

I ordered my Waterstone main and filtration faucets from Quality Bath using my credit card. I thought their service was very good. The main faucet was on backorder. They sent me an email to let me know that... Here's part of the email: "Thank you very much for your recent order. Approximate lead times for the items are as follows: Waterstone Soap Dispenser - 4065 & Cold Filtration Faucet - 1400 C are about 5 weeks for you to receive. The Pulldown Kitchen Faucet - 5400 will be about 10-12 weeks for you to receive. If this does not work out with your schedule please contact us. We will send you an e-mail confirmation once your order ships.".... I thought 10-12 weeks was too long of a wait and cancelled the order, but then changed my mind and reinstated it. In the process I called them many times discussing it and every time they were very accommodating (explained that the long lead time was from the Waterstone. I called Waterstone and they confirmed it as well). After all, when the order was reinstated, I got everything much much faster. So I was very happy with Quality Bath.