Wow. What a read! I got into Dahlia three years ago. A good friend gifted me with a single cactus - pink that I have yet to identify. It's a strong plant with lovely blooms that also make great cuts. Because of how I grow my flowers, this dahlia in particular will yield an incredibly quantity of useful tubers for the next year. Of course, I share what I can and my friends fall in love with growing dahlias because of their success in growing this particular cultivar. Sorry, my intro went on for days. Given that I reside in SE Portland, I have come to rely upon Swan Island [Canby, OR] and Old House Dahlias [SE Portland]. This years crop came entirely from Old House Dahlia. I am very pleased by the quality and performance. However, several cultivars have been slow in growing, notably Lindy, Tanjoh, and Fascination. The blooming is delayed, too. Aside from the pink, my planting of Shea's Rainbow has been the showstopper of the season. Relying on the Aer. Dahlia Society's classification index, Shea's Rainbow is BB/IC/V [meaning, Small flowered [4-6"]/Incursive Cactus/Variegated coloring. Checkers [M/FD/BI] comes in a close second. Although, I have discovered this cv. to be less stable in terms of bloom bi-coloration reverting possibly to one the parent colors?

Hahaha, it's funny you should say that about the "orange flame," right when I got home I pulled out Vertrees' 4th edition book and found no record, online too... Still no luck. As a matter of fact, right after I submitted my post I was thinking "hmm I think I was had on that one" and maybe showing a little of my ignorance. :) Yes, it's really greAt watching the little babies put on a shoot here, a shoot there... But I'd say out of 30 cultivars and 10 seedlings, I have lost 2, had 3-4 almost completely defoliate, and I've seen enough leaf scorch for a lifetime (mostly from over-watering I believe; mixed with this horrible heat). Saying that, I'm going the same route as far as purchasing larger, more hardened trees from here on out. I wasn't thinking very logically, buying 1 yr old brand new grafts from the west coast with a 20 degree temp change shipping down here. I've been looking into a nursery that ships on the west coast, "Essence of the Tree". They seem a lil expensive, but from what I've read and the quality I've seen (pictures only), they must be doing something right. Beautiful trees! Also Whitman Farms looks pretty promising. Thanks for the words of encouragement, I'm hooked and have made a routine of just relaxing out back with my trees when I get off work for a good hour or so, if I don't have errands or cleaning duties ;) I'd like to hear if you find out any info in you're notes on the alleged "orange flame". It's a wonderfully tolerant tree... I just can't wait till repotting time. Thanks again Patrick.

We had what they call a Jack and Jill room for our girls and it did work out. It was a larger that usual bedroom, with a folding type door down the middle. Each girl had their own closet, bed, etc but if they want privacy, they just closed the ""wall"" down the middle. Maybe your 5&6 year old could have that type of arrangement. Cool concept. I once saw a picture of a large room shared by two children ... and in the middle of the room they had a bunk bed ... but the lower bunk opened to the right side of the room, while the upper bunk opened to the left side. But it takes a LARGE room to pull off such a thing. However, I could see it as "future proofing". You could build a room like this to be shared by two children now, and when they're adults the room'll be big enough to hold a queen or king bed for when your kids visit with a spouse in tow and a twin bed is no longer enough.

Hi, Ah the devil is in the details. I built a house from the groud up 4 years ago. Plumbing fixture ordering is an exercise in precision data. To make this point let's consider a shower control for your bathroom. OK you want a shower control. This comes in two bits (a) the valve that sits behind the drywall and tile and (b) the control handle and surrond that you see. Note the valve is only compatible with certian handles. Also the valve is only compatible with other valves depending on how fancy your shower will be. Body surround, hand held, + the usual one over head. Get any of these compatible things wrong and you will have to rip out all that dry wall and tile. OK so you order the stuff. Again ordering requires precision numbers. Let's say you now want a Handshower from Handgrohe. One order number is Aktiva A8. 28547XX1. Note any mistake on the typing, will mean the wrong part. Also note did you get the most up to date catalogue. Finally you get the valve on site + the handles. BUT the handle and trim are not to be installed until after drywall and tile. Think maybe two to three months apart time wise. You will have to store somewhere that part. NOT on site because it will be lost, damaged thrown out etc. In the end we ordered from a shop. They had computers there which check for compatiblility and people who can tell you if the who set up will work or not. They also will hold parts for you untill you need them. Note that for four bathrooms your shopping list is maybe 10 to 15 pages worth or computer print out. Mine was. Note any error will men the wrong part and delay in your build. And worst of all a whole tile and dry wall redo. There are all the niggling detalis too. Part numbers like the 28547XX1, what is the XX. Well replace XX with 00 for chrome, 09 for chrome / gold, 80 for steel, 82 for brushed nickle, 83 for poliched nickel, satin chorm 88, and polishe dbrass 93. Any one error, oohps wrong part. Now multiply this by 15 pages of computer print out. My recomendation is go for a good shop which has a good reputation, and a great return policy. Good computer and knowledgeable people that your builder has worked with before. A few dollars here can really save you time, sanity and dollars in the long run. If you want to save money and are good with a spreadsheet, you can try ordering door handles and kitchen handles online. I did. Again precision data. Fortunately this aspect is a little simpler hence less probability of error. Good luck with your build. Warmest regards, Mike.