It's frustrating trying to talk about fragrances: to paraphrase Martin Mull, it's like dancing about architecture! There's not substitute for smelling in person -- mock oranges in particular can be very strong or very weak, depending on the cultivar, and nursery's quoted descriptions aren't always accurate. Like Toni said, if there's a botanical garden or public garden nearby, try to visit! That being said, lemme put on my dancing shoes . . . . Star jasmine, trachelospermum jasminoides, has a sweet, heavy scent with an odd undertone, which Cistus Nursery describes as "burnt wire insulation." Mmmm, good! I much prefer the more cinnamon scent of t. asiaticum/mandianum. Both would have to come indoors for the winter in your area; t. asiaticum is less rampant a grower, so I think a better choice. Phlox has never really done it for me; all I get is a light, sweet floral scent. Hosta plantanginea and its hybrids are the fragrant ones; definitely jasmine-like -- I'd grow 'em if I had room for 'em. Check out Plant Delights for an article about fragrant hostas. Daphne -- ahh, Daphne, what a heartbreaker!! D. odora is just spectacular; a rich, haunting, perfume, but not easy to grow without a cool greenhouse and only z7 hardy. Other species are, to me, often too candy-sweet, but still nice -- D. x burkwoodii cultivars, and maybe transatlantica as well, should be hardy for you. Haven't sniffed Miss Kim or fragrant milkwood, so I can't comment. If you like fragrant hardy shrubs, check out: fothergilla gardenii abelia mosanensis (really nice, lily-like, and very tough!) hamamellis mollis and hybrids (check descriptions, some hybrids are more scented than others) lonicera fragrantissima (my fave winter scented shrub, and bulletproof) magnolia stellata No true jasminum species is fragrant beyond z6-7, and the best are all z9-10, so be prepared for lots of pots in the house in winter! I've got sambac, nitidum and tortuosum, and they're all great! Hope this helps you get started! Jim

Not, my house, but my parents' time capsule. Dated, a little stiff--although we use it a lot--but I still find it completely pleasant and not as dated as it could be since it was furnished 45 years ago and some of the upholstery is original to then and some is from about 1987. It has definitely had an influence on my viewpoint: (I think it's kind of unfortunate that mirrors like that were reproduced in every form including 100% plastic at the time of the Bicentennial. It's a genuine 19th c. girandole, but in pictures it looks a bit trite)

a2gemini - Great! Send me an email (starpooh at gmail dot com) when you're ready to post and I will give you the FKB Checklist. AnnaA - Yes, it's all volunteer time (although, as with all bloggers, I make some money on ads from Google Adsense). But it's a very relaxing night-time ritual; my brain is tired from working on the computer all day. Sitting in a big easy chair while watching HGTV, posting photos and categorizing kitchens is actually fun! And it keeps me busy so I don't order things on amazon. :-) I had tried to create a new FKB similar to Houzz where you could upload your own photos but it got to be too complicated and I was so busy working on the new site that I didn't add any new kitchens to the existing FKB. (Maybe in the future.) For now I'm the only person who can make updates. So just send me an email (starpooh at gmail dot com) with a link to your new photos and I will update them. I use watermarking software to add the owner's name to each kitchen. It's easy once it's all setup. wags848 - Are you viewing the FKB from a computer, tablet or smartphone? From a computer I see these links at the top right of the page: Home, Find-A-Kitchen, View Photos, Slideshows, Add My Kitchen, Articles, Links, About/Contact Several of these have drop-down menus with additional links. Do you see them?

I don't intend to be rude but I think any one of us would be mortified to know that 'a friend' started a thread in a pubic forum to discuss whether or not posters (strangers) know someone as 'odd' and possibly 'personality defected' as Oakley's friend. He likely long ago realized that unless he stayed with safe topics such as the weather, Gunsmoke and history it may be broadcast far and wide by said friend (who admits she has been 'watching' him for at least a year). This thread takes talking behind someone's back to an entirely new level, so ungracious, and so unfriend-like.