It is common for some macrophyllas to produce some blooms that are slightly different from others in the same shrub. They may be slighlty darker or lighter. And do not forget that as the blooms get older and fade, they will start color changes too. New invisible flower buds for Spring 2015 begin developing anywhere from July-August in old wood. That would be mid July for me; later for northern states.

We have a Guardian fence around the pool. We did not want a fence at first, but have grown to love it. It lets us keep the kids out of the pool while still allowing them to play outside. It also gives a piece of mind knowing that even if one of our kids gets outside they won't be able to get in the pool. It does take away from some of the beauty of the pool but it is a sacrifice you make especially when you know people that have had unfortunate incidents. Swim lessons are great, but they are no replacement for safety devices. In my opinion the nets are fine during the winter, but I do not see myself taking down and putting up a net every day during the summer. The pool would end up uncovered most of the time which defeats the purpose. I have not read good things about the pool alarms either, false alarms, etc. The fence comes down easily if you want to take it down but we find ourselves leaving it up all the time.

My Balsamina plants reseed so well that I have to pull out hundreds to eliminate over crowding. I just love them and always offer seeds to friends. They offer a lot of color when I cut down the finished bleeding hearts.

I would remove all of the fruit except one or two of the strongest; it is a Meyer. When it gets older, it will do a good job of self-thinning; but when it is young it will keep too many fruit and "forget" to grow. As for the brown tips... probably a little salt build-up; don't worry about it; and I wouldn't remove those leaves; but you should periodically flush your soil to remove salt buildup