Hi everyone! Celeste, first I want to tell you how much I enjoyed your article in the current Heritage Rose Groups newletter. I wish I could do the same thing: wind in my hair, holding on tight, and exploring the highways and byways with my sweet husband via motorcycle, sounds like a lot of fun. Too bad I am scared to death of motorcycles!!! (I cannot believe I just admitted that on this forum!!!) I have loved roses since early childhood, due to my mother's love of them, and spending some time with her in her "garden" (well, just a suburban yard, really, but when you are a preschooler, the whole world is bigger, you know?). I have had small gardens at each home I have lived in, and even when I was young and single, I would at least have houseplants and a rose or two in a large pot out on the patio or deck of my apartments. My husband Johnny and I married in 1996, and he knew from my small pot ghetto at the time that a larger garden would be inevitable once we bought a home together. Although he is not a gardener by nature, he is very much an outdoorsman, and he was content that I would want a nice big garden. Whether it was roses, other flowers, or vegetables would not have interested him at all. We bought our home in 1999, and before we had moved in, the garden plans were beginning inside my head. As soon as we had made this older house habitable inside, I changed my focus to the outside... Being the nice guy that Johnny is, he took my planning and excitement in stride. He could be counted upon to dig some holes, and assist with maintenence. But no way would he help pick what roses and other plants to buy, or help choose where to plant them: "You just tell me where to dig, and I will dig" mentality, lol. I joined the Texas Rose Rustlers, and Johnny has been sweet enough to tag along with me to the meetings. After all, how many times have I gone with him to the deer camp, or out fishing, etc, just so we could spend some time together? He met several men in that club that are avid gardeners of every description, particularly rose gardening. He listened to the speakers at each meeting, he joined in the socialization, he made friends with all the sweet older ladies that think of him as one of the nicest guys they have met... and before you knew it, he was asking questions, becoming curious about soil science, propagation, hybridization, and even would love to try his hand at growing roses from seed. Several years and hundreds of planting holes later, Johnny still doesn't consider himself a gardener. He leaves that distinction to me. He is the gardener's helper in his mind. He has lots of pictures of me in the garden that he loves, and I know it is not just that the pictures are of his wife! I think one would have to be heartless to spend so much time caring for the earth and not be able to develop an abiding love for the plants that you have nurtured! And anyone that knows Johnny, knows that he is a man with a very big, very happy and loving heart! Does he get teased for gardening with me? Not that I have ever heard. Would it bother him? I doubt it. He is pretty strong minded, and can hold his own in any circumstances (except for needles.... he nearly passed out during a minor procedure once, but that is a tale for a different sort of forum!) I wonder what sort of folks would think it odd for a man to garden? Maybe I am naive, but gardening is pretty common here in Texas. Lots of us come from Farming roots. And there are generations of hybridizers to look to for the nobility of the art of gardening. How many of the founding fathers of the United States were gentleman farmers before they were called to become patriots? I doubt they *only* grew their cash crops, but probably also grew things that they fancied. ... That reminds me that Thomas Jefferson was just such a man. His garden journals still exist, and he was, I think, the original American "Master Gardener"! Maybe there are problems with people's thinking nowadays, to disparage a man for being agrarian, rather than just a hunter-gatherer! Seems to me that agriculture was a step up on the evolutionary pathway. My final thoughts: Anyone that is foolish enough to question the masculinity of a male gardener is deserving of having a whiskey barrel full of compost, or a trash can full of fermented alfalfa tea dumped on their head! And anyone that stops to think about it will realize that rose gardening ain't for sissies! Most roses have big, mean thorns, and they bite. Anybody that would laugh at a guy that wrestles Mermaid without fear is lacking in brainpower. And last but not least, as Poodlepup knows, men that grow roses... yeah, they're hot! And most of them don't even know it! Allison

M3, you're the second person, (this week) who mentioned their 'kitty' feared T-storms. Rub her head, talk softly, explain, 'mom' won't allow anything to happen to you. Does ME get a lot of rain? Nina, It's actually more than 20 yrs. LOL...aside from sowing seeds in my family outdoor garden at age 11, w/o knowing what the heck I was doing, I purchased my first houseplant at 18 yrs old..that was 37 yrs ago. So, add 17 years to the 20..LOL..How embarrassing! In the beginning most plants died from too much TLC..in other words, overwatering. I can't begin to tell you the number of AV's I killed. Not intentionally of course. One time, (late 70's) I assumed potting an Av in a super large container would grow 4' or taller..LOL. You can figure out the results. After reading and rereading every book I got my hands on, I learned the tricks of the trade. But still have a zillion questions that need answering. Nina, you have 8 children??? Wow, no wonder you gave up plants..when would you find time? LOL I'm assuming they're grown, which means you now have time to pursue a wonderful, relaxing hobby. Yes, it'd be great having a neighbor who shares our love of plants..My friends/family either don't give a hoot or live far/out of state. We send each other cuttings though. Nina, are you going to sell your plants in hopes of finding someone who shares your interest? Good luck..I truly hope you meet someone. There's a man down the street who dotes on all plants..His wife doesnt' share his interest.LOL..Isn't that the way it goes? Other than him it's hopeless. We've lived here 20 yrs. Our front and back yard was covered in dead grass, (temps were in the 100's and no one watered) totally dead bushes, and weeds over 4' out back. It took time and work, but eventually looked decent. Little by little (when hubby was at work) I'd dig sections of grass and add perrenials..LOL..now the entire front side has flowers. In fact, most of the front, and part of the back is the same..grass is getting scarcer and scarcer..LOL..Most house plants are in back, some in front. Every so often, ppl ring our bell, asking the name of a plant. We notice, more and more people are doing the same. Digging grass and planting flowers. Still, during the last 20 yrs, we haven't befriended anyone who grows house plants..in fact, most ppl buy plants in spring, like tropial Hibiscus/Azaleas and toss in the alley in autumn. What a waste!! I KNOW what you mean about going to the store and buying a plant/s..you are talking to a mirror image of yourself..LOL How many plants do you have? Are you now collecting AVs? Other plants? At least you live in a nice, warm climate..that sure helps. Wish I could say the same; soon plants will be coming indoors. sigh. Let us know how your sale goes. You never know, someone might come along, in which you'll find your kindred spirit. Begonias aren't the easiest plants to grow..they need humidity, but don't like wet feet. If possible, try Wax begonia..this way you'll get a feel for their care. Keep us posted, Nina. Lucille, you did it!!! Congrats..Now that the hard part is over, all you have to worry about, (at least until they need larger pots) is water and fertilizer. Of course there's always clipping faded flowers and inspecting for pests, but that's trivial to what you've accomplished. How did you test go? Larry, I researched Alsobia..the Dianthiflora is gorgeous..the white flowers are adorable. I love their flower texture and shape. Do they require a lot of humidity? One thing that confused me was, while researching, Wikipedia said, dianthiflora and punctata are succulents..Is that correct? Like most other sites discussing Alsobia, they all stated Alsobia were once related to Episica. Is Episcia tropical or succulent? I'd love to get hold of Ember Lace, but it's almsot impossible. They're bought before the seller posts..LOL. Have a great wkend. Toni

I like that. Thanks for posting it.

I had one in the last kitchen. It was great. Once one of the seals failed, but it was only when I turned it on, and it wouldn't turn off, but just went to a drip. So, I turned off it off at the shut off valve, put a pot under it, called the manufacturer, they sent the O-ring. Which didn't fix it, so they sent me a new faucet. Never happened again. As for the lack of drain argument, do people have drains under the refrigerator if they have water in the door? I never have. The argument about having to carry the hot water to the sink, is not really a good argument against the pot filler. I for one did not ever dump hot water out of the pot when making pasta. Usually use a strainer to scoop out pasta. The amount of water that would be left in the pot is not that heavy for cleaning up. And I never dump my soup out. It is ladled out of the pot into bowls for serving. And then to clean it up, it is ladled into containers and sent to freezer or refrigerator and I carry the empty pot to the sink. I would absolutely do another one if needed. I did not do one in this kitchen because I have a prep sink located right behind the range on the end of the island. Last house only had one sink, it was very helpful. And by the time the new kitchen had 3 sinks planned for it, I'm not sure I could have convinced anyone that having a pot filler was necessary!