tinan, I doubt that noise is as easily abated by plantings as you may think. CALTRANS engineers are experts and even they have a hard time abating sound. Sometimes sound-deflecting walls are built only to find the sound, instead of being deflected upwards, goes in unexpected directions and creates headaches for another neighborhood which previously had no problems at all. Land topography has more impact on noise deflection than anything else. If you walk along the Bodega Head trail, at certain sections the ocean noise is thunderous; yet 50' away without any change except for a shift 10' inland and a protruding cliffside edge, the wave noise drops by two-thirds. No trees or level change are involved at all; it is all topographic noise deflection. Take a side path below cliff level and suddenly you can't hear any ocean noise, everything is silent. Certainly trees "en masse" will deflect noise. But you'd have to own a half-acre lot to plant enough trees to mass thickly enough to create a viable deflection wall on a level property. Walk around a freeway underpass, and you'll probably find that in certain spots almost underneath the freeway (it needs to be solid, not the type with separate roadways) the car noises stop. Sometimes they merge into a deep booming noise that is more pressure than noise, a rather odd feeling. All of us live in a geographically hilly area. This means that cell phone reception gives carriers nightmares and that noise from our maze of freeways travels upwards and outwards in a variety of directions, funneled by geography and climate. I can occasionally hear train whistles from the Amtrak lines two miles west - but not always, only at certain times. If sound were a simple thing, I would ALWAYS be able to hear them - the tracks don't move, and neither does my house (unless there's a rupture in the Hayward Fault, LOL). But I can't, even though I know that the trains blow their whistles at the same crossing twenty times a day.

No, not at all. And my mystery grass is over 3 feet tall. See my sketch of the flowering head profile. Here is a link that might be useful:

Thanks Happy.... anyone have anymore? Amber 3:28 311 From Chaos Alternative 1 5/23/2007 2:33 PM Brandy (You're A Fine Girl) 2:55 Looking Glass AM Gold - Radio Gems Pop 2 5/23/2007 2:36 PM Mr. Blue Sky 5:05 Electric Light Orchestra Greatest Hits Rock 8 5/23/2007 2:41 PM Five O'Clock Somewhere 3:56 AJ & JB & GS Live At Texas Stadium Country 3 5/23/2007 2:45 PM Lionel Ritchie - All Night Long 4:19 3 5/23/2007 2:49 PM Seagull 4:03 Bad Company Bad Company Rock 12 5/23/2007 2:53 PM Sail Away Sweet Sister 3:32 Queen The Game Rock 7 5/23/2007 2:57 PM Tequila Sunrise 2:51 Eagles Their Greatest Hits Rock 6 5/23/2007 3:00 PM Harry Belefonte - The Banana Boat Song 3:05 6 5/23/2007 3:03 PM Come Sail Away 6:08 Styx The Grand Illusion Rock 4 5/23/2007 3:09 PM Hot Fun in The Summertime 2:36 Sly And The Family Stone 1 5/23/2007 3:12 PM seagulls_ambient4 0:02 41 5/23/2007 4:44 PM Van Halen - Beautiful Girls 3:55 Van Hallen Rock 1 5/23/2007 3:16 PM The Beaches Of Cheyenne 3:49 Garth Brooks Double Live Country 19 5/23/2007 3:19 PM Sheryl Crow - Soak Up The Sun 4:52 6 5/23/2007 3:24 PM In The Summertime 3:31 Mungo Jerry 3 5/23/2007 3:32 PM It's A Beautiful Day 2:32 Queen Made In Heaven Rock 7 5/23/2007 3:34 PM Dive 3:57 Steven Curtis Chapman Speechless Rock 1 5/23/2007 3:38 PM Margaritaville 4:11 Jimmy Buffett Pop 3 5/23/2007 3:42 PM Summer Breeze 3:25 Seals & Crofts 1 5/23/2007 3:45 PM Cheeseburger In Paradise 2:51 Jimmy Buffett Songs You Know By Heart-Jimmy Pop 5 5/23/2007 3:48 PM Summertime.mp3 3:31 Sundays Classic Rock 1 5/23/2007 3:52 PM Easy Shanking 2:56 Bob Marley Bob Marley Reggae 8 5/23/2007 3:55 PM seagulls_ambient2 0:06 29 5/23/2007 4:26 PM Summertime 3:26 Kenny Chesney Country CD Country 2 5/23/2007 3:58 PM Tomorrow people 3:38 Ziggy Marley Reggae 3 5/23/2007 4:02 PM Jimmy Buffett - Jamaica Farewell 3:33 Jimmy Buffet Classic Rock 8 5/23/2007 4:05 PM 80 Sitting on the Dock of the Bay 2:45 Otis Redding no title Unknown 4 5/23/2007 4:08 PM You And I 3:27 Queen A Day At The Races Rock 24 5/23/2007 4:12 PM Down By The Seaside 5:16 Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti Rock 9 5/23/2007 4:17 PM Put the Lime in the Coconut 3:51 Harry Nilsson 5 5/23/2007 4:21 PM Len - Don't Steal My Sunshine(1) 4:08 1 5/23/2007 4:25 PM Caribbean Island Music Steel Drums - Tropical Summer Party - Carribean Sound - Soca dance 1:31 Other 4 5/23/2007 4:26 PM seagulls_ambient2 0:06 29 5/23/2007 4:26 PM California Dreaming 2:41 Mamas & Papas 2 5/23/2007 4:29 PM Jersey Girl 6:31 Bruce Springsteen Live 1975-1985 (3CD) 6 5/23/2007 4:36 PM Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First) 4:54 John Mellencamp Mr. Happy Go Lucky Rock 13 5/23/2007 4:41 PM Beyond The Sea 2:53 Bobby Darin A Life Less Ordinary 9 5/23/2007 4:43 PM seagulls_ambient4 0:02 41 5/23/2007 4:44 PM seagulls_ambient4 0:02 41 5/23/2007 4:44 PM seagulls_ambient4 0:02 41 5/23/2007 4:44 PM Summertime 4:04 Janis Joplin Greatest Hits Rock 4 5/20/2007 4:27 PM That Summer 4:46 Garth Brooks The Chase Country 6 5/22/2007 4:23 PM 4th Of July Ashbury Park 5:36 Bruce Springsteen The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle Rock 9 5/20/2007 3:56 PM Last Rose Of Summer 5:39 Judas Priest Sin After Sin Metal 11 5/22/2007 6:25 PM Seasons in the Sun 2:15 Mamas and Papas 3 5/22/2007 6:10 PM seagulls_ambient4 0:02 41 5/23/2007 4:44 PM Friends In Low Places 8:57 Garth Brooks Double Live Country 12 5/22/2007 6:34 PM Key Lime Pie 4:40 Kenny Chesney Be As You Are Country 2 5/22/2007 7:03 PM One Love/People Get Ready 3:21 Bob Marley Songs Of Freedom Reggae 10 5/22/2007 6:41 PM seagulls_ambient4 0:02 41 5/23/2007 4:44 PM What A Day For A Daydream 2:21 The Lovin' Spoonful Classic Rock The Drifters - Under The Boardwalk 2:41 4 5/22/2007 4:05 PM seagulls_ambient2 0:06 29 5/23/2007 4:26 PM Jimmy Buffett - Mexico 4:08 Jimmy Buffett Mexico 1 5/23/2007 6:55 AM Sailing 4:39 Rod Stewart Atlantic Crossing Rock 9 5/21/2007 5:44 AM Sound Effects - Sounds Of Nature - Peaceful Ocean Surf (With Seagulls)(No Music) 2:50 SLEEPYTIME Other 8 5/22/2007 5:09 PM Island In The Sun 3:30 Weezer The Green Album 1 5/22/2007 5:17 PM One Love/People Get Ready 3:21 Bob Marley Songs Of Freedom Reggae 10 5/22/2007 6:41 PM Seaside Rendezvous 2:15 Queen A Night At The Opera Rock 20 5/22/2007 4:25 PM Summer Wind 2:53 Frank Sinatra Greatest Hits Classical 6 5/22/2007 5:19 PM seagulls_ambient2 0:06 29 5/23/2007 4:26 PM Is This Love 3:52 Bob Marley & The Wailers Legend - The Best Of Reggae 1 5/22/2007 4:37 PM Feeling Hot Hot Hot 4:11 Island Music Carribean 1 5/22/2007 4:32 PM It's Five O'Clock Somewhere 3:53 Alan Jackson & Jimmy Buffett Country 2 5/22/2007 5:13 PM Under The Boardwalk 3:56 John Mellencamp The Rough Harvest Sessions Other seagulls_ambient2 0:06 29 5/23/2007 4:26 PM seagulls_ambient2 0:06 29 5/23/2007 4:26 PM Kokomo 3:38 Beach Boys Cocktail Soundtrack Rock 3 5/10/2007 8:47 PM Under The Sea 3:11 Little Mermaid Disney Soundtracks No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems 3:31 Kenny Chesney No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems 3 5/22/2007 5:52 PM Two Pina Coladas 4:28 Garth Brooks Double Live Country 16 5/21/2007 3:31 PM Summer Nights [Original Version] 3:36 John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John Grease [Original Soundtrack] Soundtrack 1 5/22/2007 4:59 PM

It was neat to see the crested/cristate ones in person. I had heard of Michael's Sword, so it was cool to see it in person. Believe was too much for me (looks-wise that is, I have no idea if it was for sale or for how much) - and the color was really blah to me. I think this place had other ones too, at least in their catalog, but I don't recall seeing others blooming - but I was on overload, so might have overlooked them. Signet, I know I've seen Bee's Bettie Sue in the past online and liked it. Kay, I don't know about Opportunity Knocks, if that was normal for it or not - the pictures in the garden.org database don't show that weirdness. I'm glad you ladies liked the Cat! Mantis, it was hard to decide which places to hit. The gardening friend I met there went to one other one after I left, she said it was kind of a let down after the first three we went to. I was just too tired and mentally exhausted to see much more after the first two gardens. If I could find an inexpensive hotel in the area, I might make a two day visit of it next time... assuming my husband won't mind me leaving him home dogsitting.