I've been on a tear lately, getting all sorts of plants I've wanted: neon pothos variegated philodendron chordatum 'black gold' sansevieria a lithops wandering jew- i didn't know how 'retro' these plants look. these and the sans make me feel i'm back in the forties. i have to start getting selective, because i'm running out of room. if i had all the space in the world, I'd get: monstera delisiosa african mask plant- i find these guys stunning, but just no room! I would like to get a fern of some type, but i don't know which would do best in my office.

Jjpeace: that is your opinion, but it would be a sad day indeed if the only roses available to the rest of North America are determined by what is popular in Toronto! Kim: There will be demand for these obscure varieties again, everything is cyclical. The key is to have them propagated, distributed, and safely tucked away in many gardens instead of letting them disappear forever during the dark ages -- just like the ancient libraries of Alexandria or Timbuktu. A long time ago I was assistant to the curator at UC Berkeley Botanical Garden while doing my undergrad. The person in charge of the California section was kind enough to give me a rooted sucker of minutifolia because I was doing a research project. Afterwards, I kept the plant alive for ten years in a #1 pot in San Francisco, but lost it during an extended trip because my plant sitter didn't water it. Minutifolia was dormant at the time. I'm glad it's being more widely distributed, because through the years, the friends of the garden that run the plant sales rarely propagated it. I have plenty of experience keeping this ENDANGERED species alive, it prefers dappled shade in hot situations and produces bigger leaves & flowers with regular water. If the placement is correct, the plant explodes with growth. The growing media in the pot is fast draining, but it has no qualms sending roots through the holes into clay soil. Except for water, I basically just ignore it, no pruning, fertilizer, or spray. I'm glad you generously donated Pure Bea to the heritage group, I will treasure it. I had already contacted Tessie last year about PB. I asked her about hips but she didn't get any viable seedlings.... My 10+ year old Suncrest on its fourth flush this season:

I remember that a few years ago kitchens were seen with large flooring-sized tile on the backsplash.... a 12 by 12 tile often set on-point. Very geometric and often with dark tiles. The size was simply overwhelming to the 18" height of the average backsplash. This emerged as people were moving away from full-height granite splashes to tiled splashes. Within a year or two this look had fallen out of fashion. I was very glad that this was one trend I missed. It seems that regardless of what's in or out, there are so many choices available that many looks will both remind one of an earlier era (and may appear dated as a result), and that many looks will be considered classic. In the 60s and 70s, there were far fewer people with way less money and less desire for "the latest," so manufactures and designers were more constrained. Now it seems that the sky is the limit. Even the most elegant of kitchens and baths from a generation ago seem, at best, average to the rooms of today. The industry can support a variety of looks because so many people are spending money on creating their dream homes. For example, carrara marble or black granite are materials that will always be in demand. They are valued because their appeal does not diminish. It is a good idea to vary the tile shapes and possibly materials from bathroom to bathroom in the same house. I do believe that accent tiles-unusual shapes or colors or materials-will be dated sooner than a square or brick shaped tile. So for my house, as fabulous as some of the travertine, porcelain, metallic or glass tiles are, I have not used them to avoid dating the bathrooms in such a way that is rather difficult for the average homeowner to change in ten or twenty years.

For your same reasons I looked into getting my island of polished Rosso Verona marble honed after installation. The plastic orange juice pitcher left an etch circle the 2nd day it was in. The fabricator who installed it gave me a quote of $800-$900 for a 4 ft. x 11 ft. island. Since the money fountain had run dry I decided to live with it. I suggest you get a quote from the company that installed it. They come to your house, seal the doorways the best they can, and use the right sandpaper to remove the polish. There will be a lot of dust they told me. They took my sample of my polished marble I used when doing kitchen research and honed that for me so I could see what it would look like so you could do that too. Definitely more dull without as deep a color for my red marble.