Janice, being in Maryland, the closest supplier that I view as reputable and stands behind their plants would be Brushwood Nursery in Pennsylvania. Dan grows great clematis that can be directly planted in the ground without growing out in a pot. He is always willing to answer any questions you may have. The link to his nursery is shown below. There are many other suppliers of clematis that are similarly reputable but I am just listing the one that is closest to you and that I have dealt with many times. Chalk Hill, Joy Creek, Collectors Nursery, Seneca Hill Perennials, and many other nurseries out there sell clematis and are equally reputable but Dan's is the closest to your home and shipping is free if you order two or more clematis. For me in my garden, the clematis that blooms the longest hands down is Petit Faucon. It begins blooming in late April/early May and doesn't stop until September in most years. Dan doesn't carry this specific clematis but Chalk Hill does. The one thing about this clematis is that it is not self clinging so you will either have to give it some guidance and support in getting it to stand upright or allow it to spill over the ground or even some low growing evergreens. Others that bloom a long time for me that do cling include Polish Spirit, Julia Correvon, Etoile Violette, and others in the viticella family as well as the Duchess of Albany. Several good things about the viticellas is that they are not as succeptible to clematis wilt, are very hardy and vigorous, and in my garden, will bloom a second time after the main flush of flowers if you cut them back by half and feed and water them well. Good luck with your clematis! Here is a link that might be useful: Brushwood Nursery

Rlbloom, this "abnormally normal" winter did in many a fig that has been in the ground for years, but never experienced temps as low as we had this year. There's a good chance, though, that the roots survived. Keep a watch for growth down low, or even from below ground. I've seen trees push new growth as late as June after being winter-killed. That being said, if growth doesn't start by the end of this month, it may not have time to harden off before NEXT winter, and would be killed again. If you do get new growth, trim the existing branch structure to give the new growth as much sun as possible. Once you see what's going to sprout, thin the new growth to 3 to 5 sprouts. You don't want the roots trying to support a jungle after being so stressed. To insure that the growth will harden off, pinch out the growing tips every time 5-7 new full-sized leaves form on each sprout. This will cause the growth below to begin to lignify (harden and form bark), as well as insuring a full, bushy, shrubby growth. DON'T fertilize until next year, it only stresses the plant more. John

Oh, sorry for not updating sooner... I went to Designer Services in Frederick. They had two kinds of Green Mountain soapstone -- original and ice flower. I looked mostly at original which was very nice, but not what I had in mind. Many thin veins in what looked to me to be a pretty hard stone. Today I went to Grantops, also in Frederick, to see what they had. They carry about 5 kinds of soapstone and I bought two slabs!! Mine are Santa Rita (I think I got the last 2 they had in stock) and I love them. I'm attaching a link so you can check out the other varieties. I'm surprised at how hard its been to find soapstone in the DC metro area. Good luck!! Here is a link that might be useful: Grantops

Well, during our lengthy search for the perfect marble and the perfect matte black granite we probably checked out 10 slab yards/fabricators in the DC/MD/VA area. By far, we found the best service at Classic Granite and Marble in Jessup. We were thrilled that their templating and installation were also just perfect. We took our layout with measurements on our first visit (no appointment) and walked out with exact prices for the 4 different materials we were considering. They came out 3 different times, at no additional cost, to be sure the template was perfect. During the first template, they discovered that our island wasn't aligned properly. We had to order a new corner cabinet, which would delay the countertop installation several months after their findings. Classic had no issues holding our material and waiting for the cabinet issue to be resolved. Andy was superb and I can't recommend them enough. In the end, I found the marble slabs I wanted at Daltile in Chantilly, VA - Classic drove down and picked them up. As far as other slab yards I visited (these do not do fabrication)- Universal - had great selection, but as stated above, you can't pick your specific slabs Marva Marble and Granite - Great selection, no calacatta Daltile - Good selection, very friendly, moved many slabs on a busy Saturday for us. NSI - near BWI - fantastic selection, lots of exotic choices GranTops - in Frederick - outdoor slab yard, they also carry soapstone from M.Tex Avanti - Great selection, lots of exotic stones Good Luck!!!! HTH!