Thanks Chris - Yes, Firespike! Now I remember. Hmm, just did a bit of looking up. Shade is ok, but the Firespike and the cordyline look to need opposite watering conditions...I have them next to each other (a few feet apart). Is this going to be an issue? DO I need to transplant? And the cordyline is getting brown tips. I thought maybe it was just the transplanting, but maybe it's the flouride in the water (and/or chlorine). Any suggestions on how to combat that? If I have the air conditioner on I gather a lot of water from that - which I think is supposedly to be slightly acidic, which counteracts my basic soil. But lately it's been cool enough not to use it, so I use normal city water, which is high in chlorine and flouride. I don't want to kill my plants with water!

Beautiful Amaryllis, mine got too tall this year also. Brrrrrrrrrr is right! Here in San Antonio we are expecting the coldest weather in 40 years. We might not get above freezing on Friday! Many of the plants I brought in a few weeks ago are sprouting new leaves. The first hard freeze snuck up on us and I accidentally left the Duranta out and thought it was dead, but now it's sprouting new leaves. Even one small Brug cutting that got left out is now sprouting from the bottom even though the top is shriveled. We'll be moving the Christmas lights over to the plants that are too big to bring in.

Ok Pavlovs Don. Grown adults drooling over hosta's. I don't know what's wrong with all of us but I like it. Thanks bmonkeys. Yes they are limelight trees creating a "floating hedge" around a courtyard. So as not to set a bad example to the neighborhood kids I only enjoy an iced tea there. If it happens to be of the Long Island variety so be it. : )) Thank you Jo. Very good eye. Actea 'Hillside Black Beauty'. Great foliage, flowers and fragrance. A must for any hosta garden. A group of them along side a Sun King Aralia with a big blue hosta will be in my garden soon.

Ladies, you are pumping me up with happiness. I can't tell you how much I enjoy working with these chairs and my beloved fabrics. Allison, there was about a 6" long chunk of wood gone from the upright support of that broken arm in the 'doggie chair'. That 2 part product is mold-able like clay and I just got it as close to the shape as I could, pressed it onto the arm, and let it set up overnight. I then sanded and carved it down a bit to match the other arm. I'll have to see if I have a before pic of that and then take one now. Oh, I also plan to use that product to make new tops above the arms where you see the holes in the natural wood in the 2nd pic below. That's where the original horizontal top was attached. (a bit cut off in the CL ad pic) Part of that top is now mounted inside the upper back, padded and covered with fabric. Sujafr, here is the blue one a bit further along, although I just propped the being re-glued arms in place for this shot, which I sent to the seller. I found a solid Waverly twill that matches the darker blue in the fabric, and will have welt outlining the upholstered parts for a crisp definition. You can just see it at the top where I pinned it. patty-cakes, I'll keep them for a little while, just to enjoy the fruits of my labor/fun, and then try to find good homes for them. I might list a few on Craigslist!