Hi, guys. Thanks to every one of you for taking the time to give me your advice and explain some stuff in such detail, esp. Kompressor. And I appreciate James' advice on the Sears Craftsman. You didn't hear back from me because the day after my sister and I purchased a lawn tractor, my sister had a double heart bypass. She's coming home today and is in for a long recovery. I'm sure you're all wondering what I finally decided to do and if I took your advice to heart. Well, what you said about buying used ones made sense so I decided not to buy a used one. I felt more comfortable knowing it was new and didn't buy someone else's problem. Sears was having their Family and Friends sale and I was considering the Craftsman YT4000 (James really liked that one) but as it turned out, the YT3000 (Model 28822) had a lot of really good reviews and there was very little difference between it and the YT4000 (28928). YT3000 is 21hp, 4000 is 24 hp 3000 deck is 42", 4000 is 46" 3000 had 3-1/2 star rating, 4000 had 3 3000 was $300 cheaper (+tax) Both have hydrostatic B&S engines The oil can on the 3000 much more easily accessible than on the 4000. 3000 has only 1 cylinder, 4000 has 2 (don't know if that was important or what it means); no hour meter on the 3000 It was on sale from $1750 for $1299 and an additional $130 off - bottom line I paid $1169.00 and saved $600 w/tax so I think I got a really good deal. I've used it twice and so far I love it. Wish the deck were a little bigger, oh well. It cut some very high wet weeds very well (I know I should avoid wet but didn't have a choice unless I wanted to go out there with a scissors...NOT). Its got a lot of power. Now maybe I won't get fined or thrown out of the neighborhood! One of the cons that was mentioned was the position of the gas tank - very close to the engine. Very stupid design. rustyj14, my next project will be to get some fill dirt and remove the stumps (when I get some money) but in the meantime, I put out tons of bright flags from HD and didn't hit any stumps. James, I didn't get to ask about the fuel shutoff valve. What's involved in installing one? One last question - I have 2 weeks to decide whether to buy their $300 3-year warranty. It would start from day 1, not after the mfr's warranty, and it covers in-home service.

I too have not had luck with Hollyhocks. I had a great first year from seeds (so great I have tried stubbornly to duplicate it) but then all ensuing years have produced nothing but stunted plants with yellow leaves and buds that are kind of moldy looking that also sometimes have some kind of mite like creature and hardly bloom - I have assumed that it was some kind of fungal condition so this year I transplanted last year's seedlings out in the alley where they would get more air and not be as contained as they are in my small fenced yard. Same thing. Should I start again with new seeds - is it genetic or just this environment? (humid summers and 6 hours of afternoon sun?)

Hi cj47 We really like our EL wahser/dryer and have had zero problems. On the washer we usually add extra water to the cycles just to get a better wash and rinse. To tell the truth we haven't tried it without the extra water but we've heard people complain about other front loaders and that they wish they had the option to add more water. We leave the washer door open when we're not using it so the door gasket dries out. Also we'll occasionally wipe the gasket and glass in the door with used towels as we put them in the washer and we haven't had any strange smells from the door gasket. The washer uses very little detergent. I suggest you use less than recommended by Electrolux. The dryer has been great too. I've used the steam freshen cycle to take the wrinkles out of clothes I want to wear but are not yet dirty (or not too dirty to wear!). This worked well. Our contractor and plumber scratched their heads at why we needed a water supply for the dryer... The programming is super easy. My wife usually doesn't like programmable controls but after the first couple of tries she has not had any problem with them, or with the electronic wave touch controls on the Electrolux Icon double ovens. Good luck! Billy

With azaleas, I think of an all-one-color planting as a formal one & a mix of colors as informal, more playful. The single color is always safe & uniform, but can be rather boring to me, too, unless the color sings to me. Picking a single or mixed colorway, always helpful to imagine how it will play with other colors in visual range, repeating the color or contrast with other elements. Also consider the strength of the color in various lighting. White shows up in any light, as do those shades of pink & lavender. Red can "disappear" in evening or moonlight, but the cherry & salmon reds often sidestep that issue. When I'm unsure how colors will act, I'm apt to buy the plants in bloom, arrange them & eye them from various vantage points & light exposure until I find what I like best. I'd buy two of each of the colors you're considering from a merchant with a good return policy, explaining why, and give them a tryout in their pots in my yard, returning those unwanted within a day or two. Might buy a few more to land in mixed beds for repetition to knit the garden together. Also, looks like the size of each is different. Double Pink grows 42-54" high by 36-48" wide, as does Lavender (which you didn't mention). Red grows 36-48" high & wide, so 6" less in height with the same width as the first two. White is the smallest at 30-36" high & wide. so you need to know how much garden space you have & plan on how many of each would mature to that area, whether you want them to touch or stand apart. http://tinyurl.com/ojff984 Various sizes & colors of azaleas planted 20 years ago by the original owner here. There's a long double white hedge along the drive balanced by a triple planting of the same on the opposite corner of the house. Several low-growing reds in a similar shade to the one you're considering were planted along the porch with other low evergreens. We removed & redid that bed years back & carefully relocated some of those azaleas below a clump of mature maples halfway between the trunks & the canopy. They didn't thrive there & were later moved to another location. Keep in mind these had huge rootballs when transplanted, and when removed again two years later, tree roots hadn't grown into their root space. Would think younger plants would grow more easily in a similar situation, since other perennials planted within the roots of the maple clump have done well for years. There was one area where the individual tree roots overlapped & I couldn't find space to plant anything but bulbs (which have flourished & colonized). Planting between major roots has worked fine. If I were thinking about what you're considering, I'd first explore between the roots by digging to find out if planting there would work. When planting in those rootzones, I didn't chop off any roots, anchor or fibrous. Instead dug around them to expose them & held them to the side, putting them back in place as I planted. Knowing wherever you prune a root, more will grow, took this tack. Another mixed perennial bed skirts a large oak & the same strategy was used creating that bed & planting its roses & companions years back. In my experience, white azalea blooms age the least gracefully, often browning & hanging on - the dirty kleenex effect - and often need to be removed for appearances sake, especially in wet weather. Colored spent blooms are barely noticeable & can be plucked or left for the petals to fall on their own. My favorite azalea planting here is a large mixed bed of reds & pinks & whites around an old apple tree. It's an entire symphony in bloom. Depending on the weather, I often need to deadhead the whites, but they do highlight the other colors & shapes beautifully. If you go with the pink, red & white mix, might place the white in the center for its smaller stature & plant the pink & red at an angle on the sides to fill in with their larger branches. If you want plants of a similar growth habit, you could center the red between the lavender & pink or bookend it with the pinks. If you prefer uniformity, you can always prune the larger ones to shape, but I rather prefer the natural look. If you can swing it, choose several of each in bloom to audition placement till they please you. You could also opt for heavily insulated individual pots or urns to bypass the planting & tree roots issue. Let us know what you decide...