Yes, for some reason, GardenWeb does not let you reply to your own post unless you change the subject title, as citosa stated. I usually just make a tiny change like adding or removing a period. Very annoying, but pretty easy to get around.

What you are describing is known in some trades as C.O.M. (Customer's Own Material). Most people hate it because it it more work and more risk for which they get uncompensated. In addition to working on something with different specs and something that he may not be familiar with, he is taking a risk. If something goes wrong, who are you going to want to buy a replacement? If something goes wrong with his post, he'll probably eat it and build a new one. It also makes it a smaller, potentially less profitable job with the same amount of work. It's his business decision to go with your material or not. It's your decision to go with this contractor or not.

My photos suddenly didn't show up the other day. I have an IE browser. My computer son downloaded (I hope that is the right word) the Chrome browser to my computer. When I want to post pics, I can switch over to the Chrome browser, and everything works fine. In the meantime, I (like you) posted my problem on the Rose Gallery, and someone (was that you Patty?) told me to use the HOUZZ PHOTO button at the bottom of the box rather than the PHOTO button. I tried that with my usual IE browser and it worked. Then I got an answer back from the GW tech support who told me to try clearing history and cache, and then reopening the browser. I confess--I haven't done that because my computer son said it won't make any difference. Finally, Tamara posted an explanation on the Rose forum (which I copied on the Rose Gallery post) which explained that IE is being slowly phased by Windows which is coming out with a new browser called Edge--so there won't be much updating with our IE browsers any more--which might mean a number of functions might eventually not work well on IE. However, if you get Windows 10 which is coming out shortly, you will have the new browser. (I hope I phrased all those statements correctly. I'm not a computer person.) So there you have several solutions to the pic posting problem. I'm using the HOUZZ PHOTO button or the Chrome browser. Either works fine at the moment. Hope that helps. Kate

Interesting subject. I suspect that correct culture and the genetics that are bred into the cross may have a big influence on bud and flower production, and also blossom numbers....especially the number of flowers that will open all at once, and how long open blossoms stay on the plant. It seems that Adenium breeders (I'm just guessing here) release plants for sale that are NOT perfected, and that would be culled under other circumstances due to bad genetics. I think if blossoms looks different, have novel, or new colors, have double/triple petal count, etc...in short, any plants that will sell, get released by major breeders. Nowhere have I ever read, or recall, on any Adenium breeder's sites, any Adenium forums, noted by any seller, that Adeniums were specifically bred for bud/flower count, flower substance, bud retention, for disease/insect/rot resistance, fertile blossoms...etc. I recall not one thread, at least I can't find them, that discuss the virtues of any particular cross or the progeny, resulting from that selected cross. Dimmitt comes close, with his breeding lines, but where are the Dimmitt plants, and where do you buy one? Ko's seeds, and seeds from other noted breeders might produce some superior flowers, but what about the other important aspects of plant genetics that were mentioned above? It seems that when it comes to Adeniums, flowers are the goal, and little else matters. Are we just growing some inferior mongrels that have pretty flowers, and poetic names? Just asking. Perhaps all the dogs, inferior plants, do in fact, go into the Adenium compost piles, before any selected and named Adenium hit the open market....but I don't know for sure if we are buying and growing the best of the bunch. My cynical guess is that motives for profit, allow some lousy plants, but, with nice flowers, to be released. Frank NYC/7b