Ah, but Nancy, if the Cattleya used as a parent was a C. skinneri or bowringiana, which have been changed to Guarianthe, then a former Epc is has now become a Guaricyclia (double ugh!) -- that is, if they didn't use a Prosthechea instead of a straight Encyclia/Epidendrum. If they used a Prosthechea fragrans (formerly Epi fragrans and Encylic fragrans), then you now have a Guarechea (triple ugh!) Now, your old Laeliocattleya are no longer so if they used a Laelia purpurata as a parent with a C. bicolor -- which now becomes a Sophrocattleya .... unless they used a Central American C. bowringiana, where it now becomes a Sophranthe hybrid. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. That's why they've asked Julian to slow down and quit changing all the hybrid names at the RHS until a decision was made as to whether they should be. At this point in time it almost makes their 100+ year old hybrid registry dysfunctional since they don't offer the old hybrid names at all which, are the ones we are still using -- dealers, judges and hobbyists.

Yes, 38" and 40" would easily be the same plant. Scape height varies in growing conditions and also initial season bloom versus rebloom. The scape height is an average. The hybridizer tries to provide a height that you can reasonably expect when the plant is grown in decent growing conditions, and is probably the result of averaging scape height over several seasons. Bloom season is relative to your growing area, and may take place at different times each season. Rely on season marker plants to tell you what the bloom time is. Don't think it's PINK DAMASK. Ed

i have large areas of my yard mulched. you have a lot of questions, i'll throw out a couple of answers/observations and let others take on the rest: - you can significantly decrease the amt of mulch/frequency of refreshing by using black or brown landscaping fabric. i recommend it VERY HIGHLY. you can also use newspaper and (for areas with no plantings) glossy catalogues and magazines. (this winter i used all the christmas cataloges i was sent unbidden to block the weeds in a large area -- worked like a charm, and one less thing that needs to be trucked to the dump). i have a bed in full sun with landscaping fabric that i mulched lightly three years ago -- it still looks great. whatever you do -- overlap A LOT. at least 6 inches. - i recommend mulching incrementally rather than all at once. spreading mulch is by far my least favorite gardening task -- it is HARD WORK. better to buy a couple of bags a month and spread it where it needs to go. - the longer you have mulch, the less often you need to replenish. eventually you get rid of weed seeds in the given area. i have a couple of beds that i have had mulched for five years -- they hardly EVER need replenishing. - consider layering an inch or two of leaves and yard waste under your mulch. less mulch you have to use, and it enriches the soil. - consider using pine bark mulch. it's the least ecologically-harmful mulch out there (aside from free mulch from the dump) - check for free trash tree and line-clearing mulch from the dump. i mulched a couple of areas with it last year. breaks down quickly, but, hey, it's free. - i am slowly transitioning away from wood mulch to pine straw. it is SO MUCH cheaper and easier to spread. you have to block the weeds with newspaper. -bagged mulch is (strangely enough) about the same price as mulch from the local landscaping company. it's also easier to handle. however, it's much easier to get a big load of mulch delivered and dumped near your site. it just depends on how much area you need to mulch.

Sue36--You're not understanding Buehl's duct. The opening is in the floor, next to the wall. It's not spaced out from the wall where she could use a floor duct. The duct is not coming up into the stud cavity. This style of register is quite common here in the upper Midwest though they were new to me when I moved here from the south central part of the United States. My house has them & is 30+ years old. And it is the overwhelming choice for forced air systems in new builds. They looked weird to me for a while, until I got used to them. Now, I don't notice them because they're 'normal'. We've owned houses with both styles of registers. I prefer these because less dirt & stuff gets into the duct than what does with floor registers. And, there's no need to attach a deflector to them, either. Moving that opening out from the wall is a big deal if she has rigid metal ductwork. I can guarantee blood loss & depletion of one's French vocabulary. :) And for no good reason other than, to a few people, a minor aesthetic one. No one is going to notice that duct except for Buehl and only for a few days and that's because she is admiring her beautiful new floors. Everyone else is going to see the gorgeous floor, the pretty windows & what's outside the windows and the duct is going to disappear in the same way that outlets & switches do.