I got 3" pots of celosia, alyssum, coleus, and iris(don't know if they are Dutch or Bearded) from a landscaper friend of mine and all are growing healthy. Here are my other plants: two lilacs - one died, the other growing good and healthy S facing fence Celosia pulled when they died but wow they are beauties so I will plant them again White alyssum has a nice scent which I can't describe, the purple one has none. Will someone please tell me how to propagate them. They are planted on my north facing wall. Iris flowered last spring hoping they will flower again next year. My favorite is clematis as soon as the one I planted in the fall of 2004 showed the most beautiful blooms I had ever seen. So this year I planted more and have 44 planted in my 800 or so sq. ft. of garden with a few more coming this spring. 3 bush and 3 tree peonies - the trees all bloomed, but none of the bushes bloom at all. Rose of Sharon standard form on container growing good and bloomed all summer in direct sunlight. Tulips and daffodils all rotted last 2004 (heavy rain on clay soil) so the replacements were planted this fall so I hope to see some blooms this spring. I now have a raised garden because nothing seems to grow on our clay soil. Fraxinus Americana and Fraxinus Pennsylvanica are planted in my front lawn - mostly clay but it now has a drain system. What are my chances that they will not die as we are having lots of rain again this year? Any advice or suggestions will be greatly appreciated especially plants good for clay soil as my north facing wall only has a 6 inch raised bed. This is celosia: This is a clematis named 'Bees Jubilee'

Blonde jokes will never be as funny as the real thing. For example: Discussing compass directions with a young brunette receptionist who wanted to know which way her home faced & didn't have a clue. I explained that if she knew which way was East, she could figure it out. I got a blank stare so I asked her which side the sun came up on. Her answer: "The left". The office fax machine was set up so that after inputting a long distance telephone #, each user had to press a 'PAUSE' button before inputting his/her personal code for billing purposes, then 'ENTER'. The instructions were spelled out directly above the machine. At least 3 salespeople complained that they couldn't get their faxes through so the staff would walk them through it. When they got to 'PAUSE', that's what they did - they'd stop & stare at the machine for a few minutes before proceeding! None of these were blonde & all were making mid-6 figure incomes. You can't make this stuff up!

Thank you all so much for your feedback/opinions. Judithva, that's a really lovely room and thanks so much for sharing it. It's nice to know that Blonde would look so good in a room with a similar window situation to mine. After looking at my paint chips all day today and reading everyone's thoughts, I think I've decided on Blonde. It'll be a little bit of a stretch color wise for me but I think it's one that I can be happy with. And yes, I do think simple is best as a backdrop for my stuff. Goldengirl, when my mom moved to a retirement condo two years ago I sold my cherry table and chairs so that I could take her set and keep it in the family. I know the table is a Harden but I really don't know if she got the chairs in the same place. I think she did but I'm not certain.

Sorry, I don't know how that post was repeated 4 times! Overall, I am I guess relieved that it didn't come out looking bad, per se, but I will not ever be using that guy again. He claims that the tops will get smooth over time and the glossiness will fade. From a glance, it's not bad, but it isn't anywhere close to a really fine job, either. I am really distressed at how RED the top of the vanity looks when I turn on the lamps. It almost looks like it has a maroon or oxblood tone, which I did not want AT ALL! Of course I'll probably learn to ignore it over time, but it has me wondering how much it would cost to have a piece of carrara marble cut to put over the top (which would get rid of the rough surface issue at the same time). I could probably find a remnant at a stone yard that wouldn't be too much because it's not a real big top. I did not see this maroon tone at all in his shop and I don't really see it from the front--its only when I turn on a lamp. I've tried different kinds of bulbs and it doesn't help. You can see faint brush strokes and bubbles in the tops. At first glance I guess it looks fine, but it really bothers me that I went to all this trouble and cost for a less than acceptable result. Of course he went on about how "a finish is gonna do what it's gonna do" and it's almost impossible to control how smooth the top is. Interestingly, the dresser top is much smoother than the vanity. Would it have come out better if he would have sprayed the finish on? He admitted lacquer would be smoother, but he doesn't like to use it because it is not as durable. He said I could throw my pieces in a swimming pool and they would survive due to the varnish. Well I really don't plan on ever doing that so I would have preferred something that is better in the environment the furniture will actually be in--a climate controlled home. My luck with tradespeople and so called "professionals" continues to fail. I live in a suburb of New Orleans of close to 100,000 residents. I would think in a town of this size I could find pros, but I guess I'm gonna have to go to the city next time to find somebody really good. I hope these pieces grow on me. As of right now, I'm almost wondering if they should have remained blonde......