This is the first time I have done this, mostly because I picked up each and every plant as I moved them. They got repotted, checked for bugs and snails, divided and cataloged. For big healthy plants I did not count the leaves, just guessed to the nearest 10 but for iffy plants who seemed to be just hanging in there, I accurately counted. I hope it will give me a better idea how they are doing in their new surroundings. If 6 month from now they still have the same number of leaves, a different location, more or less water etc will be tried. Remains to be seen if it has a practical benefit. Nick

Thank you justgotabeme! It is true, we find ourselves in the FRONT of the house quite often! The first evening, we poured cocktails and just sat out front and stared. We are very pleased! CEfreeman-Ohhh, what a long, peaceful country driveway that is! I wouldn't want it to look too "maintained!" Hi Lyfia! I posted quite awhile ago, I was very gung ho on the faux wood grain...as a matter of fact, I wanted to do a faux carriage door look, adding the rustic hardware. Most people were against it...and this was when I was planning on painting my house a dark color. Now that my house is so light, I don't want a big dark expanse that takes up such a huge chunk of the front. If my house were bigger, or the paint darker,I would consider it. I do love that look, just not for this house at this time. birdlover-yes, we are thinking two big black pots on either side of the arch...and maybe on the far side of the garage...with bougainvilla or some flowering vine set on a trellis just a bit off from the house walls so they don't actually grow on the walls! The reason we are thinking black pots is...when you drive to our house, you first see the south side of it...with a row of windows with black awnings over each window. So we feel the big black pots will tie the side and the front together. lukkiriish-thank you, I just love those california spanish homes! Thanks for comparing my home to one of those! Ok, again, I really appreciate every single comment. It has been so much work and money and as much as my hubby and I enjoy it, it is nice to see it be well received here!

That is so beautiful! I am new to the forum and checking out all the posts...I notice this is an old one but I am glad I got to see it. Thanks for sharing.

Julia: I have other pictures of Dearest Valentine in our higher heat where the petals curl inward in later pm sun, but I don't think you all get over 95 much. It's the bright sun after 1 PM that seemed to affect it this year. It couldn't hurt to try moving yours to see if sunlight (not just temperature) makes a difference.........Mantis: Muy Caliente continues to do pretty darn good for me in our heat. It's the shade of darker orange red that I like, but so seldom find that can hold up in our climate. I don't know about the stats. It's not a tall one now, but it's new and confined in my pot system.............Nancy: Tecoma Stans is the official flower of Bermuda where it can attain almost tree size from what I read. Mine is a cultivar (Gold Star) that is a "Texas Superstar" winner, so while not widely available, is around for many of us in the warmer regions most years and grows fairly quickly for garden display if bought mail order...................Maryl