Julia, Mabou is from a more Northern hybridizer. After several bboming years, last year was just so-so for Citrix, but it has mnay more blooms this year than last. Mantix, Indigo Edge is about the same size bloom as Citrix. Brad, I lost my first Spoken in Parables to voles, but liked it so well I replaced it. Jean, some of the fancies take more than one season to really settle in, and I will wait6 for this for CB. Debra, my eye is too easy to catch:). Thanks, Ruth, I like too many of them myself. Chris, I really figured Indigo Edge would have trouble opening, but it opened well, early. I bought Mabou because I love the photo New York Rita posted of hers. Thanks, Jean. Sorry I've been off a a couple days. My grandkids gifted me with a virus that put me down:) kay

Dawn, I'm just gonna have to order some of those Laura Bush petunias that you speak so highly of because it seems they can take just about everything you throw at them and still keep on performing! I garden specifically for the butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds, and also for the bees, too, since they've had so many issues in the last few years. If you REALLY want to attract butterflies, though it is most helpful to plant some of their larval food plants: Black Swallowtails - fennel, dill, Rue, parsley Giant Swallowtails - Rue, Citrus (not hardy here) Tiger Swallowtails - Plums, Cherries, Hop Tree, Tulip Tree (shrubs and trees may be more than you want) Spicebush Swallowtail - Sassafras, Spicebush Pipevine Swallowtails - Aristolochias aka pipevines, such as A. tomentosa, A. macrophylla, A. serpentaria, A. fimbriata, A. clematitis Sulphur butterflies - yellow ones Senna hebecarpa Partridge Pea Senna marilandica Monarchs, Queens: Any milkweed (Asclepias species, including A. incarnata, A. curassavica, A. physocarpa, A. viridis, A. purpurescens, and many others) Gulf Fritillaries: Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata, P. caerulea, hybrids like 'Lavendar Lady') P. incarnata will also attract Variegated Fritillaries Red Admirals: False Nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica) You can find them on Stinging Nettle, but I much prefer the False Nettle which does not have the stinging hairs. Question Mark butterflies also use this as a larval host, on occasion Question Marks: Hackberry and Elm trees (I find mine on the small saplings); False Nettle; Hops Vine The Emperor butterflies, Hackberry and Tawny Emperors Hackberry and Elm trees Buckeye Butterflies (beautiful and have colorful eyespots): Ruellia Plantago aka Plantain Diascia Dwarf Snapdragons American Lady: Pussytoes Pearly Everlasting Painted Lady: Thistles Hollyhocks Malva Lots of nectar plants already mentioned, but others include: Lantanas, especially 'Miss Huff', 'Ham & Eggs' Tithonias aka Mexican Sunflowers Mexican Flame Vine Milkweeds, especially Asclepias tuberosa aka Pleurisy Root or Butterfly Weed Flame Acanthus (also a larval host for Texan Crescent butterfly) Lead plants (Amorpha canescens, Amorpha fruicosa) Wild Indigo or Baptisias (also larval host for Wild Indigo Duskywing) Fall blooming Asters Verbesina encelioides (one of THE best for migrating Monarchs in fall - also host plant for the pretty Bordered Patch Butterfly) Sunflowers (also host for Silvery Checkerspots and Gorgone Checkerspots) Butterfly Bushes Joe Pye Weed Solidagos Summer Phlox Fireweed (Epilobium) Ironweeds (Vernonias) Monardas Cleomes Single flowering Zinnias Porterweeds (Stachytarphetas) - I grew Dwarf Red last year and the hummers and the big butterflies like Monarchs, Swallowtails, Cloudless Sulphurs, and Gulf Frits LOVED it Borage is a great bee plant - in fact, bees and small skipper butterflies love all herb flowers Coreopsis Gaillardias Amsonias for spring blooms Veronicas Ornamental onions Liatris Dianthus Pentas, Some nectar flowers that the butterflies cannot reach with their small proboscis, the hummingbirds can, and those include Honeysuckle, especially Lonicera sempervirens (red flowers) and its hybrids, Cuphea 'David Verity' and others, Trumpet Vine (invasive), Crossvine, Spigelia marilandica or Indian Pinks, Hamelia patens, some Salvias like 'Black & Blue' and other guaraniticas, and many more. The hummingbirds use a lot of the butterfly and bee plants as well. I have a few seed of Asclepias curassavica for the Monarchs, and it can be direct sown about mid-April (likes really warm soil), or started in containers inside. Easy to grow, beautiful flowers that all butterflies love. If you would like some PM me and I can send them to you. Susan

yes the colors of pretty much all plumeria will be lighter in a cooler climate. heat and humidity really bring in the colors. It is plenty warm enough in your area If you can start them outside it would really be best. At least during the day when the sun is out. Just keep them out of rain until they have rooted. Reds can be hard to root so be patient if it takes awhile. I have celadine but not Singapore so i cant compare them against each other but can say they are both very common amongst growers for the scent. I believe Singapore is stronger in terms of distance away from the plant that you can detect it. Good Luck Mike

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the feedback. Expectations do play a part and I'm getting a little more used to it, and hopefully lighting and backsplash will really help too. Alley, it is White Romano. There really is only that one orangey place - I've seen Colonial Cream with a little more of the orange. Errant, Bianco Romano for sure has less black/more garnet, but I was told that White Romano was a little different. I liked the Bianco one in photos and samples, but couldn't find any slabs that looked good these days. What's coming from the quarries (at least to MN) is different than from a few years ago, I guess. And I'll go with the 'it's still in process and will look better when it's finished!' Steph, yes, it's soooo easy for me to make it huge and also to compare to what I see as the results of others. I was not willing to reduce the process to being really quick, I did spend a lot of time (probably too much), but was still faced with the fact that I couldn't get it all perfect (despite the fact that some other kitchens seem to be closer to perfect than mine!), and the need to move forward and enjoy what's there and make it good from the new starting point. So I'm going to take that as a little life lesson - hopefully more valuable to me than a perfect kitchen. :-)