Frank Smith ripped me off for $2500 - Just wanted to give a word of warning here. I haven't been on the Daylily forum for quite awhile after all this happened, but didn't want anyone else to get taken the way I did. In spring 2006 I ordered Frank's COMPLETE spring collection. Besides the rust, the single fans survived fine through the summer (I knew winter would kill the rust in my zone). So I ordered & paid for his fall 2006 intros & preordered & paid for his 2007 spring intros (for a total of $2500). He wouldn't send the fall intros until spring 2007 (said I wouldn't have enough time to get them settled in before winter), so I said ok. Well.........that winter, all the 2006 spring intros I'd been growing all summer died. So in spring 2007 when I realized they were all dead I called Frank. I told him I didn't expect a refund of the plants that had died, but that I didn't want to buy any more and would like a refund of my preorder ($2500). He said fine - after their sale in May they would do a chargeback or something on my credit card as long as they sold the plants they had been holding for me. So I waited & waited & finally in July I called again & he said yes, they had sold the plants without a probleem, took my credit card #, said it would take a couple weeks to show up on my credit card. So I waited & waited (a couple months, actually) with no refund. Since then, I have made many attempts via phone and email to get my money back.......here it is spring 2009 and I still have never received any plants OR any money back. I can never get an answer on the phone or a returned phone call. Isn't this totally illegal for them to rip someone off that way? For $2500??? Just wanted everyone to be warned. I do think I've waited long enough. I just hope I haven't waited so long that I can't take him to court. I think Frank Smith needs to clean up his act in more ways than one....it's not just about rust!! So.......buyer BEWARE!!

There are things I really like about the Clarksville, but I think, with modifications, the Donnelly plan is superior to the Clarksville. Especially if you end up being a family of 5, I think you will regret having one less room on the main floor in the Clarksville. An architect or good designer should be able to make changes to the Donnelly to meet your needs. How wide is your lot? Can you add on to the width? Which way is south? If you can't afford to add square footage, this is still a good plan with a few minor modifications. In either case, FWIW I'd suggest the following changes be considered and discussed with whoever does your plan: --As a stay at home mom (or even if you both are working), you will want the (young) children where they can be seen--especially while working in the kitchen, unless they are sleeping. That means that either the Dining Room or Family Room or Breakfast Room would best be designed so that the kids toys, school papers, etc. can be in a room that has space for them to play and that can be closed off from the part of the house where you will entertain when you have company. This room also needs space for video games, computer, etc. We have had our daughter and grandchildren (ages 6, 8, & 11) living with us in our lower level walkout and 2nd floor since they were 1, 3, & 5. These last 3 months of nothing but snow and sub-freezing cold have necessitated having them inside most of the time that they are not in school, and the extra space to play, do projects, and split them up if they've had too much of each other has been wonderful. This has been true when we've had normal winters also! We have the toys, books, and computer in one room, and the TV in another, although the toys and books often get moved to the TV room when the video games or TV are off. When we have other people here (with or without kids), we generally split into 2 groups (sometimes both groups have kids & adults, sometimes only one does), and having 2 rooms with comfortable seating and places for games and activities works very well, since we can tune in to what's going on in the other group & move back and forth easily between the 2 rooms. Based on my experiences with a previous condo layout similar to the Donnelly, I'd enlarge and make the Breakfast Room the DR, and get rid of the desk & pantry. Then make the DR the Breakfast/Play area with a small table for projects/eating, and put double doors on it to the Foyer. In our new house, we made both the DR & Breakfast room almost the same size (one is 12 x 14 & the other is 13 x 13.5), so either can function as a family room, living room, study/den, or eating area. --I'd move the front center exterior wall out to line up with the DR wall, and add a porch across the front from the garage to the DR. Then shift the Garage ~2' to the right. That will give you enough room to turn the stairs so that they come into the Foyer, and room for a closet. --19.5' is not deep enough for the garage that will have snow, lawn, kids, garden, ski, etc. equipment stored in it. I'd add at least 2', which would give you enough room to enlarge the laundry, and rearrange the back hall area. I think I'd switch the Laundry with the Bath, since that will serve as your powder room, as well as having less dirt tracked into the house when your kids come in from outside or school. With 2-3 kids, it is SO much better if you can work in a nice sized mudroom for all of the dirt and their stuff, with the powder room also right there. The small closet in that location should read "Linen" or "Storage", not "Coats." --I'd make the Kitchen a double L, so that it's more convenient to enter from the Foyer and easier to work in. I'd put the pantry to the right, and the ovens to the left of the new door. Move the fridge a little to the left, and extend the counter/cabinets to its right to line up with the end of the serving bar, and put the MW to the right of the fridge. --Add windows to the right and left exterior walls in as many rooms as possible to let in natural light and make it feel more open. Hope this helps you work through your choices. Anne

What a great house! I love the windows, the expanse, the split levels (yes!!!), the entry door, the stone, the paneling, and even the railing & the dangerous half wall. I like the bathroom even, though I'd switch out the oval sink for a rectangular one (integrated bowl, some kind of solid surface again; I prefer the look of rectangular sinks in contemporary homes). It would be a nice house for a child: the overlooks to "spy" on people, the hallway to nowhere -- great play spot. Looks like there's a nice balance between private nooks and public, interactive space. You could retreat to the LR with a book without being completely cut off from the family watching sports in the FR. I had a house like that once, and I loved that aspect of it. Is the entry floor vinyl? It's not awful looking, but perhaps it could be done better. The parquet floor in the DR -- a little fussy, but I'd keep it & try to work with it. The recessed cans along the walls are wonderfully atmospheric, but I wonder how dark the rest of the rooms are & how they could be lighted without cluttering the rooms with lamps. The house looks to be in excellent shape, judging from the photos. Yes, I'd buy it. This post was edited by awm03 on Wed, May 29, 13 at 11:10

Kay, you may have been my enabler on Wild Cherry Wine. I'm glad to hear he hybridized strong healthy plants because the 3 small fans of WCW I received left me wondering if the vigor on Wild Cherry Wine was less then I had hoped for..... I have 2 small fans in a 6 inch pot and 1 smaller single fan in a 4" pot. With that in mind Ed it may take years before I will even have to divide this variety unless it really surprises me with a growth spurt. It's a shame his plants are so hard to come by as they really look like nice ones.....Maryl