Lol! I have pink drift, that came from a grower, but pulled out the coral drift because it was competing with roses I liked better. I am practical about my garden. If it works, I keep it, I really don't care about its "common-ness." I have a Prosperity "tree" that I have espaliered to the north side my wall, and I wanted a tiered effect, so I have Pink Drift, Golden Buddha, International Herald tribune, and Natchitoches Noisette under the tree for filler. It works. I suspect you are in good company Sheri. In the heat of summer Drift keeps going. It is like an Ever-ready bunny! My pink drift is quite short and is three years old about 18" x 24" But I know what you mean about its lack of perceived value. I feel that way about a lot of my roses. Many of my roses are earthkind OGRs, which makes them the common roses of the OGR world. But they are beautiful and reliable. Like Pink drift. Only more special.

Only a few cacti have leaves, and Easter cactus is not one of them, it is the stem segments you are referring to. Yes, take a few cuttings. If the roots are lost, you will be better off with young segments as old, hardened segments at the base of the plant can be difficult to root. If they survive that is, root rot often causes the segments closest to the soil to die. Easter cacti are sensitive and will often drop segments if they are sick. If you find an Easter cactus puzzle on the floor one day (happened to me twice) you will automatically have a lot of cuttings. Otherwise cut off pieces of 1-3 segments with a sharp knife. Some people root them in water, other (like me) in damp sand or white moss or directly in potting compost. If you do not root them in water the cuttings should heal heal in a shaded spot for a week or so first. Red spots sometimes heal by themselves, but they can also be the result of a fungal disease that will kill the whole plant if untreated. Remove affected segments, just in case.

I checked most of the walmarts and nurseries in the NYC metro area and still no cold hardy palms up for sale yet. I saw one at the Metropolitan Plant Exchange by the George Washington Bridge, but it was loaded with ants and aphids :-( I guess the main chains around here haven't received their shipments yet. I hope the area gets them soon. I want a larger windmill palm and a larger sabal minor soon........I'm what you call an addict.

I go to African shops to find interesting baskets, but you can find them on line baskets from Africa (Uganda) plus (Tonga, etc.) and even Amazon has a few. You can also just search for African baskets. For me, the African ones have the most interesting patterns and colors, but they are not cheap. I bought a Ghana basket like this one at the farmers' market in Ojai, but now Trader Joe's also sells them. It cost $30 at the farmers' market - I did not check the price at TJ. The African shops in Los Angeles have better prices than the on-line stores. The first ones of these I bought was sold as a plate charger, and I gave a pair to my sister to use for her table, but she nailed them to her kitchen wall!