I think Ivan took most of the lushness away Suzanne. If you look at pictures of the island before Ivan,it was green with huge palms all over the place,now not much at all. We stayed in the west,to try to get away from as much of the touristy stuff as possible and you could see all the damage still there from Ivan..tree stumps,houses and businesses rebuilding..what a toll it took.

Thanks all! Ingrid, HdB is not a good rebloomer for me. I've found that I need to prune her back quite a bit after the first bloom to get her to give me a second one. Same thing with RdV. The only one that will keep blooming sporadically all season is RdR.

For Iris's, Chuck Chapman is the place! http://chapmaniris.com/ Daylilies, there are so many growers here in Canada, check out this website. http://www.ontariodaylily.on.ca/odsretailers.htm You could also join the Yahoo Canadian Daylily Group and ask for help there. Lot's of growers there. Sharon

That's a hard question to answer. You are right to realize that stainless steel and granite have become so popular that they are almost cliche, however, that doesn't mean they have to look dated. If you choose what you love and strive to create a kitchen that reflects you, you'll have a kitchen that endures. Unfortunately, the homecenters and other suppliers don't carry stuff that isn't selling, so most of the time our options are limited to what is popular at a given time. I am in the process of finishing a kitchen redo and though I knew what I wanted, I was still limited to what was available. Despite having a very distinctive idea about the "look" I wanted, the end-product reflects current trends. Think about the way you live and what you love, and try to find those materials that will really complement your lifestyle and the style of your house. No matter what you choose, you'll want to make sure that you're up to whatever maintenance it requires. (Like the smudges and fingerprints that come free with S/S.) Good luck to you.