Andrea, it's nearly impossible to know what your garlic is as there are MANY, MANY varieties that it can be. I believe all listed are hardnecks except Nootka Rose. Here's an EXCELLENT site with pics of many varieties. Start with this link, it will help you understand the differences between types. Then when you're done with that page, click on the link named Garlic in the upper left to go to the varieties and pics. They are listed alphabetically, and with some slangs too. Hope this helps! Mark Here is a link that might be useful: Jeff Nekola's Heirloom Garlic page

Sam, Clement, Resin and bboy, thank you very much for your answers. All three P. menziesii should be of almost exactly the same age. Is it a possibility that genetic variances between them caused one's bark to mature faster? It is quite likely that the third one is P. pinaster since that tree used to be planted on small scale for forestry around where I live. Thank you for the compliment, Sam. :) Taxus baccata is a conifer which is wild growing here anywhere; presumably because of its extensive use for hedges. Close to the one I found were numerous "normal" (single coloured, dark green ones) so this one catched my eye immediately. This one has smaller, more sickle shaped leaves which are green on the inside and bright-yellow across their edges. This post was edited by liopleurodon on Fri, May 17, 13 at 5:23

Excuse me if I pick on some these posts that are whinning! Our house we sold two years ago had plenty of projects and repairs over 23 years we lived in it. And I had plenty of time for the family. I coached all three boys in little league and babe ruth baseball leagues. When they went on to high school, I became president of the band parents associations and made almost every band competition for 8 straight years for two sons. Never missed my wife's birthday or our anniversay. I spent over 10 years as a Scoutmaster and two of the boys are Eagle Scouts. And yes, both my wife and I held down full times jobs with some days being 14 hours long. So don't tell me you don't have time to care of your family and your house. It takes planning and hard work to make it all go. Owning a house means you will always have a project or four to do. What did you expect? Owning a house also means pride in ownership. Whether you like it or not, the condition of your house is a reflection of you! A house can be full of children, looked lived in and still be in great condition. Two years ago we purchased what many of you would call a money pit. We saw an opportunity to get the house we wanted at a price well below the market value! The house was a mess. Some shoddy workmanship on sheetrock taping - I've redone almost every corner joint in the house. Ugly and poor landscaping. But it was mostly negelect because the people owned more than they could care for. In fact, they were bankrupt. Today, this seems to be the norm instead of the exception. So to date, 39 projects completed and counting. Some were done by contractors, but most by me. All the contractor work was completed on time and for the price quoted. I do my research and both my wife and I interview each contractor we call for an estimate. We have criteria we use to rate contractors: 1. Return calls promptly 2. Show up on time or call if delayed 3. Understand specifics of job we want done. 4. Receive an estimate within a resonable amount of time 5. Check references 6. Check quality of material being used 7. Check the Better Business Bureau I have a handful of contractors I call for specific jobs such as electrical, landscaping, major carpentry, plumbing and septic and well. Just have to juggle their schedules versus ours. A lesson for all who complain they can't get it done right. Do your research. Read up on material that pertains to your situation. Almost all the information you need is on the internet. And let's all take a lesson from our parents/ grandparents - learn to use some basic tools correctly and safely and you will be suprised what you can accomplish. Enjoy the journey. eal51 in western CT

Traceee--The porcelain does not really read so gray in person; it has a lot of brown, green, and blue in it as well as some gray, and a lot of variation from tile to tile. On the sample board I took a pic of, I would call one tile brownish-green, one bluish tan, one greenish brown, one brownish gray, and one a mix of everything! It does have a slate look, which we like. Your ideas for a pattern are great! I do have some concerns about the room reading dark as we have a lot of trees and don't get a lot of bright sun in the room. The off-white, green, and blue samples are all of my cabinet colors. We are having soapstone with a lot of veining; a burnt copper backsplash (just over the cooktop); and BM Powell Buff walls. We are going somewhat vintage in that it is an 1873 home and the cabinets will have more of an unfitted furniture look. My plans and color scheme are all on the blog as well if you'd like to check them out. ebean--I could still get hex; the issue is that I wanted a matte glaze cream/almond color, and it turns out the supplier I am working with can only get true white, which I don't want. I also don't want unglazed, or to spend $20+ sq ft, and I am in a bit of a time crunch now. So even though I probably could still order exactly what I want from the one place I found it on the internet, I think I am kind of over it now. (Plus the labor charges for laying it with the pattern--astronomical!) As far as cost: both are way cheaper than the hex. The tile will end up more expensive than the cork as it will have a higher labor cost and also grout, etc. Really appreciate all of your thoughts--what a terrific group here! :-)