I'm curious: How attached are you to the idea of these being grown by the groom? Small 3" pots are commonly available at garden centers, floral stores, grocery store floral centers, Wally's World, Home Depot, and lord only knows where else, for so cheap you could barely grow them for that price. The common house plants are common for a couple of reasons: They are easily propagated, are tolerant of low light, and have what's called "cast iron" culture; ie, they can take a lot of neglect. Oh, and they tend to be cheap. One can never underestimate the thriftiness of the human race. I realize you've been warned about philodendron and pothos re: toxicity. However, you do realize these are some of the most common houseplants in the country? The number of incidents due to these plants could just as easily be an individual's allergic reaction as opposed to any inherent toxicity of the plant. I like the idea; what I don't see is a personalization. Why do you want to give a plant? There are 500,000 species of plants in this world, countless sub species, botanical forms and a never ending array of hybrids and cultivars. Why do you want this plant (whatever it may be) to be the one selected? Does the plant have a story associated with it, either historical or mythological? Does it have special meaning to the two of you? That would be my criteria.

Hey there - I'm in zone 4, but thought I'd chime in. I have Winnipeg Parks and they have done awesome for me. Nice and bushy, BIG sort of 'hot pink' blooms (although it's usually listed as a red rose, I think it's mroe pink!) and lots of them. Also, the new growth is red, which I like. I don't spray, no problems with disease. I also have Hope for Humanity, which I've had good luck with. Dark red blooms. Both of these are Parkland series - bred in Canada to be hardy and disease resistant. The Winnipeg Parks has a pretty good scent, rosey, but light. I also have a Snow Pavement Rose which is a Rugosa and is out of control, easy to take care of, lots of blooms and they smell GREAT!! This one doesn't bloom as continually as the Winn Parks or Hope for Humanity, but the smell is so nice and I like the bright green rugosa leaves. Good luck!

Yep agree on mealy bugs. Like Denise said apply 70% Rubbing Alcohol to them directly with a cotton swab if the infection is minor (a few single ones here and there) or spray it undiluted with a spray bottle if the infection is medium (try to avoid spraying the soil as much as possible). Heavy infestations may require the use of insecticides. Manually remove the cottony structures as those are nests where the eggs are stored in (varies with mealy species). The eggs are not destroyed by the alcohol so re-inspect and re-apply treatment every 3-4 days. The most common mealy species infecting house plants is the citrus mealy (slightly darker band going lengthwise on its back) and this one also sometimes infects the plant near or below soil level thus inspect your plant at and below soil level for possible infections. If the infection is below soil level then treatment with insecticides is recommended (or be ready to fight them for a long time :) Milan

I just went through the exact same situation as you - old top loaders and limited depth. Yes, machines (particularly driers) have grown. We went with the Electrolux front loaders. They're probably the most compact full size front loaders on the market, but they're still big. 32" front to back. The good news, though, is that the dryer exhaust is recessed under the back of the unit so it can be pushed up all the way against the wall. So if your 30" is "30+4"dryer duct", Electrolux will fit. If it's 30" wall-to-wall (or wall-to-closet door), that may not work. Speed Queen also has the recessed dryer vent, and I think they're only 28" deep. If you want to stay with an old full-fill machine, these will be your best bet. LG machines claim to be 30 deep, but the vent comes out right at the back edge of the machine, so they take up more room than that. A couple of the Maytag "heritage series" machines are fairly shallow, but I can't speak to their washing performance. Beyond that, you're probably looking at compact units, and those may not be large enough for your requirements. One other thing to consider is the location of your water and electric outlets. Mine were located high enough to clear my old kenmores, but the new Electrolux units are taller, such that clearance to the outlets is actually preventing me from pushing things all the way up against the back wall.