Renee, I agree with most people on here, especially about Roses Unlimited and Antique Rose Emporium. I had a 50+ rose garden in a limited space in Florida (high humidity), and grew a few Austins. They took a lot of care: regular spraying, well spaced apart, and lots of air flow. The blackspot battle during the worst of the humidity was a pain, but the scent of those roses was so well worth it. Belinda's Dream bought from Roses Unlimited was the spectacular show off in the garden, yielding over 300+ blooms for months and months in a row. It had a 10 month season, and smelled like cotton candy. I also recommend Outta the Blue, which had a black pepper/rose scent that I planted right at the edge of the walkway at the driveway. Tamora, Sharifa Asma, Fair Bianca, and other Austins whose names escape me now, were amazing! Pat at Roses Unlimited knew exactly which roses to recommend to me for my microclimate, so make sure to speak with her if you want the best and most successful roses. The Austins were NOT carefree, but I knew that before I bought them. I also had hybrid teas; lots of them, and again, Pat helped me select the least fussy ones. I mixed herbs, veggies, perennials and a few annuals among the garden, and lots of glass oddities. It was beautiful! Remember: did a million dollar hole, and that's half the battle.

Hi Lauren I built a series of raised cedar beds last year. I grow 50+ varieties of vegetables. I have a host of issues on an ongoing basis. Right now my cold weather varieties such as broccoli are turning purple, my tomato seedlings are too tall for my inside grow lights but the weather is too cold to plant them outside yet, and I'm not sure how best to keep the deer out. Last year I used a 7 foot deer fence with T-posts and the deer jumped right over it. I think my garden would be ideal for either a one time or an ongoing series of features. You could follow the progress of the garden as well as dealve into the common problems of a rank amateur gardener. It's pouring here today but I'll send pics in the next day or so. Thanks Scott Rifkin, MD 410-960-7975

It's called Best House on the Block. It's on today at 2 PM.

I'm pretty good at doing my own decorating, but used a designer to help me when I was new to this area and didn't know where to shop. She is a decent designer, but her business skills were terrible. I was her cash cow for months, getting invoices monthly for $1,500 to $2000 for hourly fees that she refused to itemize. Lots of smoke and mirrors in her billing. In my area consumers can window shop in one of the major to-the-trade design centers. I became friends with the manager at one of the showrooms and found out that my designer did not pass on the discounts that her contract spelled out. She was billing hours and then markup on retail. Her response to this was to change her contract to make it even more vague (in her favor) and try to have me sign it! We parted ways, but live in the same area, so I have made it a point, when appropriate, to mention her name as the designer to avoid. I have emails and statements to back up all my complaints. I did find another designer to consult on my projects. She is great at design and the complete opposite of the first one when it comes to business/billing ethics!