Sammy, I understand Soncy, also knows as Amazone, may also be Alexander Hill Gray, which I already have. Otherwise it would have been an excellent suggestion. Randy, I didn't realize Marie Daly was so fragrant. I know what you mean about the personality of the polyanthas, though. I don't think I'd care to have dozens of them, although I do have Marie Pavie (a gift), and six Mr. Bluebirds (not strictly a polyantha). I do think that some of them are extremely worthwhile. Mary, I'm glad you like my garden and its surroundings. Thank you for your very nice e-mail. I have a feeling I'd really like Ducher but I was suddenly struck with a completely new game plan last night. I have had Marie Van Houtte for three years and it has languished, probably because its situation is too shady for it. So I've now come up with the brilliant idea of moving it to the spot where Ducher or another rose would have gone, between Belinda's Dream and Madame Lambard. In its place I'm going to plant either Mrs. Dudley Cross, to match the one that's already there in that area and seems to be doing fairly well, or Quietness, which I understand also does fairly well with some shade. It's amazing how your thoughts and plans can veer off mid course in a completely different, and hopefully more satisfactory direction. Thank you everyone most warmly for your help. I have learned a lot even if that knowledge is not directly applicable to my present situation. I love hearing how roses perform in different people's gardens. Ingrid

Gracie, It is OK. Perhaps, if we are successful, we will help you grow into a gardener. You know, as beautiful as any home is and can be, each home needs a lovingly planted and well-maintained landscape to showcase it to its' best advantage. If you are in the Oklahoma City area, you are in zone 7. If you have clay soil, the absolute best thing you can do for your plants before they are planted is to amend the soil so that it both holds water well and drains well. To do this, add the following to your soil: peat moss OR compost, composted manure and finely shredded pine bark (or cypress) mulch. You don't have to add tons and tons, but at least 2 to 4 inches as a minimum. Till it into the soil (if you don't have a tiller, perhaps you can rent one or borrow one). Then, rake and level the soil, and plant. You will notice that the improved soil is mounded up somewhat higher than the surrounding grade, and that is a good thing. Improving the clay even a small bit will help your plants to grow faster and to maintain good health. If you want to go one step further and make the area low-maintenance, cover the prepared soil with a cloth-type landscape fabric mulch. Peg down the ends of the fabric mulch with the landscape staples (U-shaped metal things) or plastic pegs (usually green, they look like large green plastic nails). Cut an "X" shape in the fabric and plant in that spot. When you're done planting, cover the fabric with the mulch of your choice. This extra step will repay you many times over by making that area low-maintenance. The plants will benefit because they won't have grass or weeds competing with them for moisture or nutrition. Now, about the plants. In order to decide what you want to plant, figure out what you like. I'd rather plant shrubs and vines that have a look to them that I like seeing, and not just a plant that someone recommended. If you don't know what you like, go to local nurseries or to the Botanic Garden or to the Myriad and look at the plants. When you see one you like, try to find out what it is. (Hopefully the plants are well-labeled.) BEFORE you buy, research the plant and make sure you understand its' needs. For example, some plants need full sun, some need full shade, others tolerate partial shade/sun and some (especially the holly family shrubs) can grow in either one. Also make sure you understand what the plants mature height and spread will be. It can be tricky. The red-tip photinias, as Randy and I have already said, can get very large. I have seen them get 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide in less than a decade. Since most people plant then only a few feet from one another, they begin to crowd each other out. Pruning them works for a while, but after several years of that, you have pruned them back to the point that all you have are huge limbs with lots of stubble covered by leaves. They are also overused, and I like using plants that aren't as commonly used. Your clay soil may be a faster-draining clay because it has some sand or loam, or it may be a heavy, thick clay that bakes brick hard in summer and holds pools of water in spring. Take the type of clay you have into consideration when choosing your plants. Last year,I compiled long lists of clay soil-tolerant plants for Emily. I'm going to go to this forum's back pages and find those and bump them up to the top for you. You might find some additional ideas there. You'll know them when you see them as they are titled "A Tree List for Emily....", "A Shrub List for Emily..." etc. Good luck and keep communicating with us. We'll do our best to help you. Dawn

Thank you for all of your advice. I have changed the mast. Bath to outswing (THANKS!). We are building in GA, have one child, and have covenants that require the home to be 3500 Sq. Ft. We don't require a mudroom, but the Storage Room will be used for winter coats/Storage and a general oversized storage area. I am not a fan of natural lighting in the closet, for fading/loss of hanging space issues. I do prefer the toilet to be to the deep interior of the Mast. Bath so that there is some privacy when using the toilet while the significant other is sleeping (it's an issue!). I have fought for more windows, but he does not like a lot of natural light for some unGodly reason?? I do not like J and J's at all! This will be primarily used for guests. It's unlikely to be used at all. I'll be playing around with the kitchen island to have symmetry with the sink and also room for the DW to be placed NEXT to it, and not around the corner. My idea for the kitchen is to be a hard working one, with large and rarely used items placed in the pantry on a counter, with storage shelves on the opposite wall. Thank you all so much for your suggestions. It gives me an idea if we are going in the right direction. I have so much to learn! A

I had to do the same thing...but your pool sounds more complicated and not as far along as mine. Didn't have an in floor cleaner...but typically the plaster'er cuts the pipes and installs standard fittings. It would be your job to get the eyeballs and the popups for the in ground cleaning system and install them into the pool as its filling up and the plaster guy has left. You can actually wait to install these but then you would need a wet suit probably. Some cities require pre-inspection of the electrical as a separate inspection others making the electric a part of the final. You will need to check that out beforehand. You might also want to double check the plumbing is ok and was pressure checked and passed inspection....this is really hard to fix afterwards. All of the inspections and all the work including electric must be done before plastering and should all be done together. Plastering is the last step. I would run enough electrical for the spa heater as well since you plan on during that in the future and make sure the electrical inspection will pass and the inspector knows it must handle the load of the heater as well. I would scrape up the money to go with an aggregate finish myself over plaster thats what we did. Why? Because if the gunite was done poorly, it will hide defects better. Ours had a lot of cracks and was gunited thin in a few places on the floor as well as a part of the screwups the PB made when they redesigned the shape of our pool. Take a look at Stonescape is cheaper than PebbleTec and just as good in my opinion. If you have never had a pool before, you need to hire someone for startup and/or be fully knowledgeable about what to do with your pool when water is in it. Its not a good thing for a brand new pool to set for 2 weeks while you learn how to take care of a pool.