Brenda I can't compete with you in the picture taking department! lol! Your Brug photos are always 'tops' when you post them! (secretly, I think you PAY them to look & perform so good!) rofl! 'Tiara' - She looks awesome! And 'Mon Amor x Shooting Star seedling #74H' - what a beauty! 'Divinity' looks like she's blooming doubles! Am I seeing correctly? Hoping when mine 'pop' they're triples. Keeping my fingers crossed! Beautiful - each one of them! And I'm glad you had a super vacation in Mexico! You needed it after tax time & taking care of all the babies! :) Mike

Hi Karyn all who pass this way...I just saw a picture of a huge standard brug (1 branch allowed up to Y) in such a small bucket it's truley amazing in the 'show your face' forum...so I stand corrected on the way the roots 'should' go as this picture clearly states otherwise. Mind you I'm not retracting my statement that they like to sprawl as that is a factual observation...well at least 2 of my brugs anyway. The other 2 I didn't know this and chopped around their perimeter about a 1' out from the tree all around. Maybe these 2 have different root systems and would do better being pot bound, as neither of these 2 had any obvious thick roots scrawling any where. The 2 I speak of are a double orange and a yellow of which John was so generous to send me last fall and I know there are others who received these so if they noticed anything different or the same then I did... pipe in. Frosty pink is definately a sprawler though I can't say now as to whether it would fair well in a pot...come to think of it...I'm pretty sure John keeps his in pots as I saw a picture he posted and pretty sure it's the momma. So thank you Karyn for noting that...it did job my memory and my objective logic. My perspectives on issues can be narrow minded and usually I give a lil' more humility and thought before I speak/write/chat my opions or observations. Sorry I forgot the 'gardeners' name but I'm gonna go back there and ask what brug tree he's got in that lil' bucket. Sandy

New Liberty, Just checking back to the forum after months away when I was at a similar place. I bought the electric Electrolux in April and have enjoyed it very much. As far as maintenance, it is easier to keep gleaming than my other stainless appliances. The stove door is mainly glass and the stainless trim along the back control panel avoids drips and smudges so looks nice without much effort. I learned in the forum the easiest way to keep my SS fridge nice looking is to use a damp microfiber cloth. Occasionaly, I use a soapy cloth, rinse cloth, then wipe down. The same works on the stove. The solid black glass top is more sensitive than the dotted top I previously owned. I've been warned to not move or scrape a pan, wipe all salt or anything up immediately so it doesn't cause a scratch. If a damp cloth doesn't remove all marks, I use the special cleaner. It takes little time and effort to have a gleaming top. I like how quickly the stove top heats up compared to my early series glass top. The oven heats evenly, the convection works great, and the racks are nice, but heavy. I make sure the rack is correctly positioned before I preheat. Moving one takes two hand mitts! Food, such as pizza cheese, wipes up easily after the oven cools, but smells horrible if you leave it. I took that third rack that rested on the bottom out because it was one more thing for food to stick onto. I first bought a SS KitchenAid side/side refrigerator and KA dishwasher. This appliance goes nicely. When I replace my microwave, it will likely be another brand. Safety-wise, I prefer controls on the back. The Cafe has the controls on front. Also, I am short and reaching across to stir something on the back is easier and when I remove a large pot, I don't have to lift over the controls and worry about drip down. Electric stoves don't produce all the ambient heat like gas stoves, so reaching past a pot is no problem. The adjustments are a breeze with a slight tap to increase or decrease temperature. It takes a bit to remember about selecting the larger burner size on the three burners that offer that, a second tap to a control. I seldom wipe the control panel, it doesn't smudge easily and looks very neat with only the clock lit most of the time. I like the sleek, modern look. I like the large oven capacity. The guys in my house like the electronic control panel.

It feels totally fine without the mortar base. Keep in mind that it IS plastic and if you push on the sides, there is a little "give" but it's not cast iron, so to be expected. I love the look of it, but to me it feels like it retains dirt more than other tubs, because it is plastic. I feel like I want to scrub it after every bath, as opposed to just rinsing/quickly wiping it and then scrubbing every week. But the overall clean lines look of it is amazing and I did not see any other tubs that I liked as much. I think we covered this in upper convos but remember that there are two heights (we chose the lower one and I would stick with that as it feels more standard. And the other thing is that it comes with a single or double tiling flange. If you need more info on that let me know, and I will give you more details.