Meyers are the easiest to care for..constantly flowering and fruiting, and very very sweet smelling. Kumquats, though not a true citrus, 'I don't think???' seem to bloom and fruit year round..Very fragrant..Nagami is my favorite.. Ponderosa, though not as free-flowering/fruiting as Meyer's, are #1 as far as looks, huge flowers, and a heavenly scent. Lemons are as large as grapefruit. I was given a beautiful Mandarin from a very nice woman here on GW. We didn't know the species, but fruit is med-large in size, and when in flower, it scents up the room. I love it! My heart goes out to a Meyer's bought at Home Depot for 9.99..I had it over 14 years, growing in the front plant room, producing fruit from the very beginning..Flowers were white with purple tint. Big and fragrant. After getting a small green house, I placed the Meyer's inside that winter. Of all things to go wrong, on one of the coldest nights of the year, the heater went out.. Think I blocked out that night, because I can't recall the number of plants lost..something like 31, including my Meyer's and a beutiful Kumquat, the first plant bought at Briteleaf. Anyway, those are my choices..Toni Meyers..10 Kumquat..10 Ponderosa..9 Mandarin..10 Calamondin..9 (not mentioned above)

gottagarden wrote: "My "lawn" is simply mown green weeds. If I used weedkiller, I wouldn't have anything left." Same here. I have Bermuda grass with wild grasses, perennial weeds, dandelions, and in a few spots, white clover. I think dandelions and clover are so pretty and they attract pollinators in the spring when they are blooming. I do fight to eradicate the Goat-head stickers though. (grrrr). The wild rabbits "plant" the seeds in the yard when they come down off the hill to browse. Once in awhile I have to dig them out. They were all over the back yard when I first bought this place. Too many to dig, so I spread weed and feed for a few years until they were gone. My chickens fertilize it so I don't need to anymore. I would LOVE to grow Eco-lawn. Very pretty. Looks to be a cool-weather lawn though, so it might not do too well here, except in spring. Now, I can walk barefoot and sit in the cool grass in the summertime. Grass is nice for star gazing on pleasant summer nights (another country pleasure - no city lights, so the stars are clear and bright). I enjoy mowing. Love the smell of fresh-cut grass and enjoy keeping it cut neat, although I am not a neat freak, so I don't fuss over it. It keeps the yard much cooler in the summertime and my family has croquet matches in the summer, especially on Easter and the 4th of July. What would croquet be without a lawn? And it just so happens that I love the color of grass - green! I brought some St. Augustine grass with me from Louisiana years ago and am now trying to get it established in certain areas. It is doing well down by the fish pond. It is not supposed to grow here because of our cold winter temps, but it does fine. Has to be watered in dry years, but otherwise it does fine on its own. Wouldn't grow in the back yard on the hillside though - too dry, but nice in the partial shade down where I grow my Tropicals. Easy to dig out if it ever invades the flower beds, unlike "devil Grass" (Bermuda) Hiss, Hiss ~ Annie

I've had soapstone counters for about five months now and am still struggling with how to treat/clean them. I haven't oiled them either because I like the lighter look, and I have the same experience you have as far as water marks. Plus, in a kitchen, I am also dealing with grease spots. I suspect if you oil you won't see the water marks as much, but this is just a guess. If I were you, I wouldn't worry about the scratching in cleaning. My fabricator recommended Soft Scrub with bleach and a maroon scrubby that can be found at a paint store, but I haven't tried this yet. I've used green and blue scrubbies with no problems.

Are you sure it's a hydrangea or are you asking if it is?Well if you know it's a hydrangea, that's a start, lol. Otherwise, it's just some sticks and you'll have to wait for it to pop to get an idea what it is. If it's a hydrangea..Wait till it warms up a lil and new growth will start coming from the ground, it looks like it might be already, pic isn't too clear but I think I see some green down there.. After it is warmed up a bit more, say the end of April, you can prune those branches down if you don't see any new growth from them as well, if you see green coming from the branches, you can leave it or prune it, up to you. Hope I helped..maybe someone else will give their opinion.