Hey mcleod, I will embed some links in the following text so you can click through to pages I'm referencing, they will all spawn a new window so you don't lose your place here. I have found the figs4fun.com website to be an absolute blessing for information. In particular, the Varieties section of the site is great - I spend two days poring over every single page - thousands of figs - looking primarily for dark figs, sweet and rich, with tolerance in the southeast (where noted), I clicked through on a lot of the number links on several figs. They also have a forum with logs of fig junkies, but I haven't gone there yet. I also used Ray Givan's website - he is the NAFEX fig coordinator, I believe he lives in central/south GA, and had a huuuuge fig collection up until middle of this year. More info on how he lost his collection, along with his results with his fig crops can be found on his "My figs" page. Overall, you will find a plethora of info if you click on all of the embedded links I've included. Finally, I'll leave on last link for you. Everything I know about planting in pots and rooting cuttings "properly" I learned from the first and last link on this figs4fun page. I printed out the middle/2nd link and hung it up in my growing area so I have a quick reference. I use the bag method to root all my cuttings, and I found that my enclosed entertainment center provides a good 80° temperature constantly, all day, and is very suitable for holding my temps solid. I keep my bag sitting on top of my Tivo, in the enclosed cabinet, and it's just .. dark, warm and perfect. Hope all of this info helps!!!

Yes, the Miscanthus would impose uncomfortably on sidewalk and those using it. (I once planted a shorter Misc. 'Adagio' between house and sidewalk, and its "overflowing" presence, although beautiful, was awkward.) Much better for height in a situation as yours is C. 'Karl Foerster' or Panicums. Remember to plant the taller grasses at least 2' from the house. Make the bed 4' deep, if possible. Some grasses of medium and shorter heights for along a walkway are Deschampsia cespitosa (any of them) or Blue Oat Grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens). Both are hardy in zone 4 and make great companions, especially Karl Foerster and Deschamsia or Panicum and Blue Oat Grass. All combine well with each other or with selected late-summer perennials interplanted among them (should you go that route). Your new planting will inspire and impress provided that you don't plant in a soldierly line, as many tend to do along walkways. (There is nothing more unnatural, uninspired and downright boring than a parade-dress line-up of Blue Fescue lining a walkway.) Echo nature. A site for horticultural info and visual reference is linked below. (Note: the zone info at Bluestem is from arborday; subtract 1 for USDA zone.) Here is a link that might be useful: Bluestem

I need some more information on the type of hobby/craft. Scrapbooking, quilting, painting? Do items needs to be left out between work times or can everything be easily put away? What is your tolerance level for looking at the stuff left out? How well will the craft co-exist with the work space needed for jobs? Not knowing the activity makes it hard to suggest storage options. That said, I found once the kids started crawling, my hobby did not work well for the open space of my dining room. I quilt and was interrupted too frequently. Had to make sure all of the pins, threads, scissors, etc. were put away. As soon as they were toddlers, someone was always messing with my machine tension. You have a year until you might have someone crawling around. Do you want the baby in the dining room space or could you easily close it off with a door or gate? If not, then I would vote for the craft space to be up in the extra bedroom for now until you need that room. While you may use it more frequently close to the kitchen for next few months, it could be short-term use anyway. Depending upon the temperment of the baby, you may not have much time or energy. How would you feel about moving everything upstairs later, or would you prefer everything in place now? Gloria

Interesting that this was in San Francisco. Is it possibly they got hot and dried out during the Summer? Especially if they were getting sun during the hottest part of the day. Gardenias do not do well with hot temperatures combined with dry air. It's important to keep them watered during the Summer. San Francisco isn't exactly known for hot temperatures, and usually the air doesn't get too dry, so I am a little bit surprised. The cool temperatures with all that coastal air can mean gardenias grow slower than places like the South that have more heat. In some cases gardenias can turn yellow from excessive watering, if the roots are in standing water and its not draining out. I find gardenias do better in little protected nooks, surrounded by walls and other bushes, places where some humidity has a chance to build up and mosses and ferns can grow, not areas that are openly exposed to blowing wind. Anyway, if you're not having luck with any gardenias, Chuck Hayes is pretty robust.