Sounds like you've lost the scion, and only the stock is growing. I ordered a small one through the mail awhile ago and it blighted off right after leafing out. While there are some examples that have been establishing in landscapes here (and I have seen the cultivar loaded with fruit while still in pots at a garden center) I have seen others with dieback problems. So you may have had bad luck and had yours get heavily infested and die or die back right after planting. Stone fruits in general are susceptible to multiple diseases and pests that may appear and spoil a planting. The general condition is for them to be fast-growing, short-lived trees that flower heavily from a young age and then die early. The normal habitat for the wild species is open, sunny recently disturbed or otherwise non-forested sites where they pop up early in the game and then die out as other trees come in and start to produce a different growing environment, with increased shade and decreased exposure.

You all raise great points and I'll try to answer some here. No, I haven't seen them in person, which is partly why I asked the question about focal points - I think it's easier when looking at them up close and online to obsess rather than once you see them hanging. Plus I'm not sure about the glare. I think they are beautiful, but I wondered if IRL they would just look like any other type of glass pendant. I actually found them here but I can't remember the user's name. They looked beautiful in her kitchen, though. NYCbluedevil, your beehive pendants are part of my inspiration! I loved them but they are WAAAY out of my budget. I do wonder about the shadows and glare to some extent - both my parents had migraines and I occasionally get super horrible headaches (not sure they're technically a migraine or not). However, I have good recessed lighting and UCL already and would probably use these as more of an accent, less for task. I'm attaching a photo, but am hanging my head in shame at what you're seeing. The bases are IKEA and the drawer/door fronts are arriving from Scherr's today, so half of my stuff is in but not covered and the other half is still out, so it looks horribly cluttered. My counters are also not in yet so I'm using plywood at the moment. You obviously can't get a great idea but maybe an overall snapshot of the shape of the kitchen and how the pendants will be viewed. The peninsula will have a rainbow-shaped counter where we'll put chairs, so seating will be there as well. As for adding personality - I have bright fiestaware, which will be displayed behind glass doors, so I want to bring out those colors but also don't want the kitchen to move to resembling a clown. I had considered colored pendants but nothing speaks to me, so the personality I thought I'd bring in would be in the counter stools (with a funky print on them) and a throw rug. I like deb's pendants and also considered something like those or restoration hardware's benson pendants. Even at $200, that's a $150 savings when you buy 3. However, because of the size of my kitchen, I thought I may need something that was clear rather than colored so the eye doesn't stop. I like that one from ebay, too (and the price!)...the rest of my house is not modern but more transitional, so I think I can get away with something a little funky. Thanks for making it through my l-o-n-g thought process!

Both of my grandparents stayed at home until they were in their late 80's and then Mama had no choice but to put them into a nursing home. My GF lived about 3 years after and my GM is still living. She turned 100 in Sept. She has very good care and is the favorite in the home. She has a double room and has been lucky for the most part about room-mates but she has had a couple that were a chore to deal with. When they retired they had a substantial amount of savings and their home with a few acres of land. We hired one of the home health aides to come spend the night with them for a few months but were paying out about $300 a week and all she was doing was sleeping there. Anyway now my GM has been in the home for about 13 years and all of her money is gone. She gets $30 a month and goes to the beauty shop in the home once a week and the family pays for her TV and phone and any other things she needs. Her money was building up in her account and they told my sister that we needed to spend some of it because she wasn't allowed to have but a certain amount and she was over the limit. Family members moved into their home for a few years and then when it was vacated we sold it and the money went to the home. We had no problem with that. They've taken good care of her and know they will continue to. The main point is that people save their money for their old age and then when they get their and need it for health care the other family members often think it should be theirs. Yes, we've paid taxes most of our lives but nobody can live on the amount of taxes you pay in for a month. Probably the best solution would be to go back to many years ago where extended families just built onto the family home and the kids stayed after marriage and were there to help care for the elderly family members (great-grandparents) and the grandparents are there to baby sit for the grandchildren. Thus cutting out a lot of expenses. Of course we've gone away from this custom for too many years for most to want to do it. G'nite John-Boy! lol Nancy

I couldn't remember this plant even though it seemed familiar, so I googled it. NOW I remember. I think this is a beautiful vine and haven't seen one in years. I also remember when I would bring it in for the winter I would have problems. Especially spider mites since the house had the furnace on. If you just bought it I would return it. For me it behaves like ivy. Always red spider during the winter. And I lose it. Sorry to be such a downer. It is a nice plant and I would like to try one again. They are never in our area. Good luck!!!!! Rosie Here is what I found: Problems: Powdery mildew, downy mildew, aerial blight, rots, leaf spots, spider mites, whiteflies, mealybugs. Read more: http://www.finegardening.com/rex-begonia-vine-cissus-discolor#ixzz3pIkAghOm