Yes do contact your extension office and they will gladly send you information. Also drive around your area and see what you like. If you don't know the name take a picture and ask someone what it is. Natives are great but don't miss out on some great plants that are not native. Flax lily is a great one and I don't think anything bothers it not even the cold. Walter's Viburnum is a great small shrub and native too. I love my beauty berry but it has two problems...it froze to the ground this year (it came back and looks great) but it doesn't easily fit into conventional plans...IMHO. I have it planted in the back. Love pentas...generally a perinnial but can be killed by the cold. Oh, Coonties are another great native. They are a slow grower so they can be pricey but they hang tough in they yard year after year. I love crepe myrtles too...small tree. Although they can get rather large depending on the variety...are blooming this time of year. My zone 9 firebush and passion vine froze to the ground. The firebush came back the passion vine (non native var.) did not. I have replaced the passion vine with a native variety and have been warned that it suckers badly! But it won't die! OH! bla bla bla ... on and on I go! hehe. If you want low maintenance stay away from those things that freeze. I should know what freezes because all those things are in my freaking yard! What a disaster.

Both of the floors you mention are well worth their price tag. The other's I'm thinking of = EZ Lay or Drop N Done. Anything out of Europe will be WELL worth the price (should be 30% - 50% more expensive) because of the air quality requirements. Look for anything that says Phthalate free. Phthalates are types of chemicals that are not commonly included in a VOC report....because they aren't VOCs. High-end vinyls (ie. $4.50/sf or more) will be Low VOC AND phthalates free. That's what you are looking for. Anything that ranks for both = good option. Also look at iCork Floor Fusion Cork. VOC content is identical to cork floating flooring and they are naturally phthalates free because the wear surface is NOT vinyl. It is polypropylene (PP) which is an inert plastic used in making children's toys. It doesn't get much saver than that.

I've noticed that whatever size is printed on the tag or is claimed on the Internet, is about half of the real final size. In their desire to see quick results people are prone to getting fast growing plants that soon get out of bounds. I think it's better not to rush it as time seems to pass quickly as soon as one focusing on other things. With water and fertilizer I find most plants to grow reasonably fast. There are always exceptions but as a general rule, they do.

I'll have to check and see if Sunbrella is an option with Lee. I'm not sure I have the energy to do COM in a pandemic. Altho, maybe the shop I'm ordering from could find it for me. The cats have scratched it to shreds. They were pretty good for the first year or two and then suddenly discovered it. I've been told if I have lots of tall scratching posts, they will leave the sofa alone. They save their vomiting for the rugs. Why cats can't vomit on a hard surface is beyond me. sheeisback, we keep the black cover on the cushions, otherwise I think it would be stained awfully. My SIL had a set of white leather furniture and the seats were stained dramatically blue from their jeans. Lauren has some good advice but it basically comes down to some fabrics might be okay, but the only sure thing is poly and while cats might not scratch it, their hair will stick to it like glue. Her words sure did ring true, though. This was my favourite part: Those chairs couldn’t have been more appealing to my Peaches if they were covered in catnip and drenched in tuna water. It is good to know others think the light linen is timeless. I noticed in the article linked, she had light linen in an older pic and it didn't look dated. Kswl, so I'm not the only one? That is some comfort. My DH had one aunt who somehow managed to keep up with the times well into her 80s. My teenage daughters would have happily worn her outfits. But she's definitely the exception.