A-ha! That must be what I'm doing wrong. I posted this question under the conversations and thought I was supposed to copy the share url link. I'll try the html tag to see if that works. Thanks, Melvana!

LOL Nan - I'm not a sew-er either...but my mom is, and luckily for me, she *loves* to be helpful when possible. Mom's are nice that way, aren't they? ;-) I didn't stick to my garbage schedule last night - even though it needed emptying. It was -8°, and there was just no way I was going out in the cold anymore than absolutely necessary. Bah humbug. But DH and I *have* been doing our nightly workouts...only one at the gym, but we've been doing the rest at home, since it's too cold to leave. Imagine working out on a "power rider" (old piece of exercise equipment) with a fire going in the fireplace just 10 ft. away, and favorite shows on TV. Can't really beat that! LOL Keep trying, Nancy...you'll get it one of these weeks!! ;-)

Could not be more correct with sugar maples- they did exceptionally well during 2012 where we had intense heat and drought all year and sandy soil where I'm at. For a while I backed off of planting them in favor of Freeman's but witnessing their superior growth, branch structure, and drought tolerance (as well as range of fall color), have gone back to planting them in favor of some of the other maples. This year I am getting the newer Flashfire from Schmidt which was derived from Caddo seed source and will see how it does. Many sugar maple selections are some of the best trees you can plant. I have to disagree with positive silver maple assessments- while they may live a long time and have branch structure which can hold up well (particularly on farmsteads where it can be hard to be successful with tree plantings), I find that they are like ash trees- so aggressively rooted that they take all the life out of the soil around them. Would much rather opt for an oak, elm, hackberry, coffeetree, honey locust, etc.... on those sites. Will not grow as quickly but long-term they are better options. Also the oaks growing slow is false. If you look at plantings where two similar sized trees (say maples and oaks, for instance) were planted at the same time they are often the same size 20 years down the road. Yesterday went by a streetside with littleleaf lindens and swamp white oak- after 10-12 years the oaks are now outgrowing the lindens and look much healthier with the hot and dry summer weather we have been having lately. What is different now and one of my pet peeves compared to when I grew up is the definition of messy or of work. A mess now constitutes anything that falls onto the perfectly chemical laden yard- leaves, a small twig, tiny crabapple fruit, acorns, pine cones, etc.... Even when the person mows the lawn with a rider and have not gone outside bare-foot for over a quarter-century. Work now constitutes anything that requires me to lift, bend or move. Sometimes it would be better to have a concrete lot with a house in the middle of it. Why not deal with a little mess, get our kids outside and off their computers and phones, and teach them to enjoy plants (even those that we consider to have many negative characteristics)? One of the best times we had as kids was on this huge berm across the street that the owners had allowed giant ragweed to grow over the whole thing (was 6-8' tall). We spent a week chopping paths through it like a jungle and cleared an area in the center of it as our fort. Those were the days!

Hi everyone! Thank you! Jane, Oooooh, don't get me started on squirrels. I wish I could contract eagle hitmen to deal with them.... they've ruined many an orange with one bite, chewed up many succulent leaves, then spit out the leaf in disgust and do it again the next day. The bigger hoodlums are raccoons that decided the center of all my bromeliads have hidden treats. The carnage! Plant parts everywhere and, yes. Orchids and succulents thrown down to the ground. Haven't figured out how to deter these furry gangsters..... My trees....there are 3 trees sort of fighting for canopy space. A guava above the Mary Eliz B bench. A large Australian Umbrella tree that blocks the afternoon Western sun somewhat and a 20 year old Chinese Elm I am annoyed with. They have leafed out and the shelter in heat waves is appreciated, but, they all need taming. Saving pennies for arborist..... I enjoy seeing how simply growing spaces are organized, including yours'. Love how your phalie is happy in the tree! I used to have a few laelias growing on an apricot tree, now long gone. Ariel, how humid is your climate? Seems the orchids would be happy year round.