OK, remember, you ASKED for it. Don't blame me when you're out of control like me :). SOUTH AFRICA..I know it's a flori, but it blooms nonstop. Ruffled, gorgeous yellow blooms that cover the bush in long sprays all summer It was in the back garden next to Dainty Bess. Great for cutting; lasts in the vase. PINK PEACE...huge, vivid pink blooms. RED INTUITION...this was on your list, remember? Order from Steve Singer @ Wisconsin Roses. CAMILLE PISARRO...a yellow creamy stripey. Love the coloration. Maybe add 'OUT OF AFRICA' for your MIL's garden since she wanted an orange? And pair it with some Tiki Torch coneflowers...you'd be glowing! That's a lot of orange. Enough enabling....I'm out of here. We have a date in the spring for you to come back to dig up some hostas, remember? -terry

To all: I am with Protect Plus Surfaces. We are partnered with Daltile to assist and underwrite the warranty with this program, as well as the exclusive DuPont Licensee for sealed stone products. The kit includes 3 items: a 1/2 gal of exclusive sealer and 2 current DuPont StoneTech products that are very successful in the marketplace, and for good reason - they work very well. The sealer is water based and does include Microban - but not Triclosan. Microban has several different antimicrobials available to them based on the product they are going to protect. Due to public concerns with triclosan, this product was not used. The antimicrobial in the sealer is 100% natural. It is actually the same form of antimicrobial used in DuPont Water Filtration products. These have undergone rigorous tests following NSF guidelines by the Water Quality Association (WQA) to prove that water is safe to drink after passing through the filtration device. That is how safe the Microban in the sealer is. The other 2 products are the DuPont StoneTech Revitalizer Cleaner and Protector and the DuPont StoneTech Polish. We are the warranty underwriter of the program and handle the customer service for all warranty claims. Rest assured, this is the strongest warranty available in the market today. There are not loopholes and exclusions in the warranty that are commonplace in the market today. This program was put together to truly protect your important purchase for the full 15 years. Here are a few differentiating items about the program: 1) The warranty includes all granite and marble - yes it covers marble. But it does not cover etching on the marble. This is nearly impossible to do with a penetrating sealer that doesn't alter the look or feel of the marble. Many consumers are now choosing a finish other than polished, which makes etching much more difficult to see. 2) The warranty needs to be applied only 1 time - and the warranty lasts for 15 years 3) There are no specific care guidelines that must be followed to make sure the warranty is in effect 4) The warranty is fully transferable for the full 15 years - your home could sell 15 times and it will still be valid 5) The warranty covers the full cost of replacement product if a stain cannot be removed 6) If a replacement is required, we cover the costs of the labor as well - no other warranty in the industry covers this! 7) All chemicals are from DuPont - the most effective and safest natural stone sealers on that market today 8) Microban antimicrobial technology truly does work for the entire length of the warranty - and we chose a natural ingredient for your safety. Imagine raw chicken on your countertop - microbes double every 20 minutes and you don't want to see that spot under a microscopre after 24 hours. Microban inhibits this growth and after 24 hours you can hardly tell it was there. Here is more information about it. http://www.microban.com/partnersites/proadvanced 9) Daltile does have this program on their website at www.daltilestone.com/proadvanced This program has been rolled out specifically to Daltile's Stone Centers located all over the country. The program has just been announced to the entire Daltile sales team and is gaining momentum all over the country now. If you have more questions, feel free to contact me directly at andyfay@protectplus.com

In my old garden, you walked around and came across roses interplanted with shrubs and perennials. My new smaller one is more formal which make an easier garden to control. I started my older ( also blank slate) garden by walking around to get the idea of sun and shade. I made certain I would have a nice view out of the window I selected. First I planted the trees or used the ones there already. Then I placed the different gardens using a spray used on football fields. Finally the pathways. I left it like that and every day either in the morning or evening, I would pretend to walk around and view my mature garden. With a notebook I made changes that pleased me more. Finally I started to dig and plant the areas I was positive on. When people asked me if I had finished the garden, my replay was always a shocked, "Oh, I certainly hope not". Gardening is forever.

I installed these on my own house and my Mom's - both with a lot of trees. Cheap, easy, and effective. I think Mom's were in place for 10 years (then she sold the house). Mine have been in use for almost that long, with hardly a problem. One year a huge snowdrift dislodged one section, but that was an anomaly. gutter covers