I don't imagine you will have a problem transplanting them -- though keep in mind that THEY WILL NOT BE DORMANT. Since these are small plants, I would urge you to avoid cutting off a lot of growth. Roses of this sort store their energy in their twiggy growth, and the more of it you cut away, the greater the impact on the plant. But, most of all, I would urge you to reconsider the location in front of windows. I have seen bigger ones, but in my conditions, Mutabilis easily rizes to 7 ft. In your Z-9 conditions, I think you will have a constant fight to keep the plants from growing taller than you want them to. And, to do so, you are going to have to mercilessly whack off a lot of new growth and bloom. Consider, instead, finding some Polyahthas for your location below windows. Those, too, should be continuous-blooming, and they will fit the space nicely. And there is a big selection of cultivars to select from, in a wide range of colors. Place Mutabilis where you can see it as the big, bountiful, beauty it was meant to be. Jeri Coastal Ventura County, Southern California

Not too early at all! We started with a floor plan Jan 2008, and made many, many changes to it with the builder's designer (a very patient guy!!). Everytime we made changes, we kind of sat with the changes for a few weeks and 'lived' in the house on paper (if that makes sense). We found that having the time helped us greatly to think everything single detail out. We also made selections for fixtures, flooring, cabinets, and got price quotes from various sources. Only then (in November) did we sign a formal contract. With our current home which we also custom built, we signed a contract too quickly and then once the build started, we incurred numerous costly change orders. We did not realize that we had signed on a very low bid for the home, with inadequate allowances for almost everything. This time, we were well armed with what it would actually cost for all items. That way, we could discuss/negotiate with the builder before we signed on a realistic price for the home. So far, (we broke ground in nov.), there have been no plan changes or other finish changes (that would constitute a change order plus upcharge). So, spend the time....if the builder truly wants your business, he should be more than willing to be patient with you. And only after you are 100 % happy with the floor plan and all the various selections should you send it out for bids. Good luck!

when you say not planning to start for a year - do you mean break ground in 12 months? is this a custom home? if so - then now would be a good time to start working with a builder. It takes time to get your plans drawn and finalized, permits, site prep and other things done to get ready - and this is something you don't want to rush or feel pressure to make decisions before you are ready. We started looking for our builder 12 months before we figured we would be ready to start - and by start - I mean sold our existing home and moved into a rental, had our finances in order, and were ready to sign a contract to start the project. It did not take us long to find the builder - about a month - but we got lucky. Our builder did not advertise and we found him through an architect that we interviewed but did not select. Picking the right builder and verifying their credentials is the most important decision you will make in the process - leave plenty of time to do your research and pick the right builder. We already had a piece of land that was perked for spetic and had a well drilled. So when we started looking for the builder, we had a lot of things in place already. We also had picked a floor plan on-line that we liked and had been studying for months before we looked for the builder. When we met each prospective builder, we showed them the plans. Some gave is ball park estimates based on cost per square foot and the one we picked actually developed a written preliminary estimate. The estimate was a rough cost for that plan with mods that he believed needed to me made to the structure to make it fall within that cost. Once we determined that the house we wanted was within our reach, we enetered into a drafting services agreement with the builder. This agreement was to develop the detailed house plans using an architect that he had worked with in the past. The deal was that if we decided to build the house - then the cost we paid for the drafting services woild be applied to the house. It took about 6 months from the time we met the builder to the time that we had a good set of plans (not the final plans - but good enough to get detailed costing). It then took another 6 months to get our grading/site plan drafted and approved by the county, the final plans done, our detailed cost analysis which included picking out allownace items to get good basis of estimates, permits for the project, and the loan approved. It was a total of just over 12 months from the time we first met our builder to the day we signed the contract. This is a time consuming process. If you want to start in 12 months - I recommend that you start working with a builder as soon as you can. You can work with an architect in parallel if you need one - but I recommend working with you r builder because you need to know the costs - so that you can work you budgets and make cost trade-offs. The second biggest decision you will make after picking the right builder is making sure that your budget and schedule is sound and that you have adequate margin in the budget and schedule for oopses, which will occur. You should verify that all of the allowance costs that the builder gives you will allow you to purchase items that will meet your expectations. This can take a lot of time - you will want to visit his vendors - make some prelimianry selections - and get quotes (maybe talk to some of your own vendors too) - just to make sure these budget wedges are sufficient and that you are getting the quality you want and a reasonable deal. Best of luck

ItÂs soapstone or bust for me too. :) If you donÂt like green, you probably wonÂt like my favorites but I can help narrow down what might suit you so you can order samples based on what should be available in several months. At least you wouldnÂt get your heart set on something you canÂt have that way. The harder ones do have a bit of a different feel but I like it. Perhaps IÂd compare it to granite, without the shininess. We have several things made out of scrap pieces from the old house (including a lazy susan for the table) and theyÂve shown no wear so I know thatÂs the direction weÂll go this time too. Plus, I think they tend to be more uniform in color. Mottling and heavy (multi directioned) veining are not for me and I never would have thought green would be but itÂs very subtle in both my old counter and the samples I have now.