Brenda - yes to the iris. Vickie - that pergola would be perfect!! can I get one for MY YARD??? just kidding. If I find one of the rooted cuttings I will drag it along but they are tiny. You might want to grow it in a large pot and move it in and out - or plant it right up next to the greenhouse and cut it back each winter. The heat from the greenhouse should keep the roots from dying. Karen - I am willing to share but this may be one of those "iffy" plants for this area. It usually blooms late (like November) but this being its second year it has really filled out early. It does the climb up and then cascades out and over with blossom clusters on the tips of the branches. I have one of those kick me plants also. Branches fall out of trees onto it, I knock it over, the dog digs it up... yet it survives. Where ever Pieter is and if he shows up he should be able to tell us all about it since he is from South Africa where it is almost a weed. Dana - did you ever get Iris foetidus??? the one I bought from Niche has seed pods this year. Very cool plant. I want to try and grow the seeds. Any suggestions?

I forgot about this thread! Paintgal... Is your RL "Merlot"-color a Flat? DEEP tones in many Flats will burnish fairly easily. Reason: There's SO MUCH pigment relative to the "coarser" binder-resin that's inherent to a "Flat" paint. Paints with more of a sheen resist this better. >>> I'm assuming it's been dry/cured for some time??? RedB... >>> Make sure you let your paint cure a day or so b4 a load of steam hits it!! >>> What sheen did you get?? >>> FULL cure for washing is 1 MONTH. I know Decorpas post was over a yr. ago, but we've NEVER had THAT complaint!!! ...but then again...we're using the ACTUAL RL paint/ACE formulas...not getting it matched down into Super-spec or something...like some painters feel the need to do... >>> Our RL colors are spot-on! >>> Many customers need to make sure they SPECIFY the ACTUAL BRAND APPLIED in their painting contracts...IF that's what they desire. >>> Then there's no doubt about the colors/result. >>> If colors or tones seem off...it's NOT the store's fault. It's usually a contractor who just took a liberty to match into "their preferred paint"... I've heard this statement b4... "We applied the color they wanted & it looks off..." We dug a little deeper, and lo and behold...it wasn't actual RL paint used! (I wonder why I have "some" gray hair...;-)) Faron

I just spoke with a retailer a couple of days ago that we'd purchased some Bob Timberlake from a few years ago to see if they still had any on the floor. They didn't but could order. She said if it had the Bob Timberlake name on it it was still make in NC. She went on to say that Lexington wanted to take his line over to China and Bob didn't want that. Sounded like he wanted to "buy" his name back from Lexington but the price was very high and they came to some sort of an agreement. She went on to say that another manufacturers salesmen was in and told about their companies China operation, the employees live in a dorm right next to the plant. Sounds like slave labor to me. I just received some Thomasville furniture and just got sick to my stomach when I see the many flaws it has and the made in China sticker, manager of store is calling me Monday, hopefully we can figure something out...I just want them to take it back, I waited months to get it and now I feel it's cheap junk. I remember seeing the Bernhardt line of Martha and thought it was really nice looking but on opening the drawers...a really musty odor was there, really turned me off. I really do think our country needs to get back to building things over here, we need to support our own country and have some good old made in the USA pride. I know I'm really glad I don't have any little kids to buy toys for this Christmas, with the fear of lead in the paint or plastic.

Thank you, Jeri! Lovely pics. I can hardly wait for mine to get more mature. I love those extra leaflet "wings" - mine does not have those yet. However, it is growing a lot, and I agree about the prickles. I think I am going to send it up the wall of my house, so I don't have to deal with them! Do you think there is a possibility of having it for sale at the Sac Cemetery next Spring? Jackie