I'm starting to get frustrated. Winter is hanging on this year. Normally I've been out cleaning up the beds by mid-March. This year temps are running 10-20 degrees below normal, and when the ground isn't covered with snow, it's a muddy mess. More of the same is forecast for the next week. Oh, well, it can't last forever. By August I'll be whining about the heat and wishing for 20 degrees below normal and mud. It's just so exciting, wondering if this will be the year some of the hostas leap. Oh, man - if that's my idea of big excitement, I must be one of the most boring people on earth.

Hi Mike, The larger BOP is the white, which grow to be trees here in Florida. You want the orange,Strelitzia reginae. Just happens to be my favorite flower. Here they're readily available at Home Depot and everywhere else, but I'm guessing you're in southern VT,NH,maybe Maine? I lived in northern NH for several years. While I was there I was getting ready to put up a greenhouse as there were too many things, including BOP, that I wanted to grow that wouldn't do well up there. Even here the BOP blooms only half the year, May - Sept. or Oct. depending on conditions that year. they love the stifling hot, humid summers here and further south. They need this to bloom. So to get one blooming there you'll have to work a little. Maybe indoors with a grow light and a humidity tray of sorts. Or maybe outdoors in the summer only. Just be prepared to bring it inside. I had to dig mine up just before Christmas as we had a cold snap. They say the BOP is tolerant to about freezing but that doesn't mean they like it or will respond well afterward. I bring mine in whenever they say we're going to have a night in the low 40s or less. As far as buying one that will certainly bloom - that's tough. Even w/good stock the conditions have to be right. Here Home Depot sells them w/their blessed 1 year guarantee but I'm sure in zone 5 you'd be hard pressed to find one at H.D Where did you plan to cultivate the BOP, indoors or out?

mmarse. Just saw your response and wanted to simply chime in on a few observations. - I dont believe the pocket sill is a design flaw as you stated but is in fact a better design if installed correctly, simply for the following reasons: A "pocket sill" allows for complete encapsulation of the bottom sash rail. This keeps contact surface area on both the inside and outside of the sash creating a better seal The typical pocket sill generally has more honecombs or chambers creating a stronger more rigid sill member and preventing crowning that alot of existing sill openings prior to install will have. Obviously its not a good practice to screw into the sill frame for risk of petrating the extrusion which could lead to a leak in the rough opening after installation so a more rigid, honeycombed frame will stay intact and plumb and square more so than one with lesser chambers, generally a foam filled sloped sill. Worse case scenario with a pocket sill, even if there is some natural expansion and contraction, there is some "play" in the pocket which will still allow for contact area of the weatherstipping and is more "forgiving" should there be temporary movement with climates with wide Delta temperature changes like we experience in the midwest. Generally, the Design Pressure or DP ratings are higher on both air and water with a well designed pocket sill simply due to the additional barriers, diversions and angles which reduce and retard the wind pressure. Now, with any product design there are some drawbacks......the pocket sill is tougher to clean as the pockets can hold dirt which is why we recommend leaving the screens in year round to filter any debris from passing into the sill. Ulta View screen mesh can help with this filtration dramatically. We also recommend checking the weep holes periodically to prevent obstructions. The debate with pocket vs slope sills will go on with us window guys forever, just like internal vs external glazing beads, but we feel the overall performance advantages of a quality (keyword Quality) pocket sill outweighs the easier cleaning of a slope sill design. We try to encourage our prospects to compare AAMA Performance grades on air, wind, water, and forced entry. Then of course look at the NFRC numbers for thermal performance. Im sure you and your team do as well. It then of course comes down to trust and the investment.

Congress is a great hotel in a prime place. Across from the park where Buckingham Fountain is; near the Art Museum; a couple of blocks to get into The Loop; a bit of a longer walk will get you to the Magnificent Mile; a cab ride to Navy pier; and a bus will take you to Adler Planetarium, Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium. Also, you need to ask at least 100 people about their favorite pizza joint. You should get at least 20 answers.