PUZZLE #36: Flower Power 2

PUZZLE #36

FLOWER POWER 2

Yes, I've made another one of these, because I clearly didn't get the hint regarding how hard the first one was to make, let alone solve! On the plus side, unlike my first attempt at one of these puzzles, I had nutrimatic.org to assist me in creating it, so it only took several hours this time around (as opposed to a few days). Also, you might recall that in my initial effort, I didn't reveal which clue went in which direction. Well, since this puzzle will probably be hard enough as it is, I've changed my mind regarding that point, so hopefully you won't struggle as hard!

The answers to this petaled puzzle will go in a curve from the number on the outside to the center of the flower. Each number in the flower will have two 5-letter answers, one going in a clockwise direction, and the other going in a counterclockwise direction.

Once you're done, the numbered tips of each petal, reading clockwise, will spell out a clue that will lead you to the FINAL ANSWER.

CLOCKWISE

1) Use a bench, for instance: 2 wds.

2) _____ Boogie (The Nightmare Before Christmas villain)

3) Galaga creators

4) Ancient Greek colony

5) Given as a source

6) Slugger Sammy and his family

7) Japanese name of Jigglypuff

8) Resident of Cedar Rapids

9) Leonard who lived long and prospered

10) Harold went to White Castle with him

11) Secondhand Lions actor _____ Joel Osment

12) Pokemon with eight different evolutions, including Vaporeon

13) Soils, silts and such

14) Pasted

15) _____ Alive (Discovery Channel special that didn't live up to its name)

16) Villainous "Lord" from Wander Over Yonder

17) Rowed

18) Mentor of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

COUNTERCLOCKWISE

1) Adagio Dazzle or Sonata Dusk

2) Wayne Gretzky, from 1979 to 1988

3) Jotted down

4) An Othello villain and an Aladdin parrot

5) "You've Got Another Thing _____" (Judas Priest song)

6) What "syne" (as in "Auld Lang Syne") means

7) Latin word that "potion" originated from (Free Hint: Just get rid of one of the letters in "potion"!)

8) "_____ word that don't mean nothin', like 'looptid'" ("The Humpty Dance" lyrics): 3 wds.

9) They track Santa Claus every year at Christmas

10) Fuzzy green fruits

11) Deux Ex: _____ Revolution

12) Singer/swearer of "**** It (I Don't Want You Back)"

13) Postpone

14) With "The", Young Adult Dystopian novel by Lois Lowry

15) Latino TV network launched by Robert Rodriguez: 2 wds.

16) Lead-in for "cuisine" or "couture"

17) Hall's partner in pop

18) Like some private communities

Once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or get a hint from me in exchange for a "hint star", more details for that are on the sidebar to the right) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a version you can print out!