diff --git a/src/args.jl b/src/args.jl
index 99cdf3b9..7db46638 100644
--- a/src/args.jl
+++ b/src/args.jl
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ const _3dTypes = [:path3d, :scatter3d, :surface, :wireframe, :contour3d]
 const _allTypes = vcat([
                         :none, :line, :path, :steppre, :steppost, :sticks, :scatter,
                         :heatmap, :hexbin, :hist, :hist2d, :hist3d, :density, :bar, :hline, :vline, :ohlc,
-                        :contour, :pie, :shape, :image #, :boxplot, :violin, :quiver, 
+                        :contour, :pie, :shape, :image #, :boxplot, :violin, :quiver,
                        ], _3dTypes)
 @compat const _typeAliases = KW(
     :n             => :none,
@@ -215,6 +215,9 @@ _plotDefaults[:annotation]        = nothing           # annotation tuple(s)... (
 _plotDefaults[:overwrite_figure]  = false
 _plotDefaults[:polar]             = false
 _plotDefaults[:aspect_ratio]        = :none             # choose from :none or :equal
+_plotDefaults[:xaxis]             = xaxis()
+_plotDefaults[:yaxis]             = yaxis()
+_plotDefaults[:zaxis]             = zaxis()
 
 
 # TODO: x/y scales
diff --git a/src/components.jl b/src/components.jl
index 1335df5a..824570bd 100644
--- a/src/components.jl
+++ b/src/components.jl
@@ -404,6 +404,7 @@ function discrete_value!(a::Axis, v)
         cv = max(0.5, emax + 1.0)
         expand_extrema!(a, cv)
         a[:discrete_map][v] = cv
+        push!(a[:discrete_values], (cv, v))
     end
     cv
 end
@@ -417,6 +418,25 @@ Base.getindex(a::Axis, k::Symbol) = getindex(a.d, k)
 Base.setindex!(a::Axis, v, ks::Symbol...) = setindex!(a.d, v, ks...)
 Base.extrema(a::Axis) = a[:extrema]
 
+# get discrete ticks, or not
+function get_ticks(a::Axis)
+    ticks = a[:ticks]
+    dvals = a[:discrete_values]
+    if !isempty(dvals) && ticks == :auto
+        vals, labels = unzip(dvals)
+    else
+        ticks
+    end
+end
+
+const _axis_symbols = (:label, :lims, :ticks, :scale, :flip, :rotation)
+const _axis_symbols_fonts_colors = (
+    :guidefont, :tickfont,
+    :foreground_color_axis,
+    :foreground_color_border,
+    :foreground_color_text,
+    :foreground_color_guide
+    )
 
 # function processAxisArg(d::KW, letter::AbstractString, arg)
 function Axis(letter::AbstractString, args...; kw...)
@@ -437,16 +457,16 @@ function Axis(letter::AbstractString, args...; kw...)
         # :foreground_color_guide  => :match,
         :extrema => (Inf, -Inf),
         :discrete_map => Dict(),   # map discrete values to continuous plot values
+        :discrete_values => [],
         :use_minor => false,
         :show => true,  # show or hide the axis? (useful for linked subplots)
     )
-    for sym in (:label, :lims, :ticks, :scale, :flip, :rotation)
+    for sym in _axis_symbols
         k = symbol(letter * string(sym))
-        d[k] = default(k)
+        d[k] = _plotDefaults[k]
     end
-    for k in (:guidefont, :tickfont, :foreground_color_axis, :foreground_color_border,
-                :foreground_color_text, :foreground_color_guide)
-        d[k] = default(k)
+    for k in _axis_symbols_fonts_colors
+        d[k] = _plotDefaults[k]
     end
 
     # first process args
@@ -489,9 +509,12 @@ function Axis(letter::AbstractString, args...; kw...)
         end
     end
 
-    # then override for any keywords
+    # then override for any keywords... only those keywords that already exists in d
     for (k,v) in kw
-        d[k] = v
+        sym = symbol(string(k)[2:end])
+        if haskey(d, sym)
+            d[sym] = v
+        end
     end
 
     Axis(d)
diff --git a/src/plot.jl b/src/plot.jl
index 68857b77..687ad1ed 100644
--- a/src/plot.jl
+++ b/src/plot.jl
@@ -74,7 +74,46 @@ function plot!(plt::Plot, args...; kw...)
     _plot!(plt, d, args...)
 end
 
+function strip_first_letter(s::Symbol)
+    str = string(s)
+    str[1:1], symbol(str[2:end])
+end
+
+# merge the KW d into the plot args
 function _add_plotargs!(plt::Plot, d::KW)
+
+    # handle axis updates from a recipe
+    for letter in ("x","y","z")
+        # get the Axis object
+        axis = plt.plotargs[symbol(letter * "axis")]
+
+        # update xlabel, xscale, etc
+        for k in _axis_symbols
+            lk = symbol(letter * string(k))
+            if haskey(d, lk)
+                axis[k] = d[lk]
+            end
+        end
+
+        # update guidefont, etc
+        for k in _axis_symbols_fonts_colors
+            if haskey(d, k)
+                axis[k] = d[k]
+            end
+        end
+
+        # update extrema and discrete values
+        datasym = symbol(letter)
+        if haskey(d, datasym)
+            v = d[datasym]
+            if eltype(v) <: Number
+                expand_extrema!(axis, v)
+            else
+                d[datasym] = discrete_value!(axis, v)
+            end
+        end
+    end
+
     for k in keys(_plotDefaults)
         if haskey(d, k)
             plt.plotargs[k] = pop!(d, k)
diff --git a/test/runtests.jl b/test/runtests.jl
index 991a2bb1..6d05bb55 100644
--- a/test/runtests.jl
+++ b/test/runtests.jl
@@ -68,6 +68,8 @@ facts("UnicodePlots") do
     @fact isa(plot(rand(10)), Plot) --> true
 end
 
+
+
 facts("Axes") do
     axis = xaxis()
     @fact typeof(axis) --> Axis
@@ -75,6 +77,10 @@ facts("Axes") do
     @fact Plots.discrete_value!(axis, :yo) --> 1.5
     @fact extrema(axis) --> (0.5,1.5)
     @fact axis[:discrete_map] --> Dict{Any,Any}(:yo  => 1.5, "HI" => 0.5)
+
+    Plots.discrete_value!(axis, ["x$i" for i=1:5])
+    Plots.discrete_value!(axis, ["x$i" for i=0:2])
+    @fact extrema(axis) --> (0.5, 7.5)
 end