This whole question of provenance and adaptability can, at times be complicated, and plantings can yield unsuspected results. A famous case in point is with white pine. About 60 years ago the Forest Service planted some white line along a small river near Parsons, WV. The seed was from NC. those trees have grown so spectacularly that everyone who knows about them is stunned. Much, much better than white pine from local seed sources, and better than any white pine anywhere in either Va or MD. A while ago in these forums, resin, in a discussion of Norway spruce, desfribed a case where the migration back into a formerly glaciated area through a kind of back door from the east, resulted in a local strain that grew much more slowly than strains from other European sources to the west. Many trees have extremely large genomes. The genome for Norway spruce, for example, is about 10 times larger than that for a human being. It was long thought that much of this Norway spruce gene material was "junk" DNA. But now, one theory is that this DNA is not "junk," but is DNA that can be activated by epigenetic factors, and in combination with these factors, account for the extreme adaptability of the species. Well, yes, I am describing things I have only a slight understanding of. What I would say is that the value of local sources for trees is variable and difficult to predict. I agree that it could be a safe choice, but may not be the best choice. But, if I were to give any advice on the current question, I would not be too strict about a really local choice, but I would avoid a source from a hardiness zone too extremely different from your own. But even then, who knows. Oikos tells me that the fastest growing bur oaks that he has for sale are those from a source in OK. They are located in lower Michigan. So, what to do??? --spruce

To find out how to grow them in NY, find out why they grow so well in the south/west and ask yourself if you can replicate those conditons. If you are wondering if you can grow them in the ground the answer is no. If you are wondering if you can grow them in a pot then the answer is maybe. Growing in a container allows you to move the plant around so it is always getting the most favorable conditions. The above is all very generic advice, I personally know nothing about growing Manzanita.

Lots of wineries out there - I suggest talking to some of them first. And then tasting a lot of wine if you don't already know wine. And then remembering that what you want to produce may not be what you will be able to produce. LI has wet cloudy weather compared to the west. And that means the red grapes are going to be less ripe and whatever you do, you will always have some notes of bell pepper. Yes I know that there are many cab francs out there, etc., and some people love them, but for my money, I would not plant reds. After having tasted many dozens of wines from LI, my advice is stick with whites. Good luck!

I don't think 7.5 feet can be considered an overhang. I would think if you want an island and a table in one, for the 7.5' island you'd have your base cabinets (drawers) and then I would imagine you'd need to build an actual table or similar structure with legs and a top to "rest" the remaining slab on, in order to have proper support for a table. Do you have a photo or something you are basing your idea on?