Cherry Laurel is an attractive, evergreen, fairly fast growing plant that makes a good hedge. They grow quite tall but they can easily be pruned. I keep mine at about 4'. Another evergreen I've had good luck with is Manhattan Euonymous. It has similar growth habits and is a very handsome shrub that makes an excellent hedge. Also easy to propagate.

above i wrote this: conifers are trees.. and frankly they NEVER stop growing.. presuming they dont die ... the important thing to learn is the sub-heading Conifer Sizes .. and learn all about annual growth rates .... it should have read this way: conifers are trees.. and frankly they NEVER stop growing.. presuming they dont die ... CHECK OUT THE LINK BELOW ... the important thing to learn is the sub-heading Conifer Sizes .. and learn all about annual growth rates .... [and the link is in the prior reply] you said in reply: As you can see, my lot is pretty small, and I wanted to frame my house a bit with the trees. How tall and wide does the Bakeri usually get? check out the new link below .... especially the pic there.... bakeri can grow up to one foot per year ... and unless you want to be cutting it down in 10 years.. it better be planted.. 8 to 10 feet from the house.. MINIMUM ... which again.. is why you need to define the garden bed.. before you start choosing plants ... while at the first link.. look into the definition of a DWARF plant.. and should you want a plant that lasts in situ for more than 10 years.. you will HAVE TO get.. mail order... a conifer that grow less than 6 inches per year ... ken ps: if you insist on a large picea pungens.. look into Hoopsi ... and forget about the real old cultivar bakeri ... mine below with yearly growth notated ... Here is a link that might be useful: link

I had the same thoughts before reading everyone else's posts...The 3 x 6 is more 'standard' and traditional, while the 4x8 would be a little more unique and bring a modern or industrial twist or zing to your kitchen...which I can like with traditional elements. Depends on what you want it to do. And Plllog does have a point about smaller tiles fitting in around things better, but I wouldn't necessarily let that decide it for me. Will one fit in the spaces using whole tiles, while the other will require cutting all the way along? (Remember to figure in grout lines) Even if I liked one better, if the other fit in whole, THAT could sway me to change my mind.

I'm learning too, so take my (extremely spammy) advice with a grain of salt. I start seeds early so I can transplant them into my garden, so hopefully my advice will help. When using seeds from last year, depending on the type of plant, the amount of seed that may still be viable will vary from type to type. Some seeds last seemingly forever, while others need to be planted the same year they were collected. Do some research online to find out. Be careful with potting soil. Many brands can be too thick in texture and full of things like fertilizer, which can affect your seedlings' ability to grow. It's better to get seed starter soil, or soil that's lighter in texture. As for florescent lighting versus LED: not all light from bulbs will work for growing. It all depends on your setup, what you're growing, what sort of budget you have, and if you're growing indoors or just starting plants to place outdoors when spring arrives. The last one is important because the larger and more mature the plant, the more light you'll need. If you're just starting seeds indoors, most types of florescent lights should do the trick, though more experienced people here may have better ideas. Florescent lights are generally inexpensive and widely available, which is probably why that site recommended them. Since this'll be in a greenhouse, you'll have to consider things like moisture (ie, will the light fixture be okay being in a greenhouse year after year?), how you'll hang your lights, and how you'll space them around your seedlings. I grow in the basement, so I use a wire shelving unit and raise the seed beds to the light. If you can't hang your lights from the ceiling, you can possibly affix your lights to a frame (you can make your own with wood, pipes, repurposed shelves, buy kits, etc) and put them on small chains with s-hooks, so you can bring them up as the plants get higher. I plug my lights into a timer so that they're not on 24/7, which saves electricity.