Sara - self watering pots look attractive - but otherwise they are much harder to maintain to achieve the similar results as Steve's home made system. You will need to repot every 4 no more than 6 months, you will need to soak the inner pot for some time before reusing it to leach the salts out. You need to use extra light soil - something as 1:3;1 - peat(or miracle grow violet soil)- perlite - vermiculite. The problem with these pots is too much water, not that the center of the root ball stays dry. Let the thing dry before refilling the reservoir. You need to use a fertilizer - otherwise AV won't bloom too much. So - basically - you can do it, you can be successful, it just more work and more attention. I agree with Fred and Steve and the rest. The time and money and effort - you can have 10 blooming ones in cheap plastic pots and you can slip them in ceramic bowls or china cups or insert them in a teapots if you want to have a whimsical container basically using Steve's idea. irina

Well, sad to say, none of them made it. So I know never to overwinter salvia in that spot again. What puzzles me is that I had some rather large S. Marachino planted in a raised bed garden that also did not survive the winter. The lavender planted in the same bed at the same time bed seems perfectly happy. Is salvia greggii even less tolerant of a little winter dampness than lavender? Would the salvia do better overwintered in a big pot outside?

Thanks for all your thoughts. I think the biggest problem is that on the 10' sink wall, there isn't a wider area to make a natural transition between counter materials. The biggest I could do is 39"ish (the size of the window). My perfect sink is probably white cast iron, but I'm afraid of having that sink run look forced or chopped up with different counters. If I did wood, I was planning to Waterlox the heck out of it. But I'm also concerned about the expansion/contraction of wood that breaks the silicon caulk between sink and counter. I'll check out the Fine Homebuilding article. Thanks for the tip. The warm, older look is exactly what I love. The fridge counter going to be at least 30" deep so I thought it would make a good baking surface (soapstone). Lots of room to spread out the dough. Sounds like maybe I should revisit soapstone...That was my first love before heart pine drew me away. Yes, sw_in_austin...great memory. My uppers and fridge run cabs are planned to be cream/off-whiteish. Autumngal, I'm glad to hear that your wood counters are holding up well. We're a splashy, messy, experimental family too. Maybe I should just stock up on the vino. :-) Bmore, I'm gasping at a $2k sink. My sink price creep is crazy. I initially wanted a $200 sink, then a $500 sink. Now my husband points out a $1k sink with a totally straight face. Eeeekkk!!

I am one of a number of folks here who have run gas to or from an island -- in my case, both. When we bought the house, we wanted to have gas and we didn't think we could or would move the cooktop out of the island. We had gas run across to the island. When we redid the kitchen, we wound up replacing the cabinets and moving the cooktop to one of the walls. So we've run gas twice here -- each time, about $500. It does involve patching or replacing flooring -- we did one of each. Unless the flooring is a major issue, I suspect the column will pose as many issues and costs as a channel in the slab. The cost of running the gas line and shut off will be the same - if not more by going overhead since there would be a lot more gas line. The column is also something you have to live with and around -- that is a functional and aesthetic cost. I have to agree with the others that you should have good ventilation -- especially with gas and especially if you are using a wok, hot oils and enough heat to scorch the wall. We ran a duct through the joists in the ceiling to get a vent when we moved the cooktop. We ran a 10" duct, but a 6 or 8" duct would be even easier. It's safer and your home will smell better and stay cleaner if you have a vent and use it. I notice a difference in changing from a downdraft in the island to the overhead on the wall -- in part because it works better and in part because it is not as loud, works better and we use it more. There is a reason for having vents, and when you have a good one, you will understand why. When deciding on a coooktop, also consider not only the power for that wok but also the quality and control of the flame and the burner placement (that wok should be up front).