Well, you don't have a lot of space, so you probably want to keep the design of the space simple, using two or three copies of one or two kinds of plant. Viburnum 'Blue Muffin' is supposed to stay short (3' to 5'), flowers in the spring and, in the fall, sets blue berries and leaves turn colors. Said to be self-pollinating - mine is too young for me to comment on that. Variegated kerria is doing well in pretty much full sun in my NoVA garden (even though it is said to prefer some shade). It doesn't bloom much for me, but I grow it for the beautiful leaves and the delicate green stems in winter. It spreads, but is not obnoxious. Deutzia gracilis 'Nikko' is a beautiful, fragrant spring bloomer. Stays quite short (2'), spreads horizontally, flexible regarding sun. Could be used in front of one of the other two. Nothing to speak of in fall/winter. Leptodermis oblongais a tiny little thing. The tag on mine says it maxes out at about 15 inches, but mine is a little taller in just its second season in the ground. Healthy, early summer bloomer with fragrant pink flowers over a long period. I don't recall any special fall color on this one. Although you could say they're overused, I really like weigela 'Wine and Roses' and the other dark-leaved weigelas. Healthy, modest in size, their branches form a loose fan shape that appeals to me. Don't know how any of these would do in sand - I've only grown them in clay. Here is a link that might be useful: deutzia

Cheryl, Thanks for permission to steal your idea. Who said "Wmitation is the greatest form of flattery."? Also love the Gale Garnett quote. Isn't the next line "We'll dance in the raindrops, we'll dance everyday?" (A must add to our hurricane song list started during Hurricane Frances, if I can find it again, and a nice one to add to the garden.) I loved your yellow bike, too. What a happy garden you created, and thanks for sharing. Goldenpond!! That a gorgeous path. I love the design, both the flow and the materials. Thank you for posting the picture. My property isn't as big as your's, but I'd just love to meander down that path and look at your plants and smile. That installation must have been backbreaking, but the result is absolutely awesome. Unfortunately, my big dog is still too skizzy (at 7 1/2 years) to do the mulch, stone and paver combo. I keep thinking we need to get her into a drug sniffing or victim finding program. Yesterday she started barking like crazy in the back porch. I let her out and she ran like a thoroughbred horse the Belmont to the Powderpuff in the backyard. She started jumping up into the tree (no shrub anymore) and came out with a big old rat, which she killed, left in the yard and came back to look at me with big goofy, "did I do good eyes?". I honestly had no idea there was a rat in the yard, and had spent a few hours working on that spot next to the powderpuff. I'm sorry about all the cleanup you have to do to endure Fay. No fun! You have a lovely garden, and I appreciate your sharing the beauty. marilyn

Thank you so much to those who replied with concrete, helpful advice about the kitchen itself, which is why I posted here. As I sad in my first post, I already posted the entire floor plan on the Building a Home forum, which resulted in some helpful critique, but overall, agreement that our architect managed to fit an amazing amount of function into 3,000 sqft -- five bedrooms, 4 baths -- into a home that is being built in a suburb of San Francisco, where houses fitting that description just don't exist. The space that is 10' x 15' in this kitchen is only the countertop and island zone... it does not include the nook, which I think some posters did not recognize. I know it's not the largest kitchen space, but it's twice the size of my very functional kitchen now, so I certainly don't think we'll be space-deprived. I love the specific suggestions on the island size -- thank you Sena, SJHockeyfan. and Gooster. Also, Sena, I think I agree about the DW being moved to the other side of the sink. I have definitely been convinced to not do island seating, and the "desk" zone had already been nixed... forgot to mention that in the first post. Live Wire Oak, the only two rooms in the house that will be a little darker will be the family room and the dining room, due to the covered porches. I would like the kitchen to get as much light as possible, which is one reason I'm considering the wall of windows on the sink wall. The view will be to redwood trees and a neighboring fence. Sena, thank you for the thoughts on the piano! We will be purchasing a new farmhouse style table for this room so will be hyper-aware of dimensions and making sure everything can fit in the space.

Wow, I like your bravery. I was lucky enough to be raised by gardening parents and grandparents, so I had the headstart of absorbing their knowledge as I grew up. Search the web for a used copy of a book called "Crockett's Victory Garden" He was from Boston -- very similar climate -- and did a PBS television show, and did a book each on flowers, vegetables, and houseplants. Full of practical advice from a lifetime gardener, long since dead. Some notes for next year. Peat pots: ignore the manufacturer's proud claim that you can set them right in the ground. It causes plants to get root bound and prevents them from flourishing. If the roots have grown through by the time you plant them, carefully pull away the peat anyway. The disruption will prevent the plants from getting root bound in the ground. When they start growing new leaves, it means the plants have settled in. If you unpot a plant from the garden center and can see roots all around the root ball, slash through these roots vertically and pull away the severed pieces of root (same on bottom side). This will allow new growth out into the surrounding soil. A trick with tomatoes: Most people don't know they can grow roots from their stems. If you start them indoors and they get long and leggy, replant them deeper with half of their stem buried. If they are still too tall and the weather still too cold, cut to tops off milk cartons (and punch a drainage hole in the bottom) and bury the stems in those. When they go into the ground, you can even lay them on their side and gently bend so only the top four or five inches are above the soil. This will give a large root system that will help them endure dry spells. A trick with long season plants (like cantaloupe): buy seedlings, and plant in dark colored containers that retain heat. They are from a hot climate, and the dark container will warm the soil, especially in the cool shoulder seasons, and that will make them happier. Mediterranean herbs: These need a Mediterranean micro climate. Find fast-draining bagged soil mix meant for cactus, succulents and palm trees. It may be in a specialty corner in your garden center, with houseplants. Use this soil in terra cotta or other earthen pots, (never in glazed or plastic pots, as these hold too much moisture). Give them all the sun you can, but be careful not to let them go completely dry in hot dry spells. This treatment will succeed with rosemary, thyme, oregano, sweet marjoram, nepatela (a.k.a. cat mint, not cat nip), chives, lavender, and you can also do this with nasturtiums if you grow those for salads. When I lived in Maine, I used 1-foot wide pots with three rosemary plants each in a south window all winter. In spring I set them in the ground and used them for cooking, while I got new plants for the pots, nursed them along on the doorstep. In fall I brought in the pots, and let go of the ones in the ground (but coastal Maine they lasted almost to Thanksgiving). Depending on our windowsill space and your favorites, you can try this with any of those herbs, but lavender will not cooperate. Not all herbs are Mediterranean. Basil originated in southern India, and flourishes in heavy soil and hot humid weather. Dill and tarragon and mint and cilantro are from cooler climates and flourish in the milder part of year, and dill and cilantro go to seed as soon as the weather turns hot. Most of these do fine in plastic pots that hold more moisture. Mint is almost a marsh or stream plant, so it likes a lot of sun and a lot of water. Lay plank walkways between your rows to prevent soil compaction. Cultivate to keep weeds at bay (a claw with a five-foot handle will save your back). If you skimmed the sod, the grass likely will come back. If weeds become a problem, you can start a new season by covering the garden with black plastic, and cutting out planting holes in it. Laying plank walkways over it to keep it from blowing away. The two most space-intensive crops are peas and corn. And corn is a massive nutrient hog, a waste of space for a single ear per massive plant. If you must have peas, snow peas will give you much more food for the room they take up, but need to be planted as soon as the soil is thawed. Corn (and a lot of other vegetables) are the reverse: if they are planted in cool soil, their growth will be permanently stunted for the entire season. No kidding; my father did a controlled experiment with corn and beans and learned this not something to rush no matter how anxious you are. If you have trouble with big tomatoes, try cherry tomatoes in a future year. i've moved from Maine to the Sonoran Desert, so now I am a beginner again for the first time since I was ten (and that was fifty years ago!). I grow lots of herbs, but don't even attempt any vegetables except peppers. They have a long season requirement, so try them in dark containers too. Good luck. You are at the start of a great adventure that is guaranteed to have some failures and setbacks along with the little triumphs that keep us at it!