i will make it as simple as i can .... and you will remember the simple explanation ... then gal will come and correct me.. and take it all to a higher level ... climate is 100 variables.. heat.. cold.. humidity ... and you can dream up the other 97 .... zone info.. in its simplest form.. is minimum winter cold ... and probably a bunch of other variables , but who cares ... lol ... so your 5.. is my 5... and st loius 5 ... for winter min ... but i have a conifer friend in st loius ... somewhere down there [kansas city???] .. who cant grow half the conifers i can up here due to summer heat and humidity ... go figure on that .... but we are both z5 .... so when we take the zone info to a nursery to pick out stock.. all we are doing is selecting plants that can live through winter .... as i said.. in its simplest form .... you can learn as much more about it as you want .... the effect of lake MI is two fold ... the amount of snow that covers your garden [lake effect] .. and the extension of the growing season due to that big mass of water you are near .... if you drew a line directly east... to MI .... i would not be surprised if they are z6 .... prevailing winds make fall a bit longer since it takes the water longer to cool .... and the ice in spring makes their weather a bit different than yours ... does the windy city wind blow to the lake.. or from the lake???? THEN.. we can fold in all the micro climate stuff.. like the effects of the cement jungle you live in/near, and how much heat it can retain .... etc .... but... i THINK your prevailing wind pattern is like mine.. from the NW .... so in theory ... you are on the wrong side of lake MI for it to affect you as if you were on the other side .... soooooooo ... if the zone maps tell you you are z5.. then yes you are .... but you MIGHT have a micro z6 ... but at that point you are going to complicate your gardening pleasure.. if you start zone pushing.. and buying plants that may or may not live over winter .... but that is another post .... micro's have a way of falling back to the lower zone every few years ..... ken

Thanks for all the feedback. My only drawback now is the darned underlying carpet! When picturing my room with buttery-yellow walls, a milk-chocolate couch and a nice soft area rug, I then see the neutral berber carpet that lies underneath and it just ruins it. Ugh. Unforuntately, taking up the carpet is not an option. I'm wondering if I should just go with my idea and see how it works OR try to design a room around the carpet (colors that come to mind are berry (carpet) and khaki (walls).

It sounded to me like you were bored with your 5 year old kitchen. I did read your posts and that is what I took away from them. That is what I meant by wanting shiny and new. What I meant about "travel" did not mean a vacation necessarily and was not meant 100% literally, but maybe focusing your energies elsewhere outside of your home. If you are ready to change your kitchen because at 5 years old, it "needs" something to freshen it, and you have spent a year thinking about it, then you may have lost sight as to what a kitchen is. It is easy to get on the treadmill of decorating and lose sight that the house is a backdrop to your life and not the other way around. Just like someone who gets a little nip and tuck and then keeps going back for more and more. If your schedule is such that your time is very limited, then perhaps paying so much attention to a 5 year old kitchen is not the best use of your resources. Does the island color bother anyone else in your family? Did you think it was wrong when you first did it or is it wanting something new and different? I may have interpreted your posts wrong, but I saw boredom and wanting to spice up your life. A new island color would only be a momentary thrill and could easily be regretted if it does not come out as nice as it already is. I am grateful that most of our renovation planning is done and behind us. I am glad to have our lives back and while there is still work to do and to pay for, can't wait until we have more disposable income and time to go out and do more things rather than spend more on the house. My family put up with a lot to get the house fixed up. I'd like us to have some fun and enjoy our new space rather than worrying about the things that are still on our "house - to do" list. A kitchen or a pretty house means nothing if you don't get to enjoy other things as well. If what you have been doing lately leaves you bored, perhaps there are other ways to add some excitement. One thing that may help is not spending so much time on GW. I know I fall into that trap at times and realize it has become a habit. I do find decorating and esp kitchens to be interesting, but also want to find the balance with other things. If coming here makes me want a new kitchen, then I will have to break contact cold turkey. A kitchen is not a 5 or 10 year toy. We all take such care in designing and in materials used that a well done GW kitchen should last well over 20 years. That is the point, isn't it?

Dax, thank you for all your suggestions. I like the idea of layering the conifers into 3 rows from the tallest in the back to the slower grower up front. This will add more depth to the privacy screen. And why do I have to choose between 'Goldilocks' and ‘Taylor’s Sunburst’ when I can have them both ? The concept sketch is a quick draft front view drawing of the screen and obviouly it's not to scale. The pool will be removed and also the second maple (the one in the middle). With the latter maple removed the site will get full sun. The 50 ft. bed will start from the first maple and will be extended to the last maple (in the corner of the yard). My previous idea was that specimen conifers will be forward of the maples. The yews and arborvitaes will be more in the back on the same row as the maples - up against the fence. That will put the yews right under the maples. But now I'm considering to bring the whole bed forward the maples. They are just some thoughts for the future: if golden arborvitaes lose their color in too much shade with time, I will enjoy them as long as I can. I may then replace them with columnar pines as suggested. I was also thinking about replacing the 2 remaining maples with Korean maples. They are hardier than Japanese maples and smaller than existing maples which I think are freemanii. Instead of arborvitaes, my first choice was junipers. Their upright needles would make a great contrast to the weeping Picea glauca 'Pendula'. But the nursery I'm doing business with didn't want to sell me any junipers stating rust and tip blight problems and Juniperus virginiana seems to be highly susceptible in our climate. Hope someone in the Montreal region has some experience to share on that matter.