Wow... I was just wishing I had an area to plant... I'm full up plus some. This will all be anecdotal - best guess... Night Before Christmas - bright shade, then afternoon sun? best guess, no... put it in more shade. Of your list, plants pretty tolerant of sun.... I know So Sweet, Fragrant Bouquet, Orange Marmalade, Aphrodite, Paul's Glory are all pretty good in some sun. FB and A are the two most sun tolerant, in my experience. Sum and Substance needs some sun to get its best color... and some years an actual metallic gold kind of sheen. On the other hand, a little too much and it gets scorched. And all of the sun tolerance thoughts are predicated on how much moisture is available. If you keep them deep watered, even some that don't like the placement initially will come back the next year and be just fine after adjusting. They might stay a little smaller, and their leaves might be a little smaller... but they seem to adjust.

Cool and shady. Nice hacienda! I especially appreciate the pic of the Longstalk. Didn't we compare notes about this one last year?

Thanks all! weedpuller: the compost bucket is huge - 15L or about 3 gallons. I don't let it get too full though because it gets heavy (not to mention smelly, though only noticeable when the door is open) and I worry about the weight. It is from Rev A Shelf, see link localeater: I love the compost bucket. We compost everything, no garbage disposal in our house. It is under the prep sink on the island and I scrap into the sink then gather it up to throw in the bucket. Easy. The bucket pulls out to be carried out to our bin. Also, the broom closet is 2' wide, 3' deep and 6' tall and functions beautifully (especially after not having one for so long!). The chair is from PB Teen, Vintage Wood Swivel. Well constructed and comfy, as well as (I agree, if I do say so myself) a perfect fit for the space! Beth: Thanks!! It's Baker and we're not going anywhere anytime soon ;) We did all this work on an old house we love because we hope to be here forever! :) And yes, our pup loves it too! kelhuck: That is just what I love to do in the space, time and kids allowing! Book storage was actually a big part of the planning for our book-loving family. And yes, mamadadapaige - life altering is right! Sometimes I still can't quite believe it. Thanks again! Your compliments and interest mean a lot to me. Here is a link that might be useful: Pull Out Compost

Betty- would never dream of taking that away from him. He also sits at top of stairs and can see through the windows in entryway and the top windows in that corner. He can see all the people go by with their dogs. He barks at them like he is telling them to let him join them. Actually, the plant in that corner is a long basket arrangement I picked up from someone at work. It is simply resting on top of that large jar that we fleck spray painted years ago for our first home. In the pic it looks pretty good. We put an uplight back there and at night it looks pretty cool. Just need to get the right plants back there because in person the one there really is not that nice there. Can't use real because of doggy and naughty kitty. Thanks for all the nice comments. What is really nice about this room kinda fits a recent post about decorating more for look than function. Although this room does look really clean and neat it is really family friendly. We upgraded the microfiber to a stronger grade because we knew doggy would get up there when we are not home. The chair dh picked out did not seem very comfortable when he showed it to me. OMG it is so comfy that we fight over it, although it is his throne technically. We now go in there and drink coffee, chat with visitors or just rest. You can put your feet up on the sofa with no worries. The doggy drool that inevitably ends up on the glass tabletops wipes off easily, the round edges are soft on your legs when chasing him around the room. I am glad we did not do a rug under the dining table because when doggy chases kitty, she likes to sit on the chairs and bat at him while he is under there, he does not knock the chairs over. They simply slide out of place. We thought of curtain panels in dining room that puddled on floor but thought that would be too tempting for kitty to play in. Pups water/food station is on the slate floor. His dribbles from drinking land on the slate and by the time he hits the pergo it is all gone. I hate stepping on wet dribble. Yuck. So I think we accomplished the look we were hoping for. Magazine style with family function.