It is my understanding that a root can only form from a node on a plant. A node is a bud that can become one of three things. A root, a leaf, or a flower. The conditions surrounding the plant will determine what that is. If it is dark, moist, and there is soil present, it will turn into a root. If There is sunlight, it will be a leaf, side shoot, or flower. (much more complicated, but trying to keep it simple). In this case, if the broccoli plant is planted deeper than the crown, but not as deep as the first leaves ( which is a nodal area), then there is nowhere for a root to come from. If it is planted deeper than the first few leaves, then it can possibly form roots along the stem. This is a major principle of vegetative propagation. It is also why the late season tall brassicas that have fallen over will root at a nodal area when it has come in contact with darkness and soil. Hope this clears up any confusion without making it worse!

I'm not sure what you mean by low light, high moisture. Cornus Kousa (kousa dogwood) seed needs to be stratified. Best results will come if given a moist chill of approx 35-40F for 90 days before being brought to warmer (approx 70F) for germination. You can achieve that by sowing the seeds fresh and placing the pots outdoors (protected from rodents if necessary), or placing in a tiny zip lock with a tablespoon or two of moist, sterile medium like damp sand or damp vermiculite, dating the bag, placing it in your refrigerator for about three months. Then you can bring the bag out and sow the contents, vermiculite and all, save the space a pot would take that many weeks in the refrigerator.

Anyone thinking of trimming branches from neighbouring trees should check with their municipality first. It is not always the case that you are allowed to do this. In any event uneven trimming like this may destabilize a tree, and then you'll have bigger problems than falling leaves to deal with (and if your trimming of neighbour's trees contributes in any way to the decline of a neighbouring tree or plant you could be in for some legal trouble). Not to mention this doesn't do a lot for neighbourly relations - and being on good terms with the neighbours is worth way more than not needing to weed (and you always need to weed). I do know how frustrating it is to have to pull out tree seedlings by the hundreds or thousands - I have three different trees raining their seeds onto my plants. I also have a very unsightly alley on the other side of a chain link fence, and I have had more than my share of 'black thumb' neighbours. I screen out the ugly alley with trellis attached to the fence, I pull tree seedlings by the dozens on a daily basis, and I smile and wave at the neighbours, and wish they'd learn to love a nice yard. That's the life of a gardener. All nice gardens are a lot of work, all the time. You can never sit back and say "I'm done". Weeding is something you'll have to deal with, weather or not it is trees or dandelions - there will always be unwanted plants trying to take over the nice spot you have made. Sometimes you have to rework your garden plan to take into account other people's problems, but that's something that happens on an ongoing basis as plants mature and die in any garden. One thing I would do is to ask the neighbour with the leaning maple if you could have permission to have it inspected by an arborist (not a landscaper that says he "does trees"). Some commonly planted maples are fast growing and get pretty big, but they don't have a huge lifespan. If this tree is nearing the end of its life you might want to have it taken down before it falls down (especially if it might fall on your house!). And this one is leaning? You might want to find out why. If you're trying to protect an eating/sitting area from falling berries and leaves, you can make or have made some sort of arbour or pergola. You can use screening, bird netting or trellis on the top to provide some sort of cover that still lets in light. A solid roof will protect from rain too. How much mulch do you have around your existing plants? And what kind is it? You want to have a lose mulch, like finely shredded bark (or shred those leaves you have so many of), and probably to a depth of three inches. You'll still need to haul out tree seedlings, but it's a cinch with a good layer of mulch. Ignore ones in a lawn - just mow them down when you cut the grass. Crunch up the seedlings in your hand and toss them in a compost pile - look at them as future organic matter that will benefit your wanted plants. And finally, remember to sit there with a glass of your favourite drink and enjoy what you have! That'll give you the extra oomph you need to get the weeding and cleaning chores done :-) BP

My time is limited today and I'm trying to chew on the various sides of this... Thanks so much for your input, everyone. Lots of things to think about. It's not possible to change the doorway, which leads into the hall to the bathroom and bedrooms. The peninsula could be expanded out into the LR after the hallway area but I've not been keen on the idea of creating an obstruction around the traffic patterns. We probably won't use corbels to support the overhang and will construct some kind of metal framework on top the cabinets to support the overhang. I think palimpsest's point that the inches are going to be more keenly seen and experienced on the peninsula than the aisle is a good one. It's also a great idea to mock it up. I'm not opposed to splitting the difference, though 12" is the desired seating for bar height, 15" for counter and 18" for table height and I don't want compromise to mean we lose value both ways. My partner REALLY loves the look and functionality of the deep peninsula and is pressing hard to make it as deep as we can. I love that look, too, but if the aisle space is an issue, I'm not sure we can indulge our fancies. I guess I'm so used to not being able to have what I want in this small house for practicality's sake. So, the question becomes does 3-6" more inches really add to the aisle in a way that is going to make the kitchen function better for us or is it room to spare? It's interesting that many of the people who have more narrow aisles and say they are happy with them still recommend I go wider. I'm not sure what to make of that part of the feedback, really. It seems incongruent... This post was edited by Steph2000 on Wed, Sep 11, 13 at 14:04