Sage Lover, You didn't mention whether or not deer were a problem, if they are then I'm not sure my info will be of help. I'm in Northern Dutchess County in NY, zone 5. We've had a problem with hemlock wooly adelgids killing off hemlocks. But it doesn't sound like that is your problem. Almost all evergreens need well-drained soil, they don't like wet feet. I know in my area that there has been a drought this summer with limited rain, but evergreens still have a problem with compacted soil. i have some compacted soil. Basically this soil does not allow the water that does arrive to drain through the soil. The water tends to accumulate just below the surface and rot the roots of a plant. I've had to plant things that can deal with wet feet in my compacted soil-- black-eyed susans, liatris, red twig dogwood, solidago. If you want to grow evergreens on top of compacted soil then your best bet is to create some type of berm or mound at least 2 feet tall of good soil to provide drainage. Yews, Ilex, Pieris and rhodos are examples of shade-tolerant evergreens. Hemlocks should also work provided that the adelgid bug hasn't reached your area. For me personally, if I had known that I had compacted soils and the associated planting problems associated with it i would have had someone come in with a bulldozer and dredge out at least 2 feet of the compacted area and add new topsoil.

Thanks huango and saskatchewan_girl, I will answer all of the above. So far I am the only cook and DH is the clean-up guy but we have 2 DDs (8 and 11 but growing fast) who want to cook with me more and more now. We also have many activities so eating is often in shifts. So we decided that it is best to keep the fridge and dishwasher/dishes together to make it easier to get another plate, another spoon, juice, ketchup etc. and put the dirty dishes into the dishwasher when done. Also easier for the kids to have a quick breakfast or make a sandwich without the whole kitchen needing a clean-up after that. Regarding the corner range for Option 1 - it could look great (however the main sink and the d/w would have to go on the island) but would it then be limited to only one person using the range at any point? Regarding the tall pantry - not a priority for me, I would prefer a pantry consisting of a lower cabinet with drawers or pull-outs and a taller upper cabinet (like a hutch). I am 5'4" and tend not to use the items stored on the upper shelves or towards the back of a deep cabinet. However I do want a small broom closet either next to the fridge or next to the wall oven. Regarding the chairs - we'll make sure four chairs fit in either design for those days when we are all there at the same time. If it is tight in Option 2 we may have to slide one down and make the adjacent cabinet smaller. But I really want to have a curved seating area, not all in a row. We now have a 48" round table which is my favorite thing about our current kitchen. thanks annab

Thank you all for your responses! I will monitor the plants in the skylights very closely as we approach late spring and summer with my indoor thermometer. Hopefully, in the next month or so I can just leave the skylights wide open all the time so they get plenty of fresh air and air circulation and it will help to keep the day temps down since they open up about a foot. I think I am also going to get some fake plant(s)/tree branches that I can use to diffuse the lighting a bit for them as well while keeping the natural look. Sorry if I seem stubborn on leaving them there- they just look so great! The skylights are also my only natural light source on that side of the building and I need to be surrounded by plants. I am interested in moving some of my plants outside for the summer. I have plenty of space. I live in an apartment above a garage, so the only other person on the property is my landlord and he loves plants as much as I. My real concern is with wildlife. I live in a very rural area, which means everything from squirrels to black bears, plus the flock of chickens my landlord has. I've seen some posts of squirrels running off with orchids and I am concerned. I am currently at war with two grey squirrels and two red squirrels over my bird feeder (they are winning). How much should I be concerned about this? If I keep the squirrels well fed, do you think they will leave my orchids alone? I think my oncidium would really enjoy being outside and I would like to spur some growth from it. It's endured a lot at my hands and I am amazed it's still alive. I want to try to make amends with it. What would be the "ideal" outside location? Morning sun and bright shade the rest of the day? Would it be okay on the ground or a plant stand or should I try to hang it from a tree? I agree about the sphag potting. I was actually very disappointed when I opened the shipping box from Norman's. The shipping receipt said not to repot the plants for 30 days as this could "severely damage" them but the plants already looked like they were on the downward slide to me. I repotted them all. The Cattleya and the Ren. are now in a potting mix with bark, a dash of fresh sphagnum and a dash of Black Gold orchid mix. I mounted the Bulbophyllum on cork bard with sphag. I know in the winter I will need to do something about moisture. I am probably going to do a terrarium and artificial lighting for it. The little seedling's main roots probably won't live- it looks like they were rotted at the base of the plant. I left them because they were still firm and plump and I hope I am wrong about the rot. The Cattleya had lost probably over 60% of its roots but still had some healthy ones and the Bulbuphyllum was held in the mix by buried, dead and rotting pseudobulbs. The rest of it looked shriveled. I think I may have lost the seedling if left in that sphag much longer. Needless to say, I don't think I will order from Norman's again between this and what I've read about them. It makes me sad because I got plants from them 8 years ago and they looked phenomenal (they have since passed). Thanks for the Phaius suggestion, James! I really like the look of it and have put it near the top of my wishlist. My pony-tail palm may be getting evicted from its spot in the not-to-distant future. It looks like its terrestrial. What kind of growing medium do you like to use for it? Thanks again for all your suggestion. I really appreciate any help and advice I can get.

Thanks for the comments. This dieback didn't occur during winter, it occurred during last summer after the gardener planted them. During the winter, I did get a little bit of winter leaf burn, but I trimmed off the leaves, and that damage was a lot less. OK, I will try pruning the dead stems down a little further. I have no other space to put them, actually, not sure what I would do with them if I took them out. If I put the 2 damaged ones right next to eachother I could perhaps get 1 full looking holly but that probably isn't good for the plants. That is a downspout nearby, yes. It empties into the pond, so fortunately doesn't flood the sky pencils. As for the A/C unit, it's been a while since we had it on but I think the hot air coming out of the unit mostly goes upward. That is a good point, though I didn't think about air coming out of the compressor potentially affecting these shrubs. I will evaluate this summer. (Last year my worries were all about the shrubs shortening the life of our A/C unit.... my thoughts were the other way around). Sounds like I need to be patient and there may be some hope for these hollies.... may be it will bother me less once I figure out what to plant in front of them