how about an Arbutus Marina "Strawberry Tree" vs a Podacarpus? This is a little "wider" -- more of a tree than the Podocapus. Would be about 10ft from pool--- will that be a problem? How would the two look together--- I have two neighbor's windows to block--- I could put the thinner podo 10 ft from pool, and thicker Arbutus 15ft from edge--- Tropical theme, I still want some clumping bamboo further from the pool, know about the bamboo droppings. Thanks--- newbie, my first attempts at Latin.

I just saw some at Burlington Coat Factory and had never seen them before. I might try them with a skirt suit. If the package hadn't been crushed and the stockings already taken out before I might have bought them. I think I like them.

My condo was built in 1987 and I can't for life of me find replacement fixtures. My tub/shower has the following: 1 hot/1 cold pipe coming out. These are attached to the typical tub knobs but they are connected, there is a central shower pipe that goes back into the wall (and comes out on top shower head). This pipe is dead center in between the 2 knobs and its fixed. This is different because typically what I see is that the shower/tub switch is somewhere inside the wall but mine is external on the faucet and then it goes back into wall. Now typically these would have a free hose type shower where the water is diverted at the bath faucet but mine is hard wired to go straight back into the wall. Is there any hope in finding replacement hardware or do I need to re-plumb my bathroom? Any places online that might sell this hardware? What's it called? And I'm not interested in repairing seals, this hardware is plain ugly. Thank you for help

There's a huge range in price, as you say in sink faucets. Still, there are really good brands and buys at every price level. In theory, price should go up with the amount of brass and integral (meaning real finish not coated) metal used in a faucet. So the heavier the better. Most faucets have some plastic pieces. Certain brands carry a status premium -- Dornbracht, Waterworks. They are excellent quality but you pay plus for styling and name. I personally favor pull downs over side sprayers and pull outs (I have one of each) but that's very personal. As someone said, it's one less hole in the deck. But I'd suggest going to store and do a pull and touch and see what appeals. I have a pull out in our mudroom but found I don't care for the "heavy head". Pull downs tend to have smaller, lighter heads. Some pull downs have a switch to sprayer. There is the lock vs nonlock function on that to check. Some don't mind holding it down for the spray; others want to push the button and have it stay. Check which faucet silhouette appeals. (I pick the same shape over and over but not everyone will). Examine the hoses. On the mid-range and lower end faucets those pull outs will likely be a knit mesh reinforced with some metal. On higher end faucets they are all metal. Also be sure the length of the pull down will reach all around the sink. These can vary a bit. I also pull the specification sheets for every faucet from the mfgr website so I can see how it will work in the space behind the sink -- to see how it opens, how much clearance is needed, to be sure the spout swivel is ok and won't hit anything. That there's clearance for each aspect. A lot of people go for Deltas, Grohe and Kohler faucets. There are KWC fans on the high end plus several others including Rohl. Then there are brands like Chicago Faucet and one Sabjimata recommends (perhaps she'll weigh in here) that are said to be very sturdy and reliable. Someone linked a faucet quality assessment from a builder's website. I don't have it bookmarked but whoever does might link it. Basically it runs through a lot of brands and makes subjective judgments about them. I don't agree with all the categorization and judgments but it's all subjective anyway and there are a large number of brands reviewed so it's a useful place to check.