I think most plants do better in open baskets as compared to pots. Properly managed pots are, of course, just fine. I'm a heavy waterer and have many Masdies, Dracs, _Pleuros and other water loving plants so open baskets are the way to go for me. I was at HD today and looked at their baskets again. They do have different sizes but all of them have very large gaps between the wires. A coconut liner would be necessary to keep the bark or even the moss in. Nothing wrong with that but the gizmo I picked up today can be used with medium sized bark or Sphagnum moss directly without the coconut liner. I have used the HD baskets before, in the end it all works, it's just nice to have as many choices as possible. Here is one of them with straight sphagnum moss. Nick

Ginger is a good choice. I used to wonder about why some of this stuff is so expensive. Well, a contributor here (can't remember their name) clued me in with her experience that the cheaper stuff rusts. Anyway, I'm not a tile guy but if no one else responds, I'm fairly sure that the baskets can go in afterwards. HOWEVER, good idea to know where the baskets will be installed when they DO arrive and make sure there is "blocking", i.e. wood for the installer of the basket to drill into. Of course, you can always use anchor screws (wingits, etc) but if your wall is open now, "blocking" is best since it covers all bases. Also, once you have the blocking (or even if you decide not to block), take a picture of your exposed walls (especially shower) before tiling. Good idea to know for future installations. (Block if you only "think" something will go there if you have a chance i.e. for grab bars when you get older?.) I haven't even got to the point where niches will be an option and I'm going with Ginger baskets - easier to keep clean, IMO.

Thanks for all the input everyone. Those soap savers look like they might be just the ticket. You guys have convinced me to stick with the niche, whether I add baskets or not. My bathroom design is very minimal and I think the niche adds a lot to the look, even before considering functionality. I think maybe I'll try it with just the niche and only buy a suction cup or silicone stick on basket if I feel it's necessary once we're using the shower. Every shower basket I've ever had has rusted eventually too, which is another reason I haven't seriously considered permanent ones. We use all-natural hand made bar soap, which we get for free in exchange for labeling/ marketing/ design help from a friend who has a boutique soap business, so I don't forsee us switching to body wash any time soon :)

We LOVE our dogs! We've always had large outdoor dogs. The two indoor dogs we've had were small. We live in the country and they get to run free, swim in the surrounding lakes, and chase rabbits and howl at the full moon :) When they are "caged" it's a 3/4 acre pasture, not a crate that many are in during the day when no one is home (and/or at night). I'm home all day and have interaction with my dogs on and off all day. The weekends are full of outdoor activities around here (they're right in the middle of whatever is going on). They have grandchildren that play with them. They are my first defense against would be intruders. They bark at the slightest movement/sound (trust me :o ) Was it a coincidence that the first time they came in at night last year, we had a pack of feral hogs root up our south lawn??? I don't think so :o So the point of having an outdoor dog is no different than having an indoor dog...companionship. BTW, if you've ever seen a Lab jump in a sub-freezing lake to retrieve a duck or just for recreation and LOVE it, you'd know that they are fine in their igloo dog houses filled with cedar shavings :) Could all dogs do well in that environment? No, that's why we choose a breed that can.