I have been trying to remember some of the more unusual containers I have seen on this forum and the first one that comes to mind is an old claw tub. It was in the middle of a wildflower garden and was quite interesting. It brought to mind old victorian houses for some reason. Wooden horse troughs show up nicely if you have access, otherwise I suspect they might be rather expensive. Galvanized wash tubs and wooden half barrels with liners and very large urns that have an overflow into a gravel filled bed (sometimes this is called a pondless waterfall, no fishies in this one), a bucket tipped and pouring water into another larger bucket or tub for a start. I gave a talk to a group of older people living in a group of condos with only a small patch of concrete in the back, and showed them a small water garden in a 15 gallon plastic ice tub. I put in three plants including a small black magic taro and a small pump and fountain from Harbour Freight. The filter came from Lowes although I showed them how to make a filter out of Tupperware. I got a letter from them two weeks later and they had all put in a water garden. None of them was like the other and they were all very pleased to sit on their concrete slab and talk to their neighbors about their water gardens. A friend has a monster flower pot that she sealed on the bottom and it attracts lovely little frogs. I thought it was terracotta but it is plastic foam. She changes the way it is set up every year. She sometimes puts a fishie or two in it but doesn't want to let them get too big. She uses an aquarium bubbler and does a complete water change from her well every week. OK, that's all I can think of right now. What do the rest of our ponders remember? Oh, yes. Look up Adam's Filter. It is the same principle as my tupperware filter only a bit larger. Don't use clear tubing. It clogs up with algae really fast. Sandy

Maybe you could also use the harlequin tile in a contrasting colour, say a taupe colour to match the wall, or maybe better, a shade pulled from the counter so that you would still be free to change the paint. That can allow you to combine tile types that don't actually "match." We used tile from three separate companies for the inset design on our backsplash, and it works because each type of tile has a different colour and finish - the background tile is a 2x2 matte maroon, with an inset design set on the diagonal made of shiny tiles in navy blue and forest green. I'm really liking the addition of the harlequin tile; that's a good find. There is somehow just too much of the bars when you do it all in that. I think adding subway tile instead would add to the visual impact of lines, lines, and more lines. The harlequin gives a rest from that, and in doing so, gives the lines a function: leading the eye to the design. I think I might actually be tempted to put in just a quad of contrasting harlequin tiles above the sink as well, if the backsplash is extending along there. KarinL

I am not sure if I missed the weather zone you are from, but I did not see it. You mention that your preference is for Basil, Oregano and Cilantro and it's already fall. Unless you are in California or Arizona/NM/Texas (warm states), I do not think that Basil and Cilantro would work outside. They are definitely summer herbs. You can still grow Thyme, Rosemary, Oregano, Marjorum and Parsley. They're wonderful plants and most likely perennials in most zones (sorry, they are definitely in California where I live but I do not know about other zones). I'd prefer to get pots rather than seeds, given the time of the year. Also, with herbs, there is so much genetic variation that you never know if what grows out of your seed would be a decent quality (I've tried growing Greek Oregano from seed and it had no flavor). If you must keep them in pots, choose large pots, at least 16" diameter (and correspondingly deep). I have mine in 12" pots; they are ok but the size is quite compact. Also, get at least a couple of herb pots per variety. You will be surprised how much you eat in one shot! Regarding Basil, when you do get it after frost is over next year, plant it in the ground. I've grown mine in a pot and have learnt that it grows much better in the ground. Regarding fertilizing, I've grown herbs successfully for past 6 years without fertilizing them (ever, and I mean ever). However, you can apply Fish Emulsion if you feel guilty about neglecting them. Good luck with growing herbs. Home grown herbs are great; and you will enjoy stepping out and pinching just what you need and use it fresh. It cannot be beat!

I forgot to mention that I collected nine 50 gallon garbage bags of thatch, grass, etc., after using the Mantis dethatcher. That little guy does a great job both with tilling, slicing, and dethatching and only weighs 20 pounds. (Dethatcher make it maybe 5 pounds, or so, heavier) With the tiller blades on, it will dig a hole for a new shrub or small tree in about 3-5 minutes, provided no roots get in the way. All you do is walk in a circle and pull the tiller slightly backwards as you go round. Of course it still requires a little bit of clean-up shoveling, but very little. Again, I have no ties to Mantis. I just know a good machine when I see one and have been using one for over twenty or twenty five years. The newer ones are even better with the Honda easy-start Engine. I did see a new Stihl unit recently that looks like a quality small machine as well. Of course with Stihl, you would expect the quality.