laag, that is exactly what I meant. I did not mean to replace one's landscape every 5 years. We just need more conversations on the order of, here is a good place for some instant gratification; over here is where you plant your beech tree for your, or someone's, grandchildren; here you want some quick impact but don't use that ornamental grass x because you'll never be able to wrestle it out; and so on. The other thing is, I don't think a knowledgeable gardener has to plant his or her yard JUST so that it will be beautiful for the next buyer or so that buyer doesn't have to do anything to maintain or rejuvenate the landscape. Let the buyer beware! So I see a balance between responsibility vs. freedom. Irresponsible might be knowingly planting something in a way that it will destroy the foundation in 5 years; responsibility AND satisfaction can come from plantint a nice small oak that you may, or may not, get to enjoy as a shade tree, but you know it's the right plant for the right place, so you nurture and cherish it, and someday you or someone else will get the benefit; freedom is planting some large evergreens for a screen that you just need now, that might have to be thinned later by you OR someone else-- In between all this is acquiring more landscape and plant knowledge or advice so you are avoiding totally daft creations--for the evergreen screen, maybe researching it a bit since there are choices that are more or less painful down the road-- but not merely existing to create a legacy.( How do you like your garden? Oh, I hate it, but in 20 years someone will really like it.)This is all still compatible with planting "real" trees and things. In reality, no matter how carefully you plan, it will not necessarily fulfill that dream in 15-20 yrs anyway and certainly without knowledgeable maintenance. Here is a funny thing about mature neighborhoods. In many of them, the trees are way too big for perfect (or even good) aesthetics with the small homes and lots--but the neighborhoods are beautiful in fall with glowing maples, oaks, gingko. If we followed a roadmap for scale, everyone would have had to plant only dogwoods and redbuds and Japanese maples. In some neighborhoods, hardly a home is sited on the lot in a way that a nice shade tree can be placed to provide both proper shade and not dwarf the house. So were those people visionaries, planting trees that in 20-30 yrs would be breathtaking, or irresponsible for not finding the perfect species that would not exceed 20 ft, or whatever? I agree with the shrub myth, too. In my current home, I have some ginormous azaleas that I HAVE crawled under and seen, gosh, there are actually 4 shrubs here and if I could possibly rip out 2, I wouldn't have to prune so much. But I'm not sure it can be done now(well, maybe anything can be done with the right tools and risk-taking). So one of my convoluted points is that even if one person plants the "perfectly spaced for maturity" landscape, or whatever, it will still never be care-free, and a succession of subsequent, generally plant-ignorant and/or plant-disinterested homeowners (I think that's fair; it's not meant to be holier-than-thou) will likely screw it up. As in, beds with lots of space between plantings have to have regular attention to mulching and weeding ("look at these idiots who planted here before us--they just left us these puny shrubs in a weed farm!). So one of the myths is that humans have some kind of amoebic shared mind and will carry on the garden vision of the previous homeowner. All that said, I LIKE being well-warned, in print or otherwise, about the characteristics of a tree or shrub or whatever, and find myself doing a lot more research before trying something (can almost get paralyzing) so that I can make an informed decision about placement, maintenance and so forth.

I got all of mine kinda sorta potted- not the neatest job in the world but enough to hold them over until the weekend. I had forgotten all the bulbs I had ordered- lilies and liatris out the yahoo. It was quite funny, though- I had gone out with intentions of sticking them into quart pots or even large Solo cups with drainage holes drilled that I use to start seedlings. Being this was my first Hallson's order I was not prepared for the hugeness of the plants! Most times when I open a box of plants I find myself wishing they were larger but in yesterday's case each new bag opened was "OMG it's so huge" and "Oh crap, those roots are enormous!" The astilbe roots are simply massive, the daylilies could each be split into many plants, the ferns simply enormous, and some of the groundcover I swear would be sold as ten plants by other vendors. It was funny, but nothing fit into anything any smaller than a trade gallon pot, and many of those are kind of crammed. I used up all my mixed potting media and was trying to avoid mixing up another batch, so I culled some baby palms I have been nursing along and robbed some more media there. Hustling around like a fool trying to get everything in a decent shape for holding. It was so cold and rainy and while I was working under cover it was quite uncomfortable, but I got it done. What a pleasant surprise on the plant sizes, though- I already have another order started... And I love the wheelbarrow idea, but both of ours are full to the brim of compost I had husband dig out for me to use this spring for planting and topdressing. I have him well trained to keep them full for me- don't want to spoil that habit at all.

Here are some of the realities of good architect-designed custom homes. And these are some of the reasons looking at pictures, doing your own plans, visiting open house, especially tract and builder open houses often leads consumers down the wrong path: 1. Really good custom home designs always, always are based around specific site conditions. Designing in a vacuum, without a specific site is usually wasted time. 2. The absolute best orientation for the public spaces of a custom home--living, dining, kitchen--is always, always to the south. Avoid western orientation at all costs. Look for property which makes this possibl . Avoid property which doesn't. 3. For best results with an architect, prepare a written list of "needs"; another written list of "wants"; a typographical survey of your property; and a budget, plus contingency. That's all. An experienced and talented architect will know how to talk and work with you to get everything else needed. 4. Design is an exploration and a patient search. Remember that the first idea is seldom the best one. 5. Site plans, floor plans, elevations and roof plan are all inter-related. A decision in one of these aspects of residential design directly impacts all of the other design aspects. Experienced architects know this and it's why they sketch and explore all of these aspects together, particulary in early design stages. Beware anyone who only designs a floor at a time and wants approval before going to the next floor, etc. They are wasting your time and mone. 6. Open Plans look nice on HGTV, and in open houses. What you don't see is that in the "open" spaces there is no audio, visual or smell privacy. Anywhere. Be sure you can live in this fashion before pursuing this concept. Just a few of the things to consider for a really great custom home. Good luck!

Glad you didn’t go Samsung! We had a Samsung that we had a ton of issues with, so did my MIL, and nearly everyone I’ve ever met with one. Also, a beverage fridge in the garage is never a bad idea! :) I want to get one, for our new house I let my husband talk me into side by side, and I kind of hate it. The shelves are so darn narrow and I always forget about produce way down in the bottom drawers. Ugh. Good news/bad news - this Maytag side by side hasn’t gotten great reviews. Turns out this specific model is trouble. In fact, we’re on our second one already in 6 mo. Got a swap out for a new one from the company we purchased thru, I think the first was a lemon. So, i may not have to wait 10 yrs to buy a new one, lol. My husband loves his pop, so one shelf in the fridge always seems to be full of pop- so a mini fridge in the garage is a priority for me so I can clear out some space in that darn fridge! ::rant over:: Good luck with your new FP!! I hope it’s perfect :)