I've had it since April of this year when I decided that the gardener I paid for 2 years in a row was wickedly overpriced for poor service- I told her I didn't like impatiens, so she planted them in the front foundation and around the back of my house because " it's the only thing that will grow in shade." Well, after money poorly spent, I took myself down to the garden center and bought a few flats of stuff, a few hanging baskets, and after looking at my work decided- " Hey, I'm no so bad, and this is kinda fun!" Then the obsession begins. I'm poring over catalogs, finding online plants, raiding the garden center every other day. Then I'm pulling out ridiculous holly shrubs from the entryway, relocating blue fescues and hostas. Then I'm planting a moon garden where my annabelle hydrangeas are (good start), then I'm assessing the woodland areas, what will grow next to the creek, etc... It's been fun. The most fun is recognizing plants, being able to name them and know something about their growth conditions and habits, especially roadside wildflowers (or some people's weed :) I expect to have an anxious winter wondering what will come back and what the garden will look like next year. I have since learned a little constraint as the budget strains, but next year I am carefully budgeting for the wants and the must haves. Next question- How far as the gardening bug pushed you? What's the craziest thing you've done/spent/said for the love of plants?

Hi floorguy and Donna, Thank you so much for the response. How would I know the difference between gypcrete and real concrete? I was told it was concrete when I moved in. The guys who removed the popcorn complained that the downstairs ceiling is concrete, making it harder to remove the popcorn. Is the floater wood good for either type of concrete? If so, maybe I should stick with the floater type. Thanks a lot, jenny

Move on down.

For some reason two of the post you wrote yesterday did not show up on my computer till today - this included the one with your inspiration pic:) I noticed a plate rail cabinet in your inspiration pic. I converted one of my cabinets with a kit: https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~109854029 I used my microwave cabinet since as I mentioned I am short, and I decided I did not like the microwave up high. However, I have seen others retrofit plate rails into regular cabinets. By using the microwave cabinet I was able to keep the doors to the upper part, but some convert the space to an area of open shelving. One aspect of a retrofit into a wood cabinet is making sure the inside of the cabinet looks good. Many cabinets have a lighter panel in the inside. I had to cover the back and sides of my inner cabinet with a wood look beadboard panel. It is also possible to have the center panel of a cabinet removed and replaced with glass. Like my kitchen you have one in the corner, and may not want to add more, but it can be done. If you don't want to mess with a cabinet, you can get a wall hung plate rail or wall hutch if you have the wall space: I have to admit that the plates in my plate rail are not frequently uses - just some pretty plates I had hiding in a cabinet and I keep my depression glass platters and a pie dish there too.