Well, of course they are palms, Ken. They make shade too. :) You might see several types there, even the Sago palm, which separates the sexes and has a male and a female plant. The others pretty much don't care. I moved most of my holly fern to another bed in the Back40, so the hosta would have a few companions scattered around. They stay green all year. A neighbor lady had a plant sale of her stuff, and I picked up a couple of angel trumpets which get tall. And a nice loquat which is already 3 feet tall with broad long leaves to add to the south driveway bed, adding more shade near the street. Plus, I found a $2 Isle of Capris oleander at Lowes and it will become 12 x 12 feet quickly, and make a mountainous piece of shade if I can get it to grow tall and not so wide. It HAS to go outside the fence, since Dolly eats leaves and those are poisonous. This bit of height in the 55 foot long bed will be a welcome change. Although, the palms are legging up more but trying to avoid the tree canopy from the neighbor's property line. I cannot call the massive azaleas and voluntary trees a "bed" since they never touch it. When we first cleared out our half and cut back the monster azaleas, no telling how many beer cans and booze bottles were among the litter. Now it is looking like a real bed, on our side at least. But thank heaven for that screening, since their house is no better maintained than the azalea bed. Deb, you give some good advice which fits my experience so far. The new arrivals are in for a shock the first week or so....for the BEST of them......and then the others which are not as strong, somehow take a couple of months acclimating. Last year, Zippity Doo Dah never did get used to it before it went dormant in November. This year, this particular hosta, is doing great, almost like a born and raised southerner. Last June This May So I may just go ahead and get the Empress Wu and pot her up for this year. Maybe buy her when the northern nurseries have final sale for the fall, near dormancy, and she'll be adjusted by next spring. If I can wait that long. She is something special. And, maybe just put my current Dick Ward in the bed, keep a new one in a pot...back up, just in case....would not want to lose that baby. I'm also looking into the Dollar Tree waste baskets, not for vole control, but as a sub for spin out bags. You can barely dig holes in my yard, or the beds, due to roots. No rocks though. Just ROOTS. Time to go check the shade location in my new bed. Ciao.

I wonder if the problem isn't that you are determined to stick to a neutral. It might be easier to find something for the space that you and DH both like if you considered colours if you have not already done so. Or wallpaper for that matter, but that might not be your style (but can think of a few that would be stunning in there). Lazygardens recently posted a link to this blog (that I've linked below) and the author (Maria Killam) has some interesting things to say about colour vs. neutrals, especially in places that don't have a lot of natural light. That may be the situation with respect to your shadowy corner. Check out the quote from her in the Style at Home magazine that is currently on her home page. I found many of her blog entries (listed down the right if you scroll down) very helpful, especially about light colours and dark rooms. Sometimes when I am driving myself crazy trying to find a path among a number of constraints, I come to realize that some of the constraints are actually self-imposed and can be overcome just by giving myself permission to think of something different. I've just spent nearly three days full time obsessing about colours in a couple of rooms (after a few weeks of stewing about it too) so believe me, I've been there! In the one case I found an answer by giving up on blue which I thought for the longest time was the only option I had in the space and looking at pinks instead. That locked-in with no way to go feeling was something I'd done to myself! KarinL Here is a link that might be useful: Color me Happy blog

Without seeing the counters, it's hard to pick the right color, but if you wanted a barely there neutral, I could see something like SW Sea Salt -- a very pale green/blue. I used it in a room with a lot of white cabinetry and when we sold, we had a lot of people ask our agent about the color. [Traditional Home Office[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-home-office-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_732~s_2107) by Concord Photographers Jim Schmid Photography [Beach Style Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/beach-style-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2110) by Rehoboth Beach Home Builders Echelon Custom Homes

Thanks everyone! Here is one of the layouts, it may be hard to see. The sink cabinet bump out is 3 inches (legs are three inches also). The sink bumps out an additional 1 inch. From the sink cabinet to the island is 39 inches. So in other spots that aisle is 42 inches. The other side of the island has a 49 inch aisle. Originally the plans showed the 49 inch side 1.5 inches wider. Once they laid out the island I had major misgivings and I made them move the plumbing over 1.5 inches towards the sink line of cabinets- bc the 47.5 inch aisle seemed way too narrow with the door there and the fact its a major walk through. I am happy with the dimensions now. Even with my husband and 2 small kids (3rd due soon!) milling around in the kitchen it doesn't feel cramped. It feels much bigger than our old kitchen, very functional. I did 39 inch uppers and then 4 or 5 inches of crown molding. I also have 8 foot ceilings. 36 is pretty short, we had that before with like 9-12 inch soffits. As for the grout, I was stressed over that like everything else and did briefly considering going with a darker contrasting color- it might not look as bad as you think. I often hate things at first, even when I carefully plan them! The Miracle 511 sealer was well recommended and we havent had any trouble with it. If you still dont like your grout, I have heard of grout lighteners. When I did my grout, I did some test patches with broken tiles before the grouters came and that is how I decided on a color. I think the grout was dry in a day or two- yours sounds like its taking a long time to dry, but I am not an expert. I had unsanded grout I think.