Oh My...beautiful. And still so lush! I love the leaves. An update...December 3rd...still blooming impatients on the deck. Every year I put everything 'to bed' the first part of November. Last year it broke my heart to dump out full pots of blooms and vines. This year I didn't get to the putting away of things until last weekend. I left 4 hanging baskets in place because I wanted to enjoy every extra bloom I could. I thought I would just let nature take her course. Now, I'm having second thoughts...Oh my...should I bring them in tonight...give them shelter from the big freeze that we are expecting? But...I have only one indoor hanger available...I can save only one... But, which one? Crap. This has now turned into 'Sophies Choice'.

I would NOT recommend this for any countertop in any part of a home. It does scratch and is not dense at all. My husband is a fabricator of stone and brought a piece home to show me how quickly it falls apart. Granted the pieces were about 5"x5" and the kitchen would be in bigger pieces..even so I was disgusted at how it fell apart. When the piece was wet (which in a kitchen will happen) some of the layers turned into wet dirt. Also on thinner pieces that chipped while cutting (about 1/4" strips) just snapped...not even a hard crack sound a dull simple snap. I was told by a vendor that you can't roll out dough on the surface because it would pick up pieces from the granite...the granite my husband fabs. is sealed twice before he receives it and he seals it a 3rd time before installation and if this is the quality of the granite no matter what...no thank you. I am going to try and push customers away from this color...would be okay is kitchen is minimal to no use but definitely not dense enough for a kitchen continually put to use. That all being said....there is an exception to every rule so some ppl out there may have zero issue. I just know I wouldn't even mildly consider this color for any part in my home after seeing what I did.

was reading your blog, and ran across an article, on Saturnia Gold granite, which is not a granite but a schists. I found this beautiful granite and put it on hold and was going to get it installed in my kitchen. And now after reading your blogs. I am very nervous. Will it not hold up in the kitchen? Will it chip easily? Will it have to be sealed alot or heavy and thus take away from the beauty of the stone? And scratch easy too? Will it leave water spots? Please advise. Should I pick another color? I am so worried and freaked out and overwhelmed? Also if I do stay with this color, what color of backsplash should I use with it? I want an Tuscan style kitchen. I don't know to go with black appliances or stainless steel. Can anybody help me? Thanks, Bev

Dark colors in Corian and most other solid surfaces will definitely show white when scratched. Get a sample and scratch it. Scratches can come not only from cut marks but from moving a plate with a rough bottom across the top. We had a showroom display with black Corian and the scratches were very obvious. If you insist on solid surface, some dark Avonite colors don't show the white scratches but they may not give you the look you want; they are more sparkly. If I were you I'd consider Raven Caesarstone if you want a honed finish. It's not real dark black though, more of a charcoal color but pretty low maintainance. The price will probably be the same or less than Corian. Honed granite may well be about the same or less in price; maintaince varies depending on the stone and finish. If you see one that you like, try to get a sample and test it. The maintainance might not be as bad as you think. I have had Polished Absoulte Black for 15 years and never resealed it. It does show a lot of dust and crumbs though. In my new kitchen I'm using Lagos Blue Caesarstone and hoping I don't have to dust quite so often.