second to last pic.. the tape should be 6 to 8 inches higher ... right under the leaves .. and if there is s shorty.. ignore it.. and tape higher .... in a few weeks.. the tape will fall off by itself.. or the hosta will break it off ... just force them to stand up tall ... they will not recover if they flop ...and i mean those leaves will not recover ... NOT the plant ... cant kill those if you want .... great haul ... perhaps the first.. but i doubt the last ... lol ken

Is your contractor friend the one doing the backsplash? If he is confident that he can do it before the countertop then let him have at it. Personally I can't see how it would work out unless he leaves out the bottom row and trims it to fit (if needed) after the counters are in. The countertop may need a bit of shimming to get it level which is why I would have the countertop installed first. If it needs to be raised 1/4" along one edge and the tile guy only allowed for 1/8" gap, then problems arise. So, the "typical" answer is to do the countertop first. But, if you have tight time constraints, know exactly what colour you want and have a contractor that is confident that it will all work out then go ahead. Additionally, with the counters in place, the tiler will have a work surface to put things on and lean against. Without the counter, he'll have nowhere to put stuff other than in your drawers and stuff which will be exposed. Thinset and grout may fall into your cabinets etc... and he'll likely be leaning directly on the fronts of your cabinets and may scratch them with his humongous Mack truck belt buckle. Just something to think about. Much easier for them to lay a sheet of cardboard or whatever on countertops.

The theory is nice but the reality isn't there. Considering that the ones you want to stand up rely on those nutcases as part of their base support group, they're certainly not going to antagonize their group, especially Trumpty Dumpty given he needed enough in the right states to carry the election since we still use the antiquated and obsolete electoral college. When has this president stood up against these groups? Never. When will he? Never. You don't offend those whose support you need. The majority of voters voted against him. They're still celebrating getting "the wall" to keep all the criminal, raping Mexicans out of the country. Oh wait, that didn't happen did it? Among other things. What we need is an electorate who is a little more educated (not just "schooled") and able to use common sense rather than rely on wishes and believe any rhetoric thrown in their face which they so desperately WANT to believe. That doesn't start from the top down, that starts from the bottom up. People need to get involved locally. Find out what the local government is doing and work their way up. You can make a difference if you try. And maybe, just maybe, we'll elect someone whose mantra is all I know is what's on the internet...

If we cannot plant outside (in the exact, desired spot) immediately, (and we plant all year round in the UK unless ground is frozen solid), we do something called 'heeling in' which is a temporary planting in a sheltered spot (north wall is ideal as we want to avoid a freeze/thaw cycle which is common in an easterly facing direction - morning sun). We either place the plants on their side and cover with a loose substrate - mulch) or dig a shallow trench enough to cover the crown and roots. Bare-root planting used to be the only way plants were moved between locations, (before the internet and global transport networks). Nurseries would lift the plants directly from the fields...so it follows, if they can be lifted to transport, they can also be replanted, even in dire weather (although bare-root woodies would sometimes be held in cold storage). Literally, only the threat of frost heave and undiggable ground prevents planting out of hardy perennials and bare root shrubs and trees.