Great post and discussion. From what I've experienced, read, and been told everything in the article right one target. The article is online at http://www.oldhousejournal.net/magazine/2007/oct/Truth_about_TreePlanting.lasso I have witnessed seedling growth rates much higher than larger b&b and potted trees. After a couple years of developing roots, the bareroot seedlings show unbelievable growth rate. I had a post a couple months ago about watering young trees and the effects of drought on trees. I had been told by my grandfather (who studied botany for his PhD) that my 6000 seedling that have gone now through 2 years of record drought will have a better root system and future potential than if they had received good rain. It didn't make sense to me at the time. After thinking about it, if the roots are fat and happy with a lot of water, they have no incentive to grow. I was told something similar by a horticulturist when discussing amending backfill around trees - don't do it because they will have no incentive to move outside the "good stuff". He also told me to "water trees good at planting and from there on out don't water again unless it doesn't rain for a month". See the link below. It is a study that proves water stressed seedling result in more root growth than well watered seedlings. My seedlings went a month or more without water multiple times over the past 2 brutal years. I admit some died, but the large majority that made it are now doing really well. According to the study, they have a better root system, and over the next couple years will likely show accelerated top growth due to the superior root system. The accelerated top growth achieved by a lot of watering is easy to see, however the more long term effects of growth rate (early root development) cannot be seen from the surface. The fact that we normally cannot see and compare this root growth makes this idea is difficult to understand. Look at page 4 of the link below. The graphs are worth 1000 words. They consistently show approx 25% increase in root length for water stressed seedlings compared to well-watered seedlings. This proved to me that my grandpa was right, even though I thought at the time, he was crazy. Morale of the story is. plant smaller trees, and after initial watering, let the trees find water on their own while developing a good root system. DonÂt use early top growth as an indicator of future/potential growth rate. I admit these ideas don't seem to pass the common sense test, but it's hard to argue with documented research. This non-common sense advice is probably why the article heading in Old House Journal states "Tree Planting 101 Hint: It's Not What You've Heard - To ensure beautiful trees for years to come, youÂre better off ignoring some popular gardening advice". The research quoted in the article is from the International Society of Arboriculture. I'm guessing they know a little bit about trees. John

Undeniably, clematis is quite lovely and refined; however, we all must remember the task at hand. Our nannerbelle is faced with the daunting task of screening out the trailer trash who, like a band of Gypsies, have descended upon the adjoining postage stamp of land. Lovely, delicate, refined vines may simply not serve the purpose. An industrial strength vine is what's needed. And esh ga, I must add yet another couple of virtues to my earlier praise of _Wisteria sinensis_. One is that Chinese wisteria will flower sporadically throughout the summer and early fall--a faint, though much appreciated, echo of its grand spring performance. And two-- nannerbelle will certainly appreciate this--the seed pods of Chinese wisteria explode with loud popping sounds in the late fall when hit by a hard frost. Pop! Pop! Pop! they go--sending those annoying little urchins from next door a-skedaddlin.' _Wisteria sinensis_: truly a vine for all seasons. While the Chinese wisteria is taking all those years to lay its abundant floral offerings at nannerbelle's feet, the Castor Oil Plant (_Ricinus communis_) could well be used as a quick, exotic, summer screen. It grows fast and furiously, and if planted in mid-April, will be a towering giant by the end of August. Huge leaves shaped like star-fish, maroon stems and petioles, other-worldly flowers followed by mace-like seedpods create a sheer vision of tropical loveliness. The problem, however, with _Ricinus communis_ is like the problem with _Nerium oleander_: they're both exceedingly poisonous. The seeds of the Castor Oil Plant contain the deadly poison ricin. But hey, didn't your parents teach you not to eat the horticulture? Besides, Mother Nature tends to protect the innocent. The seeds will be so high up in the top of the Castor Oil Plant that an innocent child should not be able to reach them unless that babe is airborne. Some people call the Castor Oil Plant the Mole Plant. Years ago, gardeners planted the Mole Plant, or Castor Oil Plant, around the perimeter of their vegetable gardens with the belief that the Mole Plant warded off moles, voles, and other root-devouring, subterranean varmints. [In the Antebellum Era, Floride Bonneau (Calhoon) Calhoun had a similar idea at Fort Hill, Floride and John Caldwell Calhoun's plantation home, now the centerpiece of the Clemson University campus. She had a mortal fear of malarial mosquitoes, which were largely confined to her native Low Country home in the swamps of South Carolina. This terror led her to plant Eastern Red Cedars around the perimeter of her Up Country South Carolina home, with the belief that the fragrance of the cedars warded off mosquito infestations.] One of the many good things about _Ricinus communis_ is that a gardener doesn't have to cultivate the ground in order to grow a splendid specimen. Just gently push the seed into the ground, and Mother Nature takes care of the rest. Stand back and enjoy. But, remember, not to ingest the seeds, unless you have a sincere death wish. Ricin is that infamous poison that was used at the height of the Cold War by the KGB. You will probably recall the international headlines of the murder of a British spy on a London street sometime in the late 1960's. A KGB agent pricked the British spy with a ricin-encrusted stilletto concealed in the tip of an umbrella, dispatching the spy to his Eternal Reward. I just ordered three packets of _Ricinis communis_ seeds from a seed vendor in Florida--one packet will contain seeds of the solid-green leafed form; the second will contain seeds of the maroon-leafed form form; and the third will contain seeds of 'Carmencita,' a named cultivar of _Ricinus communis_. I can't wait for them to arrive.

Linda, The white things on the side is wood framing. We don't have a gutter on the garage eaves as our contractor feels it cases ice damming and advised against it. We do have a gutter (at my insistance) over the porch and in the back over the patio. I was thinking of having him put one over the front of the garage to get the water to drain off but the way the house is sited the runoff would go towards the stone walkway. So that's an issue. Why cut down the yews near the porch? They aren't in the way of anything. Is there a reason? I'm not following that. I plan to get rid of most of the grass between the walkway and the house. Problem is, if I plant flowers there is no one to maintain them. I'm there only on weekends right now and not every weekend. There are tons of weeds. I thought a few big hydrangeas would fill in nicely and the empty spaces could have simple things like the purple salvia. Forgot to mention that I'm horribly allergic to bug bites and get sick from them so the woods are not my favorite place to be. I don't go outside all that much, at least not there or in New England. I got bitten in Nantucket and had to go to the hospital. Not a natural born gardner, moi. Also, if there are 200 people I will be bitten and no one else. And on the one spot I missed with the spray. I know it sounds like an exaggeration but, pathetically, it's not. Thanks for the info on the mulch. I can get tree guy to leave me a ton and gather up leaves in the fall off the lawn. The red maple has been attacked by something. The leaves look lacy and eaten and it's thinning out in certain areas. Other trees across the driveway also have lacy leaves. They've been eaten by something. Should the tree guy look at those and tell me what it is? Then, say it is gypsy moths -- would I spray against those in Spring and Fall? Or just Spring when they build their nest. There were nests of some kind 2 years running in the maple. Contractor said gypsy moths and that it had to be torched to be destroyed but he never did that. I had that branch cut away. I felt the drip system would help the plants grow and fill in. Otherwise, they're only watered when it rains or I'm there and they get full sun (west expo) in the front. Blueheron -- I like big, lush planting. I don't like small plantings of lots of different things. Hydrangeas would be planted forwards so they wouldn't cover the windows but say they grew 3 feet tall what's the problem? I wouldn't put a 6-foot high rhodo in front of the window, however. Why do you consider it a mistake? The houses I see that I like are very simply done with one or two colors at the most. If we had a cottage style house I could see small plantings. But with a colonial shingled house, I guess I see hydrangeas and rhodos and hedges. Especially since I can't maintain things and it's very costly to have someone else do it. Thanks for your patience in explaining such basic stuff to me. I know a good deal about a lot of things, just not gardens. If anyone is redoing a kitchen or bath, buying antique furniture or art or tile or fixtures I'm happy to help in exchange.

Thank you everyone for your thoughtful responses, and I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you! First of all I want to say that I'm not sure, but it seems a few of you may have the idea that my kitchen/house is from the 1930's but it's 1913. I may have misunderstood your comments but someone may have confused 1913 for 1931 - not sure! ;) Thank you for the link! Prill - yes I'm considering soapstone as I *think* my first choice as far as something dark grey/black goes. Thanks! rjr220, artemis78 and the others, YUP I totally hear you about starting w/ needing just a dishwasher. Ha! First it was dishwasher, then it was oops we need a new electrical service/box, then it was well since they're tearing up the drawers and half a cupboard to install the sink, we might as well FINALLY give ourselves the excuse to replace the god-awful countertop...and we can't put in something nice and then just leave in the god-awful backsplash (which needs new outlets put in anyway)...and so it goes! rjr220: I've always loved hexagonal tile. My parents' bathroom had it and our current upstairs bathroom has it too (with the occasional blue one thrown in). Are you sure that would be appropriate for a kitchen countertop of 1913? I thought those were seen more in the '20's? It's tempting, and I've seen how tight they are - at least the original ones - but still, I think I want to avoid so much white on the countertop. That said, you've got me intrigued so darn you - I might have to do some googling for nice examples. Feel free to share pics! Cute little kids are a bonus! :) Oh and btw, I live in the NW - not the NE. bmorepanic - thanks for the info on metal. From some googling I see that there was some metal used at that time but not usually stainless steel itself quite yet, as it was invented the same year. Still, in the metal family...not too bad a stretch it would seem. Caesarstone is indeed one of the materials I've considered because - while it looks less natural to me - their dark grey color is perfect. Not too close to black, and not as light as unoiled soapstone. What I'm wondering now is what the price is - or how much less it is than things like honed granite, soapstone and stainless steel. The reason I ask is that it would be great if it were significantly less, cause I've fallen in love with some VERY EXPENSIVE subway tile and could only pull off getting it if I downgraded in the countertop material. I would never have considered slate, but now from googling I see there are some very nice, not necessarily modern looking options there! Thank you. As for your comment that my kitchen is nice?! Really?? Are you sure? I think it's pretty horrid! I mean there is definitely some charm there, from the original things still being in place...but the wood floor is pretty badly damaged and probably can't take another sand, and the lower cabinets aren't original and are just plain...the drawers are awful (one won't even close) and the countertop/backsplash is painful. Oddly, very oddly, I'm feeling a sense of loss over getting rid of the warm tone of the backsplash. I'm fighting the white thing because of all the other whites around. The backsplash I can't really afford but love is actually a similar color but more muted and beige than pinkish. But there is a hint of peach or pink, and they are 2x6 tiles which is the way the kitchen's subway tile would have been. I just don't think it would have been anything but white, unfortunately. I don't mind going off the beaten path but if I ever want to get my home registered on the historic list, I wonder if they'd accept a colored backsplash (?). As for the lower cupboards, I'm assuming that originally the kitchen had wooden counters on lets with curtains or something like that. I think the reason they put only new lower ones in and not upper is cause the upper ones are original (at least I'm guessing they are - I should show you the West wall which is ALL cupboards including an ironing board cupboard and spice cupboard. On that wall they are very big and fat and deep - but they all have the same solid wood faces w/ same molding. I do like how the upper cupboards go all the way up to the ceiling. I love your sink cab idea, thank you! I like the look right now of lower cupboards being a darker color than the upper ones. So I could always just paint the lower ones something interesting...maybe a farmhouse kitchen green type color? Or someday if more money comes in, I'd of course love to replace them with something like real wood with the proper furniture-style legs for the period. Circuspeanut - when you suggested colorful tile for the backsplash, did you think the house was from the '30's? It seems people here were assuming that which is why I ask; I don't think they did that back in 1913. That said, I'd love to see pics if you have any examples. Thanks for the positive feedback about stainless steel, and no I wouldn't do a shiny surface for the countertop! ;) cheril27 - you love my kitchen too? What's going on here??! :) I appreciate your comment about soapstone turning a charcoal color after some neglect. I REALLY don't want black, and I REALLY don't like the lightness of the unoiled soapstone. And hey - I'm really, really good at neglect - haha. lazygardens - I just don't think I have it in me to do too much white/light, but that may also be cause i have a history of being unadventurous and I want to try something different. I'll be doing splashes of color regardless, as I've always loved that look in a kitchen (as long as not over the top silly). That's basically all my kitchen is now (a bunch of white), with the exception of the horrid pink backsplash. And already it feels too white. But I see your point about how kitchens were back then. Except that I've seen a LOT of 1913 homes w/ original wood countertops which are pretty dark. Also, our kitchen is small and dark and I'm in the camp of going with dark when in dark and wowing with light when in brightness (sunlight). To a point, that is. Thank you for your suggestions! honeychurch - your kitchen sounds beautiful! I have to see pics! As for having light colored wall paint, which I currently have, I think I'm going to get a little weird this time and do either bright or dark paint on the walls! That's because there is very little wall space, and also cause with all the light on the cupboards it needs more contrast. There is no molding to separate the walls from the ceiling, and I was pleasantly surprised by how nice it looked to paint right onto the ceiling the same color as the walls. Sometimes that works in a house and sometimes it doesn't, but in ours, it offered a cozy cave feeling while also feeling less cluttered somehow, if that makes sense. Or just...I'm not great at describing things here but it gave a feeling of continuity (?). farmhousebound - I'm having a hard time doing searches on this website but i"ll try again in a bit here. I want to see your pics! I agree that one should just do what one wants. I struggle with wanting to impress others since I've always had awful, outdated kitchens (!) but also, if the home becomes historic (registered), I'm sure there will be a few rules. In the end I'm sure I'll go with my gut and happiness over the historic home thing, if they put too many rules on me! sweeby - charming kitchen! Again, 1913 though - not the '30's. I would love to do wood, but between the upkeep and the fact that when looking from the dining room you see the room-length dining room real-wood buffet which leads straight into the kitchen's countertop... It's almost like one really long countertop that starts in the dining room and ends at the far end of the kitchen! So too much wood is maybe not a bad thing but...I don't know if the color would need to match or would need to be in great contrast in order to be gotten away with! Allison 0704 - That link was great, thanks! I like the cottage look best, much to my surprise. Either that or it just reminds me of my grandmother's house (also 1913). Her house was/is a 9-bedroom farmhouse and was big. The kitchen was huge and yet was totally cottage style, it seemed. I thought I liked the Shaws sink - and I do - but the sink in the cottage pic from your link is very nice. Also, I have two windows just above my sink that look just like those windows. Holligator - thank you for the encouraging words about soapstone! Artemis78 - I very much relate to everything you wrote. I want a period kitchen with a hint of eclecticism and my own style. Thanks again everyone! More questions to come but for now I need to go to SLEEP as it's 2:24 a.m. here! p.s. is there no way to respond to each individual more easily having to go back and forth so much? Not "quote" option to respond to?