What I think is, a very large % of issues that people come here looking for solutions for, are related directly to the results of soil choice and either the watering habits necessitated by those choices, or just plain poor watering habits. Because choosing a soil that supports little or no perched water makes it difficult for a grower to water poorly (unless they just don't water) most of the blame for poor watering practices is rightly assigned as the result of the dilemma excessively water-retentive soil present the grower. Do I water thoroughly enough to flush the soil of accumulating salts and risk the soil remaining wet for so long it affects root health/function; or do I water in sips, so the soil is appropriately moist, and suffer the consequences of a build-up of solubles in the soil. For me, it's a no-brainer. I want the soil that allows me to water appropriately any time I want to, without my having to worry about the soil remaining wet for so long it affects root health/function - no worries about root health - no worries about salt build-up ...... what's not to like? It's easy to suggest that inappropriately evaluating the level of soil moisture is the cause of these problems, but when you look realistically at the issue of how difficult it is to maintain adequate aeration in soils that support perched water, we see clearly that the bulk of the blame lies with a soil's measure of water retention, and more specifically with the ht of the perched water table. Even when you use small sips of water to water soils that support significant volumes of perched water, the water tends to accumulate at the bottom of the pot - not to mention the fact that watering in sips very often leaves the root mass dry in some places and too wet in others. IOW, it's extremely difficult to keep soils evenly moist when they support perched water. The norm is a layer of soil at the bottom of the pot that remains soggy until the water is used. It's DURING this period when the soil supports too much water that root death and depression of root function occurs. Neither of these things are desirable and should be avoided whenever possible. One robs energy from the plant because the plant has to expend energy to replace lost rootage, and the other inhibits the plant's ability to function normally. Well-aerated soils that support no or minimal amounts of perched water, do away with these negatives entirely, and offer the grower much greater latitude in the areas of fertilizing and (over)watering. ****************************************************** There are 2 ways to look at growing. Placing grower convenience at the forefront will find you growing much differently than if you place the plant's well-being foremost. Neither way is right or wrong, it's just two different ways of looking at growing. One grower might look at 'what to do with the effluent after watering a big plant in the gritty mix' as an insurmountable obstacle because it requires more effort than using a soil that absorbs and holds onto all that excess water. I don't look at it as an obstacle at all - just something that needs to be dealt with in my pursuit of maximizing plant health. Large plants are set above drainage saucers on small blocks, so after the effluent leaves the pot it cannot find its way back into the soil. All my plants, even the small ones, are watered so 15-20% of the total volume of water applied exits the drain. The effluent goes into the drainage saucer and evaporates - usually within 2-3 days, depending on the weather (humidity levels). If, for some reason, it didn't all evaporate between waterings, I'd make a note of that and remove some of the water with a turkey baster or similar after watering. So far, that hasn't been an issue. Al

I bought a one-gallon Fudingzu from Nurcar this spring. It grew right along over the summer. It responds to misting with new growth. Repeat, it responds to misting with new growth. I moved it to the front porch while my deck was being renovated, and neglected the watering. Leaves turned brown at the tips. Moved it back, resumed watering (and misting with the hose several times a day). It resumed new growth after several weeks. Left it outside til temps were threatening to go below 20, then moved it into the garage, which stays app 10 degrees warmer. Again, let it get too dry, since it was cold and dark out there. With the recent dip in temperature, finally brought it indoors to a sunny west window. Dropped a lot of leaves (too dry), but not all. It still has a nice form and plenty of leaves. Within a couple of weeks, set literally dozens and dozens and more dozens of buds, which are now opening. Butterfly's advice to flush salts out of the pot is very good. Osmanthus are said to react poorly to buildup of fertilizer salts. If you want new growth on your Osmanthus, please follow Mike's and my advice: mist the branches. Outdoors, you can just mist with the hose several times a day, til the branches drip. Indoors, maybe you can water it in the shower or tub, spraying the branches all over. I'm not sure why misting works so well with Osmanthus (I do it to my other potted plants outdoors as well). Maybe the humidity in its native habitat. But make sure, this really does work.

nancybee_2010: As in most of my decorating projects, I had it 98% complete, but your question gave me the nudge to finish the remaining 2%. I had tried out and returned several pots before settling on just the right one and transplated my other plant in it. I also decided to keep the old photos in my bedroom since I liked them there and bought a new frame that coordinated better with my candlesticks. That 2% remaining was to pick the photo to put in the frame--finally I decided to put last year's Christmas family photo there as I felt the sepia photos didn't look so good in the gold frame, though if others think sepia is better I can scan and tweak this photo for a sepia version. I should probably still tweak the bookcase some more, but it works for what I need it to do which is store books and photo albums. The photo albums don't fit on the lower shelves so I'm stumped how to change it without just storing the photo albums in a closet and then they are not out for people to see. As for the dining room, I did keep the red vase. I love how the light reflects in it. I may add some more vases at some point when the bulb actually dies, but so far it's hanging in there. cliff_and_joann: Thanks for the compliments and feedback. As you see above I did swap out the green vase. Your home is an inspiration to me--esp. your tablescapes. I've been following your DR chairs makeover with interest and can't wait to see the results! On another note, I recently got a new camera and am very excited that I am finally able to take pictures of window shots without the background getting washed out!

Oh, dear! I thought you might like that console...and unfortunately it is no longer available, which is why I didn't send the link. It is the Bailey Console Table by Pottery Barn. It's a great look and I am sure that you can find something similar. Take a look at the Layla Grayce link below. Their inventory is a bit pricey, but the furniture and rugs on the site are wonderful and may provide some inspiration. RE: the rug size As a rule, choosing the correct size area rug depends on the dimensions of the room or space you are trying to cover. To determine what size rug will best suit your needs: 1. Measure the size of your room. 2. Measure the space you want covered. 3. Now place a piece of paper where each of the corners will fall; adjust the "corners" as needed to make the space larger or smaller and then re-measure the area. Most people feel that room will look better proportioned if there is at least 18-24" of bare floor space around the area rug. Try to leave an equal amount of flooring exposed as a border on all sides. If that is not possible, try to ensure that the borders on parallel sides of the rug are equal. All legs of the furniture should be on the rug for a classic look, and at the very least, have the front legs of the furniture on the rug and the back legs off the rug (a more casual look). The reference below is helpful if you want to follow the 18" to 24" of bare floor showing around a room sized rug "rule of thumb". 8' 0" x 10' 0"-Size Area Rug - for Room Size: 9' 6" x 11' 6" to 10' 0" x 12' 0" & larger 9' 0" x 12' 0" -Size Area Rug - for Room Size: 10' 6" x 13' 6" to 11' 0" x 14' 0"" & larger 10' 0" x 15' 0 -Size Area Rug - for Room Size: 11' 6" x 16' 6" to 12' 0" x 17' 0" & larger It is generally considered awkward for a heavily traffic area to be half rug, and half "no rug". You do not want one foot on a rug and one foot off as you are walking through an area constantly.