LOL - I'm so sorry Karyn. But I'm thrilled you can modify and customize your benches for yourself. You'll have a customized gardening area for yourself! I'm almost 5' 11" - I used a standard kitchen sink cabinet in my bathroom instead of the lower bathroom vanities because I said I'm tired of stooping! (grin) The plumber complained about how high my shower heads were. He said he had to stand on a step ladder to do the plumbing because they're both so high. (grin) I said I'm not stooping any more! My house has been modified for tall people. (grin)

I haven't seen the penstemon Palmeri growing wild. It probably is illegal to gather the seeds. I read that the plants generally live to be about five years old, and should not be completely deadheaded, when in a garden, so that they can reseed themselves. I'm saving a few seeds from mine this year. I could send you some. They haven't dried out yet--still on the plant. I do my planning by the height of the plant. I don't take the additional flower height into account. You could plant your beds with low growers all round and put your tall plants in the middle. I don't think purple flowers would be lost against your grey house. Purple and grey compliment each other. There is a new variety of Russian sage at HCG. It is purple with a blue tone--I bought one. The photograph in the catalog makes it look dark blue and they refer to it as being blue, but it isn't. I think it is called Petrova, something Russian sounding which begins with a P. I have a few of the plants on your list. I live in central New Mexico on a windswept mesa. The winds are a force to be reckoned with around here! I find that scabiosas, chyrsanthemums, snapdragons, petunias, dianthus, French marigolds and sages do well. If the plants are slightly crowded, they shade each other and the soil. Candytuft does okay. I have a nice forsythia shrub, and some artemisia. Hollyhocks do well, but rabbits ate all of mine this year. I have two types of honeysuckle. They were slow to get going, but they are doing well. I have about twenty roses of various types. The roses definitely need some shade during the heat of a summer day, or the flowers fry on the bush. Except for the old-fashioned shrub rose. That one is a champ. My dogs ate all of the daylilies I planted when I moved in, but I just planted a couple more--give it another go. I put chicken wire up this time. I have a groundcover Veronica Speedwell which is doing nicely beneath a tree, and a groundcover sedum (cannot remember which one) which is semi-shaded and doing okay. I planted a vibernum this spring, but it is struggling. I hope it survives. I recently tried osteospermum, a hybrid red Marguerite and Euryops. They are all doing well. Sunflowers, of course, do well but they get started late and bloom in fall. I can grow morning glory if I keep it well watered. I have a lovely catmint, which I am quite fond of. I've tried several lavender, only one survived and is doing well. It is a lavendula, again I've lost track of the name. I haven't had good luck with the multicolored Columbine. My yellow one gets some afternoon shade. It has been in bloom for three solid months! I have had zero success with lantana and spirea here. I've tried them a few times. I have three big stands of Maximillian sunflowers, a perennial. It is an invasive plant but stays somewhat contained if encircled with rocks. Otherwise, shovel pruning is in order to keep it in check. I moved to New Mexico five years ago. I considered myself a skillful gardener, but soon realized that this environment was nothing like what I was used to. It was a big learning experience! Lorna

macv - Thanks, so much for the reply. Well, with the 42" x 30" opening, our ratio is 1.4. If we had gone with the 36" opening, we would have hit 1.2 on the head. I know I should have paid more attention to previous discussions on fireplace proportion. darn. All of the imitative stone chimney enclosure is above the roof surface on the rear of the house. I think only one neighbor will have any kind of view of it during the winter when the leaves are down. Due to the slope of the lot from the road to the house, only the very top is visible from the road which is why we want this to have a nice treatment like the one you showed in the picture. I just talked to DH and he & the fireplace guy have come to a mutually agreeable to solution to trade some aesthetics for avoiding potential water issues. He said that he would write that up for me so I can post it. The corners won't be visible at ground level. However, we are using the same real stone thin veneer which will be at "foundation" level below the Nichiha shakes. DH says that there are corners for it. I know you were upset when you had to have your stamp removed from that project, so I'm sorry if I stirred up unpleasant memories. However, thank you so much for the insight. It really helps. Jo Ann

I am very sympathetic to your situation, but I'm afraid that I would have to agree. A solid window worth buying is going to be around $200+ , and then you should be paying out in the ballpark of $100-$150 for a standard install. Those are bare bones COSTS, no profit or expenses. For a reputable company that will be around in 10 years to service your install, add another 50-100% (remember, that's not all profit, in fact it is mostly overhead such as rent, utilities, insurance, marketing expenses, service expenses, etc). Purchasing windows that are too small and modifying the openings is not advisable either. This whole situation really has the potential to be a very pricey mistake. have you looked into any financing options? This post was edited by HomeSealed on Wed, Dec 19, 12 at 22:03