My choices for restaurant sales would be different from those for my own use. First of all, for restaurant use I would choose only varieties which produce blemish free fruit which, although I appreciate it, is not a necessity for my own use. Reliability and production over a long time span would also be more important for restaurant sales than for my home use, although those too are desirable in every case. Large beefsteaks probably aren't useful in a restaurant if they aren't serving BLTs. Here are some ideas, partly based on what I have read about restaurant sales. Yellow Plum - Bland tasting, but cute as all get out, so favored by chefs. Great looking on the plate in combination with baby greens and other tomato pieces. Small enough to qualify as a cherry. Aunt Gerties Gold - Large and not always blemish free, but so colorful and outstanding in flavor that I have to recommend it as the best yellow. Cuostralee - There are so many good reds it is difficult to choose just one. Cuostralee would fill the bill nicely though. It's excellent in every way. One of the old standbys such as Rutgers or Wisconsin 55 might be good too. Eva Purple Ball - I haven't grown it, or even tasted it, but it has a good reputation as a purple. Worth looking into. I don't know which cherry to recommend. Sun Gold is terrific, but it is a hybrid, as are many good cherries. And, if you grow Yellow Plum as your cherry, you may not want to add a another small yellow. Riesentraube is an attractive red cherry, but I wasn't thrilled with its flavor and didn't find it so productive as most cherries. For production over a long time span, remember that slips cut from your plants will root readily when stuck in the ground and kept watered. Good luck, Jim

I strongly advice putting all the samples the way they'll be installed in the kitchen. Slab will be horizontal; the tiles and the cabinet doors will be vertical. The light hits surfaces differently depending on the angle; the color is perceived differently. try to put them together according to the order they will actually go. will be easier to judge the real colors (although not easy to hold them like that lol). I can tell you what I'd prefer from looking at my screen, but i feel it might be a very, very big miss. first, look at them in the right order. You can leave the paint decision for afterwards; you have the most possibilities with paint, so no need to pick it right away. choose your hard finishes first. As for mixing the metals-I'm wholeheartedly for the mixing:) As long as you repeat the finish somewhere else-I'd say you're good. But do repeat it, even if in tiny accessories. If you're having it somewhere in an adjusting room, open plan-also good. I love the second pendant more, but light fixtures are really very personal. Like watches..:)

You're right. They are dark compared to my splash behind the stove. It's important that it goes well with that piece that's already there. I love the tiles in your pics mark-rachel. I'm not concerned about the budget since its such a small space and it wont break the bank if i go for expensive tile. I'm going to be staring at it everyday so i want something very nice!

i agree with alley ... choose the best looking specimen ... length of show is ambient air temp variable .... if temps seem to spike right at elongation ... its a short show ... if air cools at that moment at time ... longer show ... either way its a one to two week show ... golden feathers is otherwise green the rest of the season .. buit oh what a show in spring ... blue version i have .... is always a short show ... and a rather pale yellow ... and much slower growing .... i do not know if its the same as spring blast ... ken Picea pungens 'Spring Yellow' .. the name i bought it under