That is my main concern is that every single plant is only a year old in the ground or less. This is what I have to lose...do you sense the panic! Abies balsamea 'Tyler Blue' Abies concolor Abies concolor 'Archer's Dwarf Abies concolor 'Blue Cloak' Abies concolor 'Glauca Compacta' Abies koreana 'Blauer Pfiff ' Abies koreana 'Golden Glow' Abies koreana 'Goldener Traum' Abies koreana 'Horstmann's Silberlocke' Abies lasiocarpa 'Compacta' Abies lasiocarpa 'Martha's Vinyard' Abies pinsapo 'Horstmann' (cannan) Abies procera �Hupp�s Christmas Tree� (noman) Abies procera 'Danish Column' Abies procera 'Glauca Nana' (cannan) Abies procera 'Sherwoodii' (balsam) Abies, nordm 'Golden Spreader' Abies, veitc 'Heddergott' Chamaechparis pisifera 'Golden Charm' Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Saffron Spray' Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Devon Cream' Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Snow' Cupressus nootkatensis 'Green Arrow' Jun. squam. 'Floriant' Juniperus pfitzeriana (x) 'Daub's Frosted' Juniperus squamata 'Dream Joy' Larix �Jacobson�s Pyrimid� Larix laricina 'Blue Sparkler' Larix laricina 'Newport Beauty' Picea abies `Fritsche' Picea abies `Gold Dust' Picea abies `Jacobsen' Picea abies `Will's Zwerg' Picea abies �Cupressina� Picea abies �Katherine�s Golden Heart� Picea abies 'Diffusa' Picea abies 'Elegantissama' Picea abies Gregg�s Seedling Picea Abies 'Kellerman's Blue Cameo' Picea abies 'Kellerman's Blue Cameo' Picea abies 'Pusch' Picea abies 'Wingles Weeper' Picea brew. 'Emerald Midget' Picea engelmanii 'Compacta' Picea engelmannii 'Blue Magoo' Picea engelmannii 'Bush's Lace' Picea glauca `Echiniformis' Picea glauca 'Burning Well' Picea glauca Cleveland Rd. Picea glauca 'Daisy White' Picea glauca 'Dent' Picea glauca 'Hillside' Picea glauca 'Ketch Harbor' Picea glauca 'Mac's Gold' Picea glauca 'McConnell's Gold' Picea glauca 'Pendula' Picea glauca 'Yukon Blue' Picea jezoenis 'Howell's Dwarf Tigertail' Picea mariana `Nana' Picea mariana 'Aureovariegata' Picea mariana 'Blue Teardrop' Picea mariana 'Blue Tier Drop' Picea mariana 'Golden' Picea omorika `Osmaston #1' Picea omorika �de Ruyter' Picea omorika 'Nana' Picea omorika 'Pendula Bruns' Picea omorika 'Peve tijn' Picea omorika 'Pimoko' Picea orientalis 'Atrovirens' Picea orientalis `Barnes' Picea orientalis �Aureospicata� Picea orientalis �Tom Thumb Gold� Picea orientalis 'Connecticut Turnpike' Picea orientalis 'Mount Vernon' Picea orientalis 'Silver Seedling' Picea orientalis 'Skylands' Picea orientalis 'Tom Thumb' Picea pungens `St. Mary's Broom' Picea pungens �Sester Dwarf� Picea pungens �Spring Blast� Picea pungens 'Blue Pearl' Picea pungens 'Blue Totem' Picea pungens 'Donna's Rainbow' Picea pungens 'Fat Albert' Picea pungens 'Gebelle's Golden Spring' Picea pungens 'Glauca Globosa' Picea pungens 'Glauca Globosa' Picea pungens 'Hoopsii' Picea pungens 'Iseli Fastigiate' Picea pungens 'Montana Ave.' Picea pungens 'R.H. Montgomery' Picea pungens 'Royal Knight' Picea pungens 'The Blues' Picea Pungens 'Thuem' Picea pungens 'Wisconsin Cream' Picea rubens `HB' ('Hexenbesen) Picea sitchensis `Papoose' Picea x mariorika 'Machala' Picea, abies 'Motala' Pins sylvestris 'Watereri' Pinus Banksiana 'Schoodic' Pinus cembra Pinus cembra `Stricta' (Fastigiata) Pinus cembra 'Blue Mound' Pinus cembra 'Glauca Compacta' Pinus cembra 'Klein' Pinus contorta 'Chief Joseph' Pinus contorta 'Taylor's Sunburst' Pinus densiflora 'Jane Kluis' Pinus densiflora 'Low Glow' Pinus heldreichii Pinus heldreichii `Compact Gem' Pinus heldreichii 'Green Bun' Pinus heldreichii 'Smidtii' Pinus koraiensis `Tabuliformis' Pinus koraiensis 'Dragon Eye' Pinus koreansis 'Anna' Pinus koreansis 'Silveray' Pinus Leucodermis 'Irish Bell' Pinus longaeva 'Sherwood Compact' Pinus mugo `Pal Maleter' Pinus mugo `Zundert' Pinus mugo 'Carstens' Pinus nigra 'Oregon Green' Pinus parviflora `Billie' (M-par 4) Pinus parviflora 'Adcock's Dwarf'' Pinus parviflora 'Arnold's Arboretum Dwarf' Pinus parviflora 'Catherine Elizabeth' Pinus parviflora 'Glauca' Pinus parviflora 'Goldilocks' Pinus parviflora 'Hagoromo' Pinus Parviflora 'Miyajima' Pinus parviflora 'Tempelhof' Pinus parviflora 'Yatsubusa' Pinus pumila `Dwarf Blue' Pinus reflexa �Vanderwolf�s Pyramid Pinus reflexa 'Extra Blue' Pinus resinosa 'Don Smith' Pinus strobus 'Blue Shag' Pinus strobus 'Coney Island' Pinus strobus 'Girard Contorta Nana' Pinus strobus 'Mini Twists'� Pinus strobus 'Minuta' Pinus strobus 'Nana' Pinus strobus 'Pendula' Pinus strobus 'Stowe Pillar' Pinus strobus 'Tiny Curls' Pinus strobus 'Wintergold' Pinus sylvestris `Gold Medal' Pinus sylvestris 'Gold Coin' Pinus sylvestris 'Hillside Creeper' Pinus sylvestris 'Mitch Weeping' Pinus sylvestris 'Moseri' Pinus thunbergii 'Thunderhead' Pinus uncinata 'Caesar' Pinus uncinata 'Silver Candles' Pinus x 'Forest Sky' Pinus, densi 'Golden Ghost' Pinus, strob 'Coronado' Platycladus orientalis `Morgan' Platycladus orientalis 'Franky Boy' Sciad, verti 'Joe Kozey' Sciadopitys v. 'Mitsch Select' Taxodium distichum 'Peve Minaret' Thuja occidentalis 'Concabe' Thuja occidentalis 'Linesville' Thuja occidentalis 'Rheingold' Thuja occidentalis 'Sunkist' Thuja standishii x plicata 'Green Giant' Tsuga canadensis 'Gentsch White' Tsuga canadensis 'Moon Frost' Tsuga canadensis 'Pendula' Tsuga canadensis 'Vermeulen Wintergold' Tsuga mertensiana Tsuga, merte 'Elizabeth' Miscanthus sinensis Purpurascens Penstemon Dark Towers Chrysanthemum 'Coral Daisy' Chrysanthemum 'Red Daisy' Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield' Hemerocallis 'Lime Frost' Miscanthus sinensis Dixieland Miscanthus sinensis Graziella Miscanthus sinensis Malepartus Salvia nemorosa Blue Hill Sedum Vera Jameson Althea 'Blue Satin' Barberry 'Rosey Glow' Cleathra 'Vanilla Spice' Cotinus x 'Grace' Fothergilla gardenii Ginkgo biloba 'Mariken' Ginkgo Biloba 'Pete's Dwarf' Hamamelis 'Girard's Purple' Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena' Hydrandea 'Mystic Flame' Hydrangea paniculata 'Little Lime' Hydrangea quercifolia 'Alice' Itea 'Little Henry' Magnolia 'Jane' Physocarpus opulifolius 'Coppertina' Rhododendron x 'Roseum Elegans' Rosa 'Meidrifora' (Coral Drift) Rosa 'Sunrise Sunset' Viburnum c. Spiced Bouquet Viburnum 'Hildebrants' Viburnum lantana 'Variegatum' Viburnum nudum 'Bulk' Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum Viburnum pragense 'Decker' Viburnum 'Summer Snowflake' Viburnum x 'Cayuga' Weigela florida 'Dwarf Variegated' Weiglea 'Shining Sensation' Acer buergerianum 'Miyasama yatsubusa' Acer campestre 'Carnival'� Acer circinatum 'Bort's Dwarf'� Acer circinatum 'Del's Dwarf'� Acer griseum Acer palmatum �Brandt's Dwarf� Acer palmatum �Caperci Dwarf� Acer palmatum �Coonara Pygmy� Acer palmatum dissectum 'Orangeola' Acer palmatum 'Emperor 1' Acer palmatum 'Fireglow' Acer palmatum 'Red Dragon' Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' Acer rubrum ' Sun Valley' Acer rubrum 'Resupszam' aka Super Sonic Red Acer saccharum 'Fall Fiesta' Acer shirasawanum �Bashful� Acer shirasawanum 'Autumn Moon' Acer shirasawanum 'Jordan'� Aesculus parviflora Aesculus pavia Aesculus x 'Autumn Splendor' Berberis 'Red Jewel' Carpinus caroliniana Cercidiphyllum japonicium Cercis canadensis Chionanthus virginicus Cornus alternifolia Cornus alternifolia �W. Stockman� aka Golden Shadows Cornus kousa 'Aurora' Cornus kousa 'Milky Way' Cornus kousa 'Samaritian' Cornus mas Fagus sylvatica `Mercedes' Fagus sylvatica 'Red Oblisk' Fagus sylvatica 'Tricolor' Ginkgo 'Autumn Gold' Ginkgo 'Autumn Gold' Ginkgo biloba 'Jade Butterflies' Ginkgo biloba 'White Lightning'� Heptacodium miconioides Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star' Liriodendron tulipifera Malus 'Coralburst Malus 'Firbird' Metasequoia glyptostroboides Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Jack Frost' Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Miss Grace' Nyssa sylvatica Nyssa sylvatica 'Sheri's Cloud' Ostrya virginiana Parrotia persica 'Vanessa'� Plantanus x acerifolia 'Morton Circle' Quercus xreifii var. warei x Q. alba �Birthday Candle�

I got my Meyer from Four Winds Nursery, and am very pleased with their quality trees and customer service. I want to pass along to you what their website states about twig dieback: ----------------------------------------------- Leaf Drop/Twig Dieback Leaf drop and twig dieback can be caused by lack of light. Citrus trees need a minimum of 6 hours of full sun to grow. If growing indoors, it's possible that your trees will do better with a grow light for the winter. A sudden change in lighting or humidity can cause problems, so be sure to move your tree gradually from one spot to another, or from inside to out. If your tree receives adequate light, and experiences leaf drop, improper watering is probably the culprit. A lack of water can cause the tree to dry out and lose leaves, while excessive watering can cause the roots to rot, so that they lose the ability to take water and nutrients up to the leaves. If you modify watering to provide even moisture, often the tree will recover, albeit slowly. A moisture meter is useful to be certain that watering is necessary, and can help you develop an appropriate watering schedule. Should your tree lose all its leaves, don't despair. You can prune it back lightly to help push new growth; then, with improved growing conditions (adequate light, correct watering) it should recover. Remember also to feed regularly with a good citrus fertilizer (3:1:1 ratio or similar). Check your tree regularly for pests. Severe infestations of scale insects, or mites can cause defoliation. Regular monitoring will help you to take action in time, before severe stress (defoliation) occurs. -------------------------------------------- Your trees roots dont look dry, so you may want to consider you have over watered while using the wrong soil. I use a moisture meter to be sure (was only $4 and free shipping on amazon). I really feel for ya cuz many of us have been there! Keep your head up! I have picked 3 fresh lemons off my tree in the past week :) (even tho its 15 degrees outside!) You will have success if you meet the trees needs, and in my experience, it took a couple years to learn how to meet those needs. Good luck, and please post updates.

Thanks amysrq and ellabee (Ella is my 7-year-old's name) for your advice. Countertops for the island are my biggest concern at the moment, since the island will also contain the sink and dishwasher, it will require plumbing, and I am trying to schedule all of the different jobs and keep things moving! The backsplash will likely be fairly simple with some subways, so I feel like I can postpone that for a little while. We have so many projects going on with the house and would like to have enough "finished" to move in the spring, so the sooner we can get this done, the better. And honestly, I have been thinking about all of this for so long that it is a relief to just make some decisions, just to be able to move forward! Resale is not too big of an issue, as our house is pretty "niche" to begin with. It is an old (ca. 1843) mansion with lots and lots of character (stained glass, elaborately carved wood, murals on some of the ceilings). The kitchen will be nice, but definitely not the main reason someone would be attracted to the house. Anyway, we are renovating it top to bottom, and as much time and money as it is going to take, you will have to drag my cold, dead body from it to get me to move again! Soapstone seems to fit the era, but i am worried about softness. I would probably be ok if I can find one of the varieties known to be a little harder. I love my Corian in our previous (well, actually current, as we have yet to sell it) kitchen, but I am looking at a darker color (soapstone-like), which I am afraid will not be good at all for showing scratches on a primary work space. Granite and quartz are out. Too hard and modern looking for my tastes and the feel of the house. I also really dislike cold countertops. Decisions, decisions... Thanks for your ideas!

Hi, Autumn. There's actually been a lot of discussion here about where the kitchen sink can go. Although in front of a window has been traditional, these days a lot more time is spent prepping/cooking than cleaning and a lot of people feel that should be done in the most pleasant place to work--as a kindness to the cook. :) In front of a window, facing your family as they play and relax, or wherever. YOUR choice, wide open! Also, sinks do NOT need to be centered when they are in front of a window for the kitchen to look good. If room space allows, a sink counter can be deepened so the wall's farther away and it feels extra comfortable working there. Also, I'll point out that peripheral views out a window that's to one side are vastly underestimated, actually never mentioned at all, even though our eyes and heads are made to swivel freely. Deliberately putting a sink or other important work area to one side of a window can be a way of capitalizing on views to right or left of a window that would otherwise go unnoticed. Just one of those many subtle little details that can make one home more rich and satisfying than another. The swiveling eye potential might be especially worth noting for you since it sounds like you'd prefer neither prep/cooking or cleanup on the window counter since you'd have your back to the living room. You could plan to enjoy a pleasant street view simply via casual glances to the side and directly when you're moving about the kitchen. I got sidetracked, though. What I wanted to suggest was starting your kitchen design through analysis of how YOU work and what YOU want. Leave the computer to begin with and come back to it later. You don't cook on a screen. Start instead with a nice open area, bigger than your kitchen will be, out in the yard maybe. Get some good-sized boxes of the right height and some boards. Forget any official guidelines you've read at this point. Right now all constraints are removed so you can concentrate on how it feels to you. Start by setting up a counter and make a play dinner, something you often make. Start with a little counter, maybe 30", and see how well prep progresses with that space. I suggest starting small because a lot of people come here with beautiful plans that actually only have small work areas--this is when you find out if that'll work nicely for you, or how much more you do want. Add in other items, sink, stove, food storage, etc., as you continue playing, putting each where and how far away you think you would like to have it. If you decide you want more main work space, enlarge it incrementally, 36", 42", etc. Add in more details/considerations as you go. Need a little more room to the other side of the sink? Pull the boards and boxes over a bit. Where will you set trays of cookies to cool, or whatever? Will you want room for others to work in the kitchen? Doing what? A separate counter area for making lunch, getting their own cereal and toast, coffee? Where should all that go? Washing dishes--do you need to move the sink so that someone unloading the dishwasher's not in your way as you stir the oatmeal? Measure your dishwasher and oven doors when they're open to see how much room will be needed to walk by when they're open and shift the boxes accordingly. Can others get to the fridge without coming between a pot of boiling noodles and the sink? And so on. THEN, try what you're learning out with some constraints, like dimensions and doorways of plans you're considering. Draw what you know you want so far on the computer and start considering tradeoffs to design in as much of it as you can. Have fun playing around. I did this for myself and guarantee that if you do it the panic will be gone completely and permanently. You're feeling out of control not because you don't know enough about kitchens yet but because you don't know enough about what you really want for yourselves. After you do this, you'll sneer outright at 3/4 of the plans you see and stop while here to post your own advice to others. (BTW, on the same track, are you sure you do want a split plan? Do you know WHY you like them more? Their active living areas are great for those who want an introverted home, a shelter from the world, and extra privacy for mom and dad in the bedroom. Good for people who are gone all day most days anyway and home when the lights have to be on. They feel nice and cozy, warm and shady by season, are protected from outside noise and other bothers by the flanking rooms, and can be less expensive to heat and cool. OTOH, they give all 4 corners, especially valuable home space with their potential sunshine and views, to bedrooms and garage, so they are typically low on natural light and limited in their relationship to the outdoors (especially with front windows covered for privacy) and can feel smaller than other homes of the same square footage.)