Found this old thread after doing a search for Far Reaches. We hope to make a visit there this coming Friday. I'm sure I read this thread back in the day as it was shocking and sad that Heronswood seemed to be going away, nursery, gardens, plants, it's people and all. It's interesting looking back knowing how things have turned out lately with the s'klallam tribe having bought and taken over the property, it's gardens and that Dan is at least partially involved in a restoration and expansion of the gardens. At least that's what he said at a Bellevue Botanical Gardens lecture by John Anderson, the Keeper of the Gardens at Windsor Castle. It was a nice talk that was at times funny and others a bit dry, but still enjoyable for this plant nerd. But I must say seeing Dan and hearing that he was still involved in the Northwest plant scene was one of my fav moments. We have been planning a trip to Far Reaches for several years and it always gets postponed as it is quite a drive and really takes an entire day. We have the day off and the weather seems to be cooperating and I have my eye on some epimediums, some Podophyla and some dactylorhiza and I'm sure a few surprise plants will catch our eye and drain our pocketbooks, I've been aware of Kelly and Sue's work for many years and purchased a few plants from them when their nursery was called Reflections Gardens. It was a rather small affair with not much in the way of display gardens and when we first walked up to the selection of plants to buy it seemed uninspiring. But as we walked the few aisles of plants we first saw one cool plant and then another and pretty soon we had a car load heading home with us. They've been settled at Far Reaches for many years now and having perused their catalog I know there are many gems to find.

Vivi, I am about to order a King Hickory sectional, but have not yet. I have checked out the quality of their construction first hand though. You can see in the link King Hickory uses solid or gold standard construction techniques. But I test out the furniture on the showroom floors to make sure the construction is solid. Two tests (of many) for "solidness" of construction are: 1. Lifting the couch off the ground by one leg. The second leg should lift off the ground almost immediately (1 inch maximum). The King Hickory does as well or better than every couch I have tested, regardless of price. Layered plywood frames on some other manufacturers have to be lifted 2-4 inches before the 2nd leg lifts. This amount of flex is not good. 2, Wiggle the arms to see if they are solidly attached. Again the King Hickory does great. Kiln dried hardwood, double doweled, and corners braced makes for a solid piece of furniture. I choose the loose box welted cushion. l wanted the flexibility of taking the cushions off the couch for more room when laying down on the couch at night when I have insomnia or when our adult kids come for a visit. Also the loose cushion allows you to easily have it refilled or reupholstered down the line without having to bring the whole couch or have the upholsterer make a visit. Flipping the pillow over is also a big plus if you have a tough stain. I am not affiliated with King Hickory or the furniture trade in any way. I am just a working stiff who values bang for his buck and quality construction. I will say the Smith Brothers pieces I checked out also seemed well built but a bit more expensive and did not fit our space. From what I read Lexington is rated A+ by the BBB and responds to all customer concerns. You will want to read and follow their instructions carefully before accepting or rejecting delivery (check for damage). The delivery company will reserve the right to fix any damage. Also their delivery times tend to be longer because they wait until they can fill a truck before they send one across the country. If you need a local store to hold your hand through the process they are probably not right for you. You need to know the exact model, fabric, options etc before you buy. But in my case they will likely save me $1,600 on a King Hickory factoring in delivery and taxes. $7000 seems a bit high to me for upholstery. But perhaps the larger footprint of your sectional and the premium fabric bring the price up. We chose the Bentley which is customizable. For 3 pieces (sofa, curved corner and love seat) we are looking at $3,400 to $5,100 with tax and delivery depending upon the retailer.

Not so strange, actually. They have to sell out store fronts, storage rooms and the warehouse...not to mention anything that's already on order from suppliers. Notice the article below says "third-party firm," meaning they've already hired a liquidating company to handle the closing. When Shabby Chic decided to close, the stores were open for 3-6 months before doors closed. S&H will start closing some faster than others (depending on lease, sells and location). The store employees won't know about further discounts until the liquidator tells them - usually the day before another mark down. It will be done on a store-by-store basis, for the most part. Here is an article emailed to us from the Birmingham Business Journal on Thursday: Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. announced plans to shut down its 56-store Smith & Hawken chain by the end of the year. The chain has a store at The Summit in Birmingham. Jim Hagedorn, CEO of the Marysville, Ohio-based lawn and garden giant, said in a statement that "the combination of a weak economy and the lack of scale proved too great to overcome." For a year, Scotts had been exploring options for the high-end garden brand it bought in 2004 for $68.5 million but decided closing the business was the "best option available," Hagedorn said. Smith & Hawken is based in Novato, Calif. Scotts on Wednesday said storewide sales across the chain will begin Thursday and will be managed by a third-party firm. Orders on Smith & HawkenÂs Web site, catalog and call center will be discontinued Thursday. The company in its last annual report said the chain has consistently underperfomed since it was acquired nearly half a decade ago. Scotts "corporate and other" segment, which consists of Smith & Hawken and administrative expenses, posted a 23 percent decline in sales at $51.2 million for the six months ended March 29. That segmentÂs operating loss for the six-month period totaled $75.4 million, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Scotts expects to take a $25 million after-tax hit on the closure of the chain, mainly tied to terminated leases and severance costs. Most of those charges, the company said, will be taken on by the end of the year. Scotts (NYSE: SMG) in the year ended Sept. 30, 2008, lost $10.9 million on $2.98 billion in revenue. The company has about 6,400 full-time workers worldwide.

I have a Smith brothers sofa that is three years old and a Bassett sectional that is four or five years old, it was called Bassett CU 2. I prefer the Smith Brothers sofa. It's more comfortable and seems to be better quality. It also cost considerably more than the Bassett. The Bassett had some stitching come apart holding the back cushion to the back. The Smith is a firmer seat than the Bassett, but I think I chose medium support instead of firm in the Bassett. I did notice Smith has two different cushion styles that sit very differently. One is made with the expectation you'll sit right in the middle of the cushion - more formal to my mind. The other allows you to curl into the arm or sprawl without feeling like you are tipping off. If I was buying again, I'd pick the Smith Brothers.