I read about this a couple of years ago, and when some seed was available I thought I would try it out. I've seen it grown in a clay sewer tile standing on end to accommodate the long tap root--but I have also read that its not necessary---I guess I'll see. As for the fungus, it was a problem --I soaked the seed overnight in Benomyl on this last one and it did fine though. I think I read somewhere that with excellent growing conditions it could flower in 2yrs or so. Mike

This is purely theoretical, but it comes to a point where one has to think about how much undifferentiated space you want your house to have. Open circulation is great, dead end rooms can be problematic. But everything open to itself has it's own problems. I see houses that are so open that the only thing defining any areas at all are furniture, and it looks more like a furniture store than a house. It's difficult to place and "anchor" furniture if there are no walls. Then there is the problem that if one person is watching TV, the entire first floor of the house is watching TV. Rather than promoting togetherness, I think completely open plans can compel people to hole up in their bedrooms. A set of columns doesn't do any thing for noise control but it does, to some degree differentiate space. This house seems large enough that the dining table still won't be "in the entry" but I've seen houses where it seems like everyone is clustered around the front door. Florida also does not need any sort of air lock. Where I live we have cold winters and the houses, which are small were all built with vestibules that are literally 4 feet square with a front door and an interior door. It's a tight squeeze sometimes. It can be "claustrophobic". But you aren't meant to spend any time there, it's meant to separate the interior from the weather and from the street (these houses are on the sidewalk and the actual street may be 3-4 feet from the front door). People take these out, and then they realize that 1) they get a blast of cold air or rain in the house whenever the front door is opened, 2) people are walking by a few feet away and can see all the way through your house and 3) if there was at least a partial wall there you could have the back of a chair or a piece of furniture less than a foot from the door, but if there's no wall there, nobody wants to sit with their back inches from the open front door. Sometimes separate is absolutely necessary. Sometimes, even if it's mostly symbolic, it's still a good thing.

You should only need one mat in this space, at the door to wipe feet on as you enter. If the grey mat fits there, I'd use that one. It's a good quality mat that will trap dirt and debris. I'd remove the other mats.

I'll be decorating a newly built craftsman-style home with an odd-shaped entry hall due to the room configuration on the left side. The floors will be a medium shade of hardwood. The hall is 8 feet wide at the entry door, widens to 12 feet wide where the guest bathroom, den, and guest bedroom create a half-octagon on the left side of the hall due to an indentation, and then narrows again to 8 feet after the guest bedroom. I will put a table on the right entry hall wall but the hall still seems too wide for standard runners. What width rug or rugs to use? Do I ignore the half-hexagon shape? How many rugs for such a long hallway? I would appreciate any help offered because I'm really confused. Thanks in advance!