Thanks for the considered opinions. I know it is hard so "see" with photos and PhotoShopped at that. But your responses have highlighted our quandary. House main is 30' 6" x 24' 6" with 12 x 12 ell off the back. We have removed the 7 ft. ceiling and vaulted it to 8 1/2 ft. It is the 7' 2" (inside measure) of exterior walls and 4 1/2 pitch roof that make it look like a munchkin house. (Hubby really, really doesn't want to raise the roof and extend the chimney now that attic insulation is maxed out.) But everyone walks inside and is surprised. Right now the south wall is almost all glass (Photoshop makes it look like forest but really surrounded by 12 acres of pasture & stone walls) (Picture is of east) and therein is the rub: do we remove glass and make it look & feel more proportionate outside -- more like a munchkin house? or do we try to increase the glass on the east? Right now the glass in the house is a very modern horizontal slider. We want to orient the windows to vertical but... Small windows are 2' 1 3/8" x 4' 1" (frame size) Large windows are 2' 5 3/8" x 4' 5" -- 2' 1" off the floor To increase east wall left-hand-side glass I have considered triple window but the windows only go down to 1' 9" wide so with a proportionate triple it might look like overkill: 1 - 1 1/2 - 1. Picture window doesn't open. Shutters would be real, working with shutter dogs, etc. But, mjtx2, you might be right (and so, too, my Hubby) that all that fussy-ness will look ridiculous on our mongrel. Door is off center by one foot and entry is standard 3' so left side is about 14' 5". With two large windows with 4" trim (5' 6 6/8") that would leave a skosh less than 2 1/4 ' surround for equidistant windows-- I think. Renovator8: Main is only 3 rooms (living/kitchen, bed, bath) and ell is mudroom/laundry so we are good for Mass codes.

I had the same thoughts before reading everyone else's posts...The 3 x 6 is more 'standard' and traditional, while the 4x8 would be a little more unique and bring a modern or industrial twist or zing to your kitchen...which I can like with traditional elements. Depends on what you want it to do. And Plllog does have a point about smaller tiles fitting in around things better, but I wouldn't necessarily let that decide it for me. Will one fit in the spaces using whole tiles, while the other will require cutting all the way along? (Remember to figure in grout lines) Even if I liked one better, if the other fit in whole, THAT could sway me to change my mind.

I do try to be helpful, and I try to write with the idea that more than one person will read what I say and hopefully gain more enjoyment from the growing experience because of something they learned. I enjoy nurturing plants, and look at nurturing people who also enjoy nurturing plants as a natural extension of my own growing experience. If I couldn't know I was helping, my efforts would be for naught & I'd quickly lose interest; which is why kind comments like yours are always appreciated. Thank you ..... and I enjoyed your story. ;-) In reference to the part you italicized ...... I always figured it's pretty hard to push someone up a ladder unless they were wanting to climb. ;-) So from what I gather from your linked post is this: • I should definitely repot my plant to a slightly larger container and not just pot up. It hasn't been done in at least four and a half years. You can repot or divide PLs for best outcome. If you repot, it might not need to go into another pot, but the root structure of PLs doesn't make them top candidates for root operations related to repotting. You can also simply cut the leaves off each plant and most of the roots, divide the plants and repot into the same pot they came from. They'll recover quickly & take right off. Of course, you have to look at a bare pot for a month, or just stick it in bright indirect light outdoors somewhere & ck on water needs every few days. • When repotting, I should remove all old soil and prune any large roots, upward traveling roots, and "j-hooked" roots. When I do this, where do I clip? As high as possible? This is the part that scares me the most! Honestly, IO'd divide thios plant and save the root pruning learning experience for plants that really need it as part of their care regimen. • I should find a general potting soil (I'm thinking Miracle Grow brand because, as a beginner, it is the only thing I know of that has a seemingly good reputation) and mix it with Natures Helper and Perlite. If this is correct, what should my ratio be? MGs reputation is more a result of its advertising campaign than its performance record. If I were you, I'd seek out a source for pine bark in an appropriate size. If you can find it, you can use perlite and the MG potting soil as small fractions of the soil (added to a large fraction of pine bark) to make a very good soil. A good soil can eliminate over-watering concerns and make a sound nutritional supplementation program monkey easy. See pine bark from 3 different suppliers at 3, 6, & 9 o'clock, and finished soil in the middle: When I refill the new container with the soil mix, how far up should I fill it? There are a lot of stem cuttings that are visible. That's probably not the correct terminology but I assume you understand what I mean. Should I clean this up? Should I bury these any if at all? The soil level should be .5-1" below the pot rim, minimum; and the plants should be planted so the crown is above the soil line to prevent crown rot. Lastly, if I remove all of the old soil, will I need to pack in new soil to fill the void at the thickest part of the roots? I'm sure some of these are silly questions but I truly have no idea what I'm doing and this plant means a lot to me. I want to do what's best for it. I use a wooden dowel rod, sharpened in a pencil sharpener (same tool as you can use as a tell to show when plants need water) to work soil into the voids between roots. See the 2 tools on the right. They serve the same purpose, except I favor the white one I made. Al

Mina, for in front of the windows, I'd consider Osmanthus.....'Goshiki' or O. delavayi or x burkwoodii.....or Pieris 'White Cascade'. For something lower growing and with lots of sun, Hebe 'Caledonia' (has that purple coloration you favor) or Hebe anomola 'Purpurea Nana'. I might do clusters of heuchera for some of the edging plants - they do exceptionally well in our climate, are evergreen, and come in a wide range of colors to compliment any of the other plantings. One of my favorites is 'Green Spice', which has marbled green foliage with darker veining that turns an intense burgundy color in winter. Or any of the dark colored ones if you wish to add more purple foliage. Many of these are Great Plant Picks selections so should be available at any of our better retail nurseries.