Thanks for the understanding. I rushed down this morning to make sure that the 3 inch high little rose I potted up yesterday was OK (had visions of having somehow killed it). It is fine - actually looks more perky than when I found it - probably because it hasn't rained here for 2 1/2 months, and of course it got a lot of water yesterday. Funny thing - right after I wrote this post, we went over to visit some friends who actually live in the house (in the same town) which my DH's ancestors moved out of in 1905 when they moved to what is our home now. They lived in that house from 1890 to 1905. The people who own it now rescued it from literally falling down - they have done a great job restoring it, and the 1 acre garden & fruit orchard that are still part of the property. We were admiring some blooming pear trees, which, because of 80+ years of neglect, have grown to be over 30 feet high. Blooming madly, and accd to the owners make wonderful pears (but you need a VERY long ladder!). It suddenly occurred to us that, since we know that the property was totally neglected from 1905 until these folks saved it in about 1998 (long story), and we know that my DH's great grandfather who lived there planted fruit trees everywhere he went, he probably planted them! Very wonderful and sort of spooky feeling. What Camp said about thinking about the generations of gardeners, except that we do not have to guess - know all about him, his life in Germany, immigrating here in the 1870s with his wife, raising 3 boys, etc etc. It really makes me realize that some plants live longer than people! Jackie

Here is a little light reading for you :-) http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg0214580016564.html

Thanks, gardengal. I think you may be right that the tree was deeply planted. We've never seen a skirt of larger, exposed roots. I have tried to pull dirt and mulch away from the trunk, but it's really tight with roots and almost impossible to do. If you look closely, you can almost see the line on the trunk where the mulch used to be, a couple of inches above where it is now. I don't think I can get the dirt/mulch level any lower, really. Overall, the mulched area is probably only a few inches higher than the surrounding lawn. On your advice, today I added a little compost and a light layer of mulch over those exposed feeder roots. I may post again when I get the soil test results. Thanks again!

So I am starting to feel better about the room. I was describing it to a co-worker/designer who said it seemed very Ralph Lauren and I realized, duh, that was kind of my inspiration. Some of his dark, masculine rooms. Going with that, he suggested a dark chandelier with black shades lined in gold. Ends up, one is being discontinued so I can get it for a steal! I am not sure if I think the black shades will be too much or if I should stick with natural linen shades, but I can try both options as the shades are sold separately. It slightly smaller than I would have preferred, but it even matches all the sconces I put in my living room and foyer! At night, the room feels so beautiful and as a dining room, that was my goal. I am thinking perhaps we will do a high window seat on each side of the radiator (no cushion, just some toss pillows) that can also serve as a buffet when we entertain, with typical RL-inspired fabrics, and I will add some gold framed mirrors and art to the room.