About the only odd thing that's going on with my roses is, they don't have any chili thrips! I had never heard of them until about 2-3 weeks ago when there was a thread over on OGR about them in Florida, but didn't know they were in this area until I went to the store where I get supplies, and they mentioned that they had been really bad here. I'm surprised, there's no sign of them in my yard and I never spray with anything.

3) the use of fungicide-treated seed with high germination (see Agricultural Chemicals Manual; specify treated seed before purchasing), ***** Above is the only comment I saw that pertained to seed from the NCSU site and I agree that most of their links are very good. But the site is for professional growers and doesn't distinguish between the genera and species that cause damping off with flowers as opposed to certain vegetables and those fungi are different. I can't see home growers using any of the products mentioned as an anti-fungal for seeds,nor requesting that treated seeds be sent, which is common for squash and other cucurbits but not tomatoes, but Benomyl is not all that resticted and could be used at the first sign of damping off with tomato seedlings. The majority of the other products are not available to the home grower and one has to have a pesticide license to get them and some are banned in certain states. What I seldom see written is that tomato seedlings can come up and show no evidence of damping off but then at 4-6 inches do, keel over and die. I never knew that until I saw a picture and description of it in one of my tomato pathology books. Carolyn Here is a link that might be useful: damping off

I wouldn't worry overmuch Echolane - I have an anisodontea capensis which blooms continuously all year round...although it does have an obvious 'downtime' in summer. Moreover, I have a Graham Thomas rose which has also remained green all winter with the occasional bloom...I am considering whether to whip off the old leaves...which are showing a little blackspot. It looks like new rosettes of foliage are growing from the base of yours...so all is good. As for your digi - I am not keen to be the first to chime in here as I, too, have often been caught out in this perplexing issue of winter foliage..and when, or if, to cut (gaura, penstemon, salvia). I don't grow digiplexus...but I do grow several perennial foxgloves which are looking v.similar. As mine are in a wild garden area, I won't be fussing overmuch - new green growth overtakes the ratty stuff which shrivels and falls off...but if they were specimen plants on view, I would cut them back to the base and remove all the really bad foliage - you should see my auriculas after winter - grim. | have to clean them up to naked stem...but are now looking terrific

Hey Mikeala, while you may have to make some compromises due to space restrictions, you can definitely fit a compact couch in the room. As @mindshift recommends, it would a good idea to keep all your furniture compact and as small as possible. I've made a couple of options for you here. (All dimensions are approximated from the images you have posted) For the first layout, I've eliminated the coffee table and added a slim console by the entrance, a wall mounted TV and an end table. You could also buy nested tables so you could stack them when they aren't being used. For the area by the staircase, I've added a tall bookcase and a couple of chairs for extra seating. adding a mirror would give a sense of a larger space, I've styled this room with modern furniture with a touch of hollywood glam. For the second option, the entrance is more open although the TV unit has been placed on the large wall. This allows TV viewing from both seating areas and yet separates the space. You may prefer this layout if you don't like the idea of having a living right at the entrance. I've styled this room with Scandinavian furniture. Do send us measurements and photos so we could further customize these for you. You could also add/ swap furniture and make your own layouts here.