I have Can Can. It gets sun from 7am to 2pm. The color stays thru the whole summer. I've had it about 6 yrs now...could be 7, and after 2 yrs, I bought another. I love the leaves and color. I water once a week deeply. If it gets too much shade, you'll lose some of it's beautiful color. Just water deeply and make sure you put it in an area that drains well. Kat

Vettin, I grow most of these, and I can comment on some of them, if a variety is too young to comment on, I will indicate it: Baccara- don't grow Bouquet Parfait- very small 3-4 hours of shade, good bs resistance so far, accidentally mowed it because it is in a patch of vinca Condrad Ferdinand Meyer - don't grow Excellenz von Schubert- good resistance to bs, does better in full sun Field of Woods- very small, so far good resistance to bs, full sun Hermosa- BS nightmare, I dug it up this week...you want it? Cl Sdlm- fair BS resistance, some rebloom, does NOT ball for me....yet, but it does lose entire canes. Mme Gregoire Staechlin- totally defoliates, wonderful spring bloom, I am growing Paul Transon over it to cover up the nakedness...I think that MGS will bloom before PT Souv du Dr. Jamain- too small to judge..does not want to take off in my yard Robert

Katie, your house is waaay cool. I live in a house about 10 years older than yours, and I'd like to share what I've learned: The dark wood molding, with its many imperfections, has grown on me in the year we've been here. The dings that drove me nuts a year ago are now character and patina, and I NEVER thought I'd see it that way. I have had great luck with Farrow and Ball colors. Dorset cream in living room, mouse's back (unbelievable color, you really have to see it with the old wood to appreciate it) in the family room, and light stone in the dining room. I also have farrow's cream in the hall and stairway, but i think it was a mistake; dark wood can take much darker colors than you think, and they all look several shades lighter up on the walls. There seem to be a lot of strong opinions about custodianship, which may or may not be off-putting to you (disclaimer: I've got a foot in the custodian camp too). But look at it this way: from a resale standpoint, as the years go by, a well-maintained older home with original details will pull ever and ever higher premiums from buyers, so you will reap the rewards of your "custodianship" in very tangible terms when the time comes. So, to me, self-interest and good custodianship actually align. Also, you will sometimes save money while you're living there if you have chosen period appropriate finishes, materials, colors, and decor: because they are timeless. I was over on the kitchens forum, and people were moaning about their "so-80's kitchen" and how to make it less dated. If you do things to the original decade of your house, they will never look dated: only timeless. You will never need to redecorate when styles change unless YOU want too. Now that's freedom! Finally, I found, and you may find too, that the styles appropriate to your house grow on you. When we bought our house, the first thing we did was remove the bronze statue from our newel post so we wouldn't clock ourselves when we moved in. We NEVER intended to put it back up, and almost gave it away to a neighbor. Well, it has grown on me, and I look forward to the day that I put the other "lady of the house" back on the newel post. (Dh would probably tell you are days that he wants to screw my b... on there--naw we usually get along lol!) So, enjoy!!!!

kswl it is good to share- even chairs. lol I think from my internet research that the chair dates maybe from the 1850's. It has springs and the castors are porcelain. I can't find any Internet images of chairs like it, but I found two that had some of the same design elements and they dated 1858. I hope it is not sacrilegious to have covered the seat in teal fabric. :) I used the same fabric to add some teal stripes to some of my couch pillows. I don't think I am a good decorator but it was fun.