no idea about the foliage, would it help more if I took some more detailed pictures of the stems, etc...? Fragrance, I'd say it smells really nice, you can't smell it from far away (like Jude the Obscure) but when you smell the flower of this mystery rose, it has a definite sweet old-rose smell to me... the way grandma's rose perfume smells to me. Kinda like Penelope or Lavender Lassie perhaps... I can't remember off the top of my head. ah, but I suppose, I love the flower, so it doesn't really matter what it is, but I'd love to know, and on top of that, knowing what it is would help me find a better place for it. (so happy to have a mystery rose that isn't RED.)

Well, the plants are few and far between, but the ones I do have are profuse and beautiful! I'm in a similar situation - our 1905 home was in the same family from the 1920s until 2004. I was fortunate enough to talk to a man that grew up in the house, and he told me that his grandmother was the gardener in the family. She died in 1943, so my roses and irises are at least that old! He said that as a kid he hated mowing around the roses and tried his darnedest to kill them, so I know they're hardy and carefree! The only other things that I've been able to identify are grape hyacinths and pachysandra, both of which are a little invasive around here and weren't necessarily planted on purpose. I actually just took some pictures today. I think the white roses are sombreuil climbing roses (though they don't have anything to climb on), but I don't know what the pinks are. Pink bush in situ: In a bouquet: White (sombreuil?) climbing rose form: White rose flowers: Irises:

I was thinking pine also by the grain, but glad for the confirmation. The downstairs floor (except the kitchen) are a white oak. The upstairs floors take the stain in very well, its a stain hog. But the oak of course doesn't absorb it nearly as well. Any tips on how I could get the stain to match fairly close? We are sanding all the floors down to the bare wood.

Ferns, maidenhairs in particular, are some of the most challenging of houseplants to grow well. They can certainly tolerate low light but but dislike strong, bright light and any sort of dryness - dry soil or dry air. And high temps that most houses seem to foster in winter. The good news is your fern is fully hardy outside, so you can always move it out to a more suitable location!! And nothing wrong with using a coffee filter, piece of cheesecloth or pantyhose, piece of window screen or any other similar type appliance to keep potting soil from migrating out of drain holes. A very common and widely accepted practice. Does nothing to impede or alter drainage.