Steve, Thank you, the first time I'll get a chance will likely be a couple days from now, but I'll happily post them then! Patty, You're unreal. Don't know what more to say. Well, that and thank you. :) Just when I think I'm ready to plant, I feel like I'm singing the old folk song again, "There's a hole in the bucket," (dear Liza, dear Liza...) Home Depot didn't have the Osmocote Plus as Scott's advertised; did have the Miracle Gro Shake 'n Feed® Continuous Release Citrus, Avocado, & Mango Plant Food, but thankfully you had forewarned me! I found it at another local place though. Woo-hoo!!! Grabbed a couple. Does this have a shelf life? Wondering if I should invest in more. Also, for anyone interested in bulk, saw this after I bought the smaller 4.5 lb jugs of Osmocote Plus: www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/osmocote-plus-15-9-12-fertilizer

Definitely trim the trees. Not only will trimming help with natural light it will save your roof and siding from moisture which never gets a chance to dry. Most of what light you get comes from the south, but it isn’t typical southern exposure, so I suggest you treat the interior as if the light were from the north. Paint the room and ceilings a B.M. off white…Goldtone. It will give the impression of sunlight. Here is a photo of a room, in Goldtone, which is lacking in natural light. Paint the dark brick white. Add lighter fabric in the room with pillows. Choose brass for lamps and metals; put a mirror over the fireplace. Use decor which reflects and brightens. There is a floor lamps called “wall washer”, LED, which does just that…it spreads light all over the wall. Consider one for the corner to the right ofthe front window.

I would consider painting the two rooms two different shades of white, yes even though they are connected. Even if you paint both rooms the same color they are going to look like two different colors of paint anyway because of the difference in light. So why not just pick two different shades that actually look good in each space? Who knows, because of the difference in light, they might end up looking more like the same color next to each other than actually using only one color. I just painted my home in all neutrals using Farrow and Ball. (If you don't want to pay that much for the paint, you can have it color matched in Benjamin Moore.) Their neutral colors are stunning and fewer to choose from, which actually makes it easier to select a great color. They break the colors up into 6 different neutral groupings. Check it out. I swear I don't work for them. I'm simply enchanted with the colors of my home!

kandrewspa: fernwood green = looks too much like pea soup, not the cheery color I thought it was pashmina = too reddish white opulence = way too light (I've learned about LRV during this adventure!) calm = purple undertone is all I see in my room balboa mist = too much like swamp mud with the green undertone, just not pretty in my room cotswold = big mistake! too dark & mud like swiss coffee = too yellow & cloud cover = violet undertone I have no inspiration, per se, just had a maple (clear matte sealant) put in, so wanted to update the yellow wall color while the room is completely empty. I think I'd prefer going toward green yellow. I really don't like mint! But, maybe I need the blue to tone down my sun exposures? I'm thinking I like Briarwood (on paper) for the taupey color, or something like that, but lighter? Thanks for your time!