I know Morning Glories are invasive in many places, but they might be nice on that fence with morning sun. Or maybe a clematis? You could put up twine for them to climb on. Oh, what about Hyacinth Beans, or sweet peas? Do you prefer annuals or perennials? Are you hoping for all flowers, or are you a vegetable gardener, too? You could hang planters from the fence to give you some color at a different height. Coleus are nice in less sunny spots, and provide color all season. Buying them as plants can be expensive. Pansies are easy and colorful for early season, and they reseed generously. I've had Black-eyed Susans, other rudbeckias, and Purple Coneflowers do well in less than full sun. And the birds and butterflies are attracted to them. Hope these ideas at least get your mind moving. I wish I had as much sun as you. My flowering plant options are a bit limited by shade. Good luck. Martha

In the sunnier spots you could try Fothergilla. Here's one of my F. 'Mt. Airy'. The flowers have a light honey scent and the fall colors are a gorgeous mix of red, orange and gold. Fairly plain in the summer though. Variegated red- or gold-twigged dogwood would look nice in all seasons. The flowers are not noticeable, but the leaves and colored winter stems are lovely. You would want to prune once a year to keep stem color lively. i agree that rhodies would work well there, either evergreen ones for both flowers and winter green or deciduous ones for spring or summer scented flowers and nice fall color. Hydrangea paniculata cultivars are easy care and long blooming, and are available in several colors and heights. You could also ask for suggestions either here or on the perennials forum for perennials that require less work if you like having perennials. Not all perennials need much work to look nice.

Hi all, I wanted to stop in to give a quick update, and to thank you all so much for your help & advice. For the time being, I've decided to hold off on purchases for the LR with the exception of a Roman shade (thanks for that suggestion!) on clearance at JCPenny, which came to under $50 with shipping. I think the Roman shade is soooo much better than the panels, and it never would have occurred to me on my own, so I particularly appreciate that input. I kept the furniture pretty much as is, and took folks' advice here about re-arranging some artwork. I also switched out the little desk table that was crammed between the couch & the wall for a smaller table I had on hand. I have a couple of rugs that might work for the LR, at least for the time being, but have not brought them back out yet. The rugs I have are rectangular. Do you think an oval rug would be better? It's still a work in progress, and there's still clutter. The clutter is getting better, but my life is still kind of in upheaval and the kitchen is not completely done, so there's paint and stuff around and I'm not so inspired to organize the place until I can organize ALL of it. When I decide it's time to invest, I may replace my couch with a smaller couch (or a love seat) and also buy a rug (if mine don't work.) Other than that, I'm pretty happy with the furniture and the layout, but with all your suggestions spinning around in my head, I may come around on some of that, eventually. So... this was supposed to be a quick update & I just wrote a novel... I'm still open to suggestions (even if I usually argue with them :) ) about the LR in general. I really do appreciate it, and even if I did come on here asking for advice & knocking it down one piece at a time, I really do appreciate it and think about it over time. ps: the tablecloth is temporary - workers have a way of putting their tools down on any flat surface, so it's to protect the wood (no, I'm still in love with wood.) :)

The blue-toned minty greens are not the right color with the yellow/orange-based red of cherry. You can see that the olive green in the slate looks great with the cherry and the rusty red of the floor tile. Don't introduce a new green with a different undertone. If you want to lighten it up and have it not read so green, try SW Marble Beige. The paint sample strips are great because it allows you to easily see the undertone. What you have now is closer to the Rainwashed strip--more blue than yellow.