I remove the worst of the old leaves. They'll lay against the ground and just keep looking worse if you don't. My helleborus hybridus are in almost full shade and still bloom. They get only a little dappled light. I do have some h. foetidus that get quite a bit of morning sun and they do ok too. I haven't tried planting any in full or even half sun. Razorback - your member page doesn't say where you are. Are your summers hot? I live in Missouri like Eden and we have lots of 90 degree days in the summer here and some triple digits. I doubt I would move mine from shade since I have a lot trouble finding things that will grow under my trees and compete with the tree roots as successfully as hellebores do. I love my shade garden but have trouble getting things to grow there without a lot of pampering. I might try planting some seedlings in sun though if it would make them grow a little faster. Eden - Hope you get some blooms next time. They grow painfully slow but worth the wait I think. I enjoy the healthy green foliage in winter when we have some days that are nice enough to get out and walk around the yard as we often do, even in January. Where are you in Missouri? If you're in or near the Ozarks, check out the Ozarks Region gardening forum here. There have been some beautiful photos posted lately of fall foliage and such. Since you like roses, be sure and check out Kaye's albums. Here is a link that might be useful: Ozarks Region Gardening Forum

How about a very dark espresso brown? Have heard on this forum that BM Bittersweet Chocolate is a good colour.

Nymommy, the floors are indeed old-- original heart of pine from a neighbor's house. I got it for free as they were pulling theirs out to put in all new hard wood floors. It is great because I needed to replace the floor in my kitchen-- brick "tile" over original hardwood-- and I was pretty stumped on how I would find wood that matches the rest of my house. the neighbor's wood is slightly narrower than the wood in the rest of the house, but the color and the "character" (i.e., dents, etc.) matches up perfectly. People may notice the difference in width, but it isn't something that keeps me up nights! It feels good to reuse!

I would advise using something more of a "color" in a room that doesn't get much natural light. The reason the room looks dark or dingy is in part that the pale color is not strong enough enough in low light and it fades out. Since you will be using a lot of artificial lighting, I assume, I find yellows difficult. Look at real estate photos, particularly for yellow rooms lit only by artificial light, and the effect is often unexpected or unpleasant. I think this is because of the variation of color given off by lightbulbs.