I immediately thought of hoya - good choice for your light conditions, certainly could tolerate direct sun, plus would make a nice bold scuptural statement to go with those gorgeous pots. Hoya carnosa, the usual one, or perhaps the Hindu Rope Plant (don't know the Latin for that one offhand, sorry).

I wish I could help you, but I'm not familiar with those roses and whatever else you have in your pot ghetto. It's a nice bed, and I like the rock border, wish I had the time and energy to finish things off like that. If it were mine, I'd put a cascading rose in it that repeat blooms, can't think of any offhand. Then finish it off with some little plant that spills over the rocks but not too far like dichondra would, can't think of what plant would work. The only thing is that you've got some nice-sounding things behind the peony if I read it right, and they're all obscured by the main event. The peony is beautiful, and I'm not sure why you want to move it, but it's a one-time per year event and then just sits there not doing anything worth looking at. I do love peonies though. I've got a photo of a tree peony, I've looked everywhere, even asked Klehm's Song Sparrow to have a look at it. Nobody knows exactly what it is. I've seen a lot of beautiful ones, but none I like as well as that. Sorry I drifted OT. I just get to thinking and never know what's going to spill off my keyboard after I make my main comment.

Sorry for the absence, I was so busy yesterday. Okay, lots to digest here. I have to admit that I love how the chest looks in the foyer. I feel like it gives the foyer presence. I will try to move it into the living room to see how it looks there though. The bench with the mirror hanging above would look nice. I have the mirror on the floor in the dining room because I thought I would hang it above a buffet (once I can afford one). As far as the big painting in the corner of the LR, I can't figure out where to put that. In the old house it hung above my couch. I'm thinking of maybe hanging it above my bed now. It seemed too large for the corner space in the LR. I do have a lot of other paintings (mostly smaller ones) that I have to figure out where to hang. I'm so scared of making holes in my newly painted walls that I am having huge commitment issues!! It is so hard to decide what to put where and I tend to change my mind a lot ;) As far as the plant, I agree it is looking pretty sparse. It went into shock when we moved, I am trying to coax it back, it may take awhile though. Another question, do you think the painting is too small for over the fireplace? I also have these ceramic candleholders, would they look good on either side of the painting? Also, do you envision curtains or roman shades for this room? If we were in there at night, I would close whatever was there for privacy from the street. Thanks!

It's a very pretty tree. I have one in full shade and it's doing well. The only thing I'd caution is making sure to watch out for the effects of too much shade/moisture/humidity on these densely-growing dwarfs. If you live in an area with a very damp season, it can cause the interiors of dwarf cultivars to start showing a lot of leaf rot. I have a Kashima that, even in a mostly-sun position, struggles with this. I have to be careful to prune for better air circulation, or the whole tree looks ratty until we get into drier weather. Enjoy your new tree!