Elephant ear or Japanese Aralia for middle-height surrounding the trees. You will most likely have to cut back the bananas after the first freeze, but they will come back. Something low & colorful in front (not sure what grows well in your area) - even a flowering groundcover would work. Go perennial & you'll thank yourself later! Or, hydragea's all around! You seem to have a green thumb for them! Canna's have a sloppy habit IMO.

I have my mom's Pyrex mixing bowls and casserole dishes. I have the primary color set and several other patterns. I also have an old Sunbeam hand mixer that we used when I was a kid to make cookies and brownies. A white glass mixing bowl with a spout that used to go with the vintage stand mixer; I've lost the larger bowl that fit on it. I also have many pots/pans/dishes from the cornflower blue collection of corning ware. I also have about three of the translucent white glass with gold rims cups and saucers my grandmother had. I remember my mom and grandmother sitting down at the kitchen table and drinking coffee from them, using the sugar bowl and creamer. No one drinks coffee like this anymore. I used to have the Pyrex flame glow (I think) coffee pot that you put on the stove, that dripped the coffee from the top through the tube. I recall my mom taking a needle and cleaning out the coffee grounds from the metal filter. It broke. I love all those things...old Pyrex is almost indestructable. Oh....and a few of my mom's handwritten recipes on index cards. I have them tacked to the inside of my cabinets. I have an old Oster blender with the square glass jar. It still works. My mom never had cook books....she cooked all her own recipes, written down on those index cards. Oh,...one more thing....I have a paring knife my mom used so much that the cutting edge is curved. I still use it to cut up strawberries and such.

Have no fear , help is on the way. Ok I see this looks like a family/ entertainment/ Super Bowl/ patio BBQ/ 4th of July room, correct? Let's start with a color theme. That baby powder area rug and lamps should go in your bedroom or on Craigslist. The secret to figuring out your color is to find contemporary landscapes or abstract paintings that you can live with for the next 5yrs, then pull the strongest color out from that painting. This would be your start, after you purchase your new neutral colored sofa and love seat, or a small sectional. Take your strong color and buy 8-10 accent pillows. Lets say your colors are sage green, or gold this will be the colors for both your a accent pillows and contemporary lamps. Maybe floor lamps would help. Replace the (Sweet) fire place sign with a large landscape that you purchase. I prefer family photos in the office or bedrooms, and replace them with accessories, from Ross, Marshalls, or Pier 1. on the fire place mantels. Ceramic places, sculptures, etc. I agree with (jck910) A large contemporary area rug would make this room pop. Buy a large ottoman along with your sofa / love seat purchase. Make sure the rug goes along with your color theme. A mirror over the fire place won't work in this room. Then you'd have your house guest touching up their hair and make up while you're trying to watch the game. I just noticed the curtains. You could take that dark green and go from there with your color them. Last but not least, throw a large banana plant in one of the corners. Just my 2 cents

Hottina, Garden Web might be able to help you:)