Hi Krista, I don't remember whether Peach Blossom had a strong fragrance, and especially after a while there, it gets harder and harder to be distinct about fragrances, everything starts to blend together after smelling dozens of roses! I do have Peach Blossom listed in one of the older David Austin books, the 1996 edition of David Austin English Roses. This is the description: Peach Blossom produces a profusion of dainty, semi-double flowers of blush colouring, on fairly upright bushy growth. The individual flowers do not really resemble those of a peach as they are much larger, but there is certainly something blossom-like in the massed effect. Repeat flowering is good, but you may choose to forego the later blooms in favour of the multitude of hips produced in autumn, if it is not deadheaded after its first flowering" His "overall assessment" is 3 stars, but for fragrance he gives it only 2 stars, so I wouldn't expect a very strong fragrance. It's breeding is The Prioress x Mary Rose. In 100 English Roses for the American Garden, Clair Martin says: Clusters of long, pointed yellow-apricot buds open to semi-double, iridescent flowers of pale pink with yellow centers and bright golden stamens. As they age, the ruffled and notched blooms fade to the palest white-pink, and then to vanilla white. A sweet musky perfume completes the picture. Individual flower life is as brief as a breeze, but the reward comes in the nearly continuous bloom once the bush is established... So, a moderate musky scent it seems! Cheers, robert

If one BBQ's one is standing. Therefore the users are not expected to sit on the floor. Therefore part walls could be built and the inner 2/3's (or all or part) of the wall could swing up into the roof rather than to the side. I would run planed 1x6 or 8 cedar fencing material, vertical rather than horizontal.. horizontal makes the eye look past side to side, vertical makes the eye go up to the architecture and is simpler to 'batten' as a construction. Weight is everything. Mylar windows, etal. This would save labour of fasting and removing and would also facilitate inner sliding windows that could move/remove, etc. I do not know the climate or wind factor... though I would use 6x6 rounded or eased edge (keeping the inside squared for fastening but eased, outside rounded) --stained walnut/pecan, add a few drops of deep red... then blowtorch a part of it in the stressed, adzed marks. On the other hand, use irregular shaped treetrunks, attach a 1x6 to one side squared to center of post, then saw the inner edges for the inset slides.. then switch to the cut side rim off irregularities.. this way outside is rustic inside is squared but rustic. To get straight edge that lines up, sight with laser or the old way, chalk or dip in water-trough so points match up for base and top for beaming and roof building. Then use natural oils for the outside finish, leave bark in places, find trunks with insect cavities... gaps between the window tracks are plastered, the windows then are not equal in width, and this way, if one is hung lower than the next the windows/walls can lift up and lie uniform on the ceiling for 'finish texture'. Shin because of eating in the open, rustic inner roof with spider webs may be to natural. Much depends on the inside pattern of the inner roof, whether beaming shows or a pattern is marqueed into the roof between supports. What 'rustic' do you wish for? Over design the building Don... then simplify, and continuing to simplify until you reach the simplicity you wish to have people feel relaxed to what degree. imo, edzard

Isle2isle, thanks for trying. The basalt that we selected is truly gray. In my mind's eye I had envisioned the gray working well with the nutty brown of the walnut, and our terrazzo is so busy that I was hopeful the solid color countertop would enhance the floor, not fight with it. It was really so silly of me to forget that our rent house kitchen lighting is nothing like what we will have in our remodeled home. I have found that with every decision we made I panic when things are about to be finalized. DH is very patient with me and I think he's also sure I'll eventually come back to what we originally selected. Whew. Chicagoans, I love Sochi's kitchens, both new and old. Her countertop on the walnut is gorgeous. I love the green highlight paint and even looked at that color in caesarstone yesterday against our walnut sample - not my style, but very vibrant! It is the terrazzo in my house that is driving a lot of these decisions - it's got a lot of movement, so we need a super quiet countertop.

Last update? I'm having to take on additional responsibilities at work in this fiscal year and will have less time for posts. ("up or out" LOL) Happened to be over there yesterday, and although mostly losing my sweet tooth, decided I could not resist some ice cream at the Creamery. The Emmenopterys is dead. The Osmanthus X fortunei, though, was full of fragrant flowers and in great shape. I don't know why they are bothering with this Trachy...another polar vortex winter will take it out. Especially because they didn't give one of the most sheltered spots. The moment I saw this, I thought, "omg, is that what I think it is?" And, it is. I would never steal anything...and I certainly wouldn't be updating this thread if I were planning to do so! But this is the rarest plant in this garden...rarer than the Emmenopterys in my opinion, and I'm a little surprised they didn't plant it in a more hidden spot for it to size up. Ladies and gentlemen, the elusive Torreya jackii.Looks grown from seed to me...thinking the needles will get longer. Debated about featuring but already established that there are rare plants in this garden last year, and in other threads over the years. I think plant collectors are mostly an honest lot? Hope so...if it does well in this garden, cutting material will be available in a few years. The wet summer has allowed their Camellia yuhsienensis to size up and finally look really happy. This plant has been struggling for years but more from neglect I think. It is very hardy and was in full bloom only a couple weeks after the polar vortex freezes ended...way before even 'Korean Fire'. I want one eventually, but am happy enough to have a hybrid of it, 'Dream Angel', that has similarly tough ability to bloom in a real mid-atlantic winter. This is the base of their Quercus virginiana...and sorry to say, looks like 2013-2015 and January 2018 have finished this guy off. Top looks very sparse. I guess they are giving it one more year in case a miracle happens LOL. (spoiler alert...they don't) I've decided I like the look of the variegated Illicium - kinda like a poor man's version of the variegated Daphniphyllum, which is very difficult to graft and may just be too weak to survive in most of the mid-Atlantic. Didn't wade in for a closer pic because I bet this place is teaming with Ixodes. I wonder why this Magnolia macrophylla looks sickly. Chlorosis? They have several but this one is the worst looking. Saw them back in the summer...had never actually been around that species in bloom. The floral odor is indeed disagreeable. Not a good picture but a nice combination of 2 Cephalotaxus and Thujopsis. Finally, nice to see Acer griseum but too bad they let the trunk do this.