My storage facility is so well organized it may take a couple of days to dig into where these MAY be located. They will not be tagged with part numbers so a picture would be helpful otherwise I will check the IPL for a look alike. Walt Conner wconner5 at verizon dot net

The 'Duchesse de Brabant" was a first runner up. About comparing personal observations with the results of the report, there is no possible comparison of the results of the referenced trial with results observed in a "good home." At least, that is certainly my impression of the trial. The roses were severely stress tested; the roses were not coddled in ANY way. As I read it: "Plants were provided with minimal amounts of water and fertilizer, no control for diseases and insects, and no grooming or deadheading." I think of it like being planted in a graveyard and subsequently being forgotten and untended for years. Surviving such conditions in Florida is quite a feat.

I admit my ignorance. Why would the popularization of KO's lead to RRD? I have had KO's for many years and love them. I like odd things in my garden too, but it's good to have a few bloomers that are as carefree and prolific as some annuals. To me the original hot pink single is the winner, although I also have blushing, rainbow and double. The flowers are bigger and brighter, contributing to the desired splash of color in the landscape. BB's here in Sanford have Weeks' Home Run. It is quite different from KO in form and has an American Beauty red color. It's completely BS free and blooms constantly. I've enjoyed mine. Lots of people at the garden center at Lowes think roses should look like roses, i.e. hybrid teas, but they have no idea what is involved in getting them to thrive. I've been buying Griffith Buck's from the lady at the Raleigh farmer's market. She'll tell you which ones are disease free. Earthsong and Prairie Harvest are, totally. I have a few Austins and they all have different issues, so it's great to have troopers like KO's and these others in the mix. Anyone know any others that are disease free? I might be off topic here. claire

We just built a walk out basement and love it! We came from Missouri so we were VERY accustomed to walk outs with the hills, but when we moved to Oklahoma, the land is just to flat. But we found a hill! Most people here have no idea what a walk out basement is until they see a picture. We have very young boys but I am not nervous about having the walk out. The deck is high but really the railing is tall and tight so I have no worries about them falling. I like having a level front yard and level backyard. Our landscaping is simple, we built a boulder retaining wall to hold back the dirt on one side of the house but the other side has a gentle slope so we just graded it off. Most people see the front of your house anyway and it just looks like a normal house. The basement ceiling is over 9ft and with huge windows so it is very bright open and doesn't feel like a basement at all. There is no doubt that we would do a walk out basement again. I love being able to access the backyard from the basement and having a patio and deck is nice. We planned the deck so we could add stairs from the deck to the backyard later if we decide to, but I like how useable the space is without stairs. The energy efficiency of the basement is so much better than a normal 2 story would be and we still get the space without a huge footprint.