I've had Prosperity for years. It is only so-so (has a tea parent which struggle even to survive here) for me and does get big. On the other hand I had the opportunity to see Cliff Orent's collection of hybrid musks growing in his desert garden. Magnificent!!!! Loved Excellenz von Schubert with the gorgeous purply flowers. It loves it here. Will climb but seems easily contained. Mine is from Rogue Valley. Saw many Cliff had that I'd eventually like to get. There were quite a few of modest size. And you should have seen the HM area of his garden when in full bloom--it was a sight to behold. There are plenty of his pictures up on HMF of individual HM's, and if you look in the background you will see other hybrid musks. One that I loved is Omi Oswald. It is a single and a very pale yellow that fades to white in strong sun. The flowers have a nifty formation of stamens in the center that make the blooms look like hibiscus. Mine did shut down in the worst heat of the summer but the foliage continued to look great--even in my low-water garden. It is reblooming now. My plant is fairly young still, so my only guide to seeing it mature was at Cliff's, where it made a beautiful mound of color, about the size you want. Here's a picture on HMF: http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=21.169796 Another that I saw at Eurodesert that was just stunning was Heavenly PInk. It stays small too and what a mass of color it made. Melissa Here is a link that might be useful: Heavenly Pink on HMF

leo_prairie_view, I was curious where you are that you would say "our winters that are really winters", so I peaked at your bio. MANITOBA!!! ZONE 2B!!! Your winter wonderland is beautiful but... not for me! Snow and icy cold is long ago and far away for me. Being one who shivers in August eating ice cream, I like my climate just fine. The seasons change here ... a little ... enough. I'm just greedy and spoiled. I like beautiful ALL the time. And I just recently discovered winter gardening when we can grow things like hollyhocks and larkspur that would melt in the hot months. We have wonderful gullywashers and thunderboomers that shake the house regularly from June through October (but not so much this year.) We are mostly green most of the year. February is our dreariest month but don't tell the snowbirds. The bad part of winter is losing daylight savings time when it gets dark at 6pm. It's awful to have to go in while the temperature is so nice. My DH just moved our lamp post from the front to the back yard, so now I can garden under the lights! (Haven't yet though.) But the days are getting longer. It's light till 6:15 now! Did I say I like green? I love everything to be green - evergreen and not just pine trees. I love my Chinas and Teas, and though I never thought about climbers being a problem is colder areas, I will love having big, blooming climbers (they haven't arrived yet.) It's amazing how MANY classes of roses we CAN'T grow here! But until this year I didn't know we could grow ANY! Thanks to this Forum I have a rose garden that will bloom practically year round. I never paid much attention to roses and plants up in SW Conn. But now it looks so strange and even shocking to see photos of leafless rose bushes and bare twigs wrapped around arbors in snowy winter scenes. It's amazing what longitude and latitude does and how what grows in a place can thrive in that place because it's adapted perfectly. That way we can ALL like our climate because we adapt, too. We can't complain too much about what we can't grow because we're busy growing what we CAN grow. Once you get used to the heat, it's not too bad. And mid-October is wonderful when the humidity just goes away ... Sherry

I have Juno and I really like them. Make sure you look at the features, which I didn't know to ask about but I lucked out anyway. Ask what types of bulbs you can use, if they are compatible with CFLs should you decide to go with those in the future, even if you don't intend to now. They are getting better all the time. One feature that came up here was someone who felt hers were too glaring and I was able to fix that on mine by recessing the bulb deeper into the fixture, but they do need to be adjustable that way, and I am not sure if all of them are. So, the more versatile bulbs you can use, and fixture and dimmer that are also compatible with CFLs (I like to have options), a variety of trim pieces available so you can alter/update the decor if you want, and a fixture widely adjustable to recess the bulb or make it flush with the ceiling depending on your lighting needs and comfort. Sue

@falusiaa I know this thread is a few years old now but did you end up getting your floors reinstalled? We're looking at having this exact same floor installed in our home- Maxwell unfinished engineered white oak in select grade. Have you been happy with it? Did you apply a stain or go with the natural finish? Like you, we are opting for a bit more modern and don't want the knots and character defects that make it a little more rustic. Thanks!