I also had Summer Song on order from Hortico so I wonder what the final story will be on that one. If you want to import roses from Europe, you will probably need an import permit and a quarantine area. The deal is that Canada can import from at least some European suppliers without the import restrictions. That is probably why it is easier to get some European roses more easily from Canada. Whatever the truth is, I am sure that I will have to wait to see what happens with my order. I have Benjamin Britten. It makes a big octopus shrub. It does bloom reasonably well. The flowers for me are small, only about 3 inches in diameter at their largest. The color when it first opens is almost a vermillion red color, but it fades to a deep almost watermelon pink. It does have some fragrance, but it is quite disease-prone in my yard, along with all the others. If you want this one, give it room. It can get anywhere from 6 to 10 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet wide. I will say that for the most part, it does not have much problem being hardy. It also seems to bloom better if you prune it hard in the spring. I whack mine off to between 2 and 3 feet in the spring just to keep it in line.

deereyebrow, my zone 3 summers generally are not overly hot, though there are exceptions. In my experience, if kept well watered, the large flowered types take the heat in stride and I believe it's no different for the sieboldii's As for other top favorites of mine, here's some in no particular order: Perle d'Azur Marie Cornelia ... a very nice small flowered white, though blooms on this one can be rather easily damaged Romantika ... a beautiful variety, though mildew prone Viola Barbara Harrington Prince Charles Victoria Jackmanii Superba Semu Princess Diana nhbabs ... snowfall in my region is rather reliable with constant coverage being commonplace, this is very beneficial when bitter cold descends. Other than being deeply planted (4 inches down and about 8 inches away from the cement foundation) the plants are not given any extra winter protection other than what snow might fall upon them. I do not hill them up with soil for winter, as the root zone is warm and this would cause tender new growth to push up through the mound of soil. As a side note, I've been growing clematis for nearly 35 years and have never noticed any problem associated with being planting near to a cement foundation, at least that's been my experience. Terrance

I'm not sure that these would interest you but I walked into Schoolhouse Electric the other day and saw some lights that I wouldn't have given a second thought to but for having seen soonermagic's pendants. They are old but cylinder-shaped. The link is below. Here is a link that might be useful: Schoolhouse Electric pendant light shade

Mila - sounds like you have a plan, and I know what you mean about not wanting to wait to follow through on your plan. There's always room for more roses if you get creative! Glad the pictures helped you get tempted - they're all great climbers and you can't go wrong with any of the three you mentioned. Summers - for sure you'd have to finagle a way to attach the canes to the trees, and that's getting way too close to Quadra for my skin's sake. He's big and thorny, and between two trees he'd be just waiting to pounce. For sure you'd need another kind of support in addition to the trees, or he'd be flopping on your other roses as you mention. I used to grow my Quadra as a free-standing bush and he was at least 7' wide and aggressive with space. Can you stretch some sort of trellis or arch between the trees for extra support? He might not bloom as much in part shade beneath trees, but I'm all for giving it a try if that's where he is. I have Veilchenblau beneath a huge oak tree and it's pretty impressive (though it doesn't want to climb). Cynthia