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Sam, Clement, Resin and bboy, thank you very much for your answers. All three P. menziesii should be of almost exactly the same age. Is it a possibility that genetic variances between them caused one's bark to mature faster? It is quite likely that the third one is P. pinaster since that tree used to be planted on small scale for forestry around where I live. Thank you for the compliment, Sam. :) Taxus baccata is a conifer which is wild growing here anywhere; presumably because of its extensive use for hedges. Close to the one I found were numerous "normal" (single coloured, dark green ones) so this one catched my eye immediately. This one has smaller, more sickle shaped leaves which are green on the inside and bright-yellow across their edges. This post was edited by liopleurodon on Fri, May 17, 13 at 5:23

Thanks everyone! We're really, really excited about the move. The house is right over the NH border and about 30 min. to portsmouth. My husband and I are really "outdoorsy" and the area sounds perfect. We were in Japan for 4 years, and yes, their kitchens are awful. I LOVE to cook, and it was a challenge to say the least to cook in that tiny, badly-laid-out kitchen. The OTR micro will be going, and we'll install an outside vent if there isn't already one (it's an exterior wall). I like the colors of the cabinets and floors, so that will stay, but definitely new counters. I'm not sure what yet...I kind of picture something lighter, like a light granite or maybe copper or zinc. We're very much DIYers, and might do concrete (we've done it before). We'll also pull out the fridge surround so that it actually covers the sides of the fridge. I'd like to change out the appliances for stainless, but it isn't a priority and might not happen. Also, maybe new hardware on the cabs? Like nickle cup pulls for the drawers, etc? Overall, the house is very well built and spacious, and we can tone down the country without too much trouble. Those pendents are leather, and will be changed out for something more like this: Actually, most of the lighting has a moose motif, and will be changed. The challenge will be keeping true to the style of the house and still giving it a more modern sensibility. My style is more fun/eclectic/bright than this house, with white trim, but I'm going to keep the stained because it's well-done and there's a ton of it. We'll only be there a few years, so I can't make it too wacky. :-) Once we get there and get a better idea of how it reads in person, I'll get more photos up and get some advice on how to proceed with the de-moosing of the house.

This is very likely another case of "location, location, location", Jackie. First Prize was the darling of the exhibitors who infamously sprayed everything. It required it in many cases as it has little resistance to black spot and mildew. It was infamous for mildew and for passing that along to its offspring. Your friend's bush was fortunate to be planted in a supportive location where those two fungal issues aren't likely to be successful. It was also fortunate not to have been "exhibition pruned", whacked within an inch of its life, to continually push long new stems for exhibition. Generally, the larger the foliage mass, the larger the root mass, both of which produce a vigorous, healthy plant. Constantly whacking it back to a small plant so it has to push those new flowering stems eventually weakens the plant. Probably the best example I can point to for this is how Iceberg performs in Southern California. If Iceberg is allowed to grow to the size it wants to be, it's often very healthy with only a little mildew on the new flowering stems. Plants which are routinely whacked to keep them smaller, frequently black spot badly and require spraying for it. It's also entirely possible this plant is closer to the climbing sport than others may have been. Often "climbing" and "bush" types aren't an either/or situation, but rather points on a continuum, producing a wider range of levels of vigor than you might imagine. This plant benefited from being planted in a good place and receiving treatment that supported its success. That's often the situation when we find roses which have succeeded surprisingly well.