Wow, Anne. I got to check out Dorothy Perkins, a fantastic once-bloomer that occasionally has a tiny bit of rebloom and is zone appropriate 4b and upward. The once-bloomer Turner's Crimson was also very lively. These must be great weepers/standards, I love their photos on HMF. Unfortunately I didn't know at the time that my hybrid tea tree roses I chose were actually zone 7b and they had fragile genes as well. But the great thing was that they bloomed like crazy no matter the condition of their foliage. I think the major difference is that the Burlington tree roses spend the winter in the greenhouse where there is light and warmth and can be carried back & forth. Mine stayed in the dungeon of my garage with no light and they were not carried back and forth if we ever got a warmer break in the weather. Not that this would have helped that much because our winter remained record-breaking cold anyway. But even a little bit of light and fresh air in February through March might have helped the tree roses a lot! Instead I waited until it was "safe" to bring them out. But I also think that non-stop rains are detrimental to my tree roses. The canker always starts right at the bud-union and spreads upwards on the stem or simultaneously down to the bud union and it always occurs when we get slammed with flooding rainstorms. This drives me crazy! If the canker had started on the upper portion of the stems, it would be a piece of cake to solve (you can easily prune and cut). But invading the bud union from the get-go is absolutely maddening! Next year when I restart my tree roses I will definitely carry them in and out of the garage more frequently and I will also start my severe pruning in winter instead of waiting until Spring. Veilchen, I checked David Austin's tree roses but the only ones they had were Austins and not the Old Garden Roses. Maybe one of these days David Austin will carry them perhaps? that would be nice.

Thanks for the tip. There's a company out of Manitoba (Heritage Seed) that sounds similar, and has been the source I've been using for my main garden crop for the past several years (not for the Choc. Cherry, I got those elsewhere). The two I've been happiest with are Stupice, a Czechoslovakian heirloom rated at 50 days, and Latah, developed at the University of Idaho and also rated 50 days from transplant. Stupice is indeterminant which I like, and it gives big production so I'm growing 6 of them. The Latah are determinant and just give one early flush, but I'm growing one plant of Latah just because last year it ripened several days ahead of Stupice (late July), and every day counts around here! Of course, if I was in a warmer climate I'd choose bigger-fruited, meatier varieties, but I've been burned doing that in some years and ending up with mostly green tomatoes.

Using exterior walls for storage does not bother me. I think your plan has plenty of windows and I don't really see it as an issue. If there was one place to add another window, it might be on the side of the master bedroom. However, that also depends on what you would be looking at from that side. I like windows if there is something to look at. If not, I find them expensive, a pain to decorate around, and even your most expensive window is probably not going to insulate as good as a wall. With you not showing any windows on that side, it makes me wonder if this was not intentional. There are a few areas that I would want to change: Laundry room location in relation to master bedroom. I get the impression that it is just you and your husband permanently living here and the extra bedrooms are for guests. I would rather have the laundry room closer to the master bedroom instead of having to trek across the house to it. Also, I can't see a door on it, but I am assuming it opens to that hallway. It looks a bit small. I would rather have a larger doorway here. I think if you will be carrying a large load across the house either in your arms or in a laundry basket, this would be even more important. Also, make sure to figure out where you are going to vent the dryer. Not a fan of the kitchen sink location. With that configuration, you might not be able to stand at the sink and have the DW open unless you were pressed right up against the sink. I can't see the drawing clearly enough to see if you have left room or not, but just something to be mindful about. Is the closet that shares a wall with the kitchen a pantry? If so, I would evaluate having a window in there. Which direction does this window face? Will this make the pantry hot? Are you using open shelving or closed cabinets. If closed cabinets, probably not as big of deal, but if open shelving, a window in a small room might not be best for foods that you want to keep in a dark, cool space. But then again, you are having a basement. What will you store where? Just a few things to think about. On that same note, if that is not your pantry, do your have another location in mind? Do you just plan to use your kitchen cabinets? Dining room and peninsula. What size dining room table are you going to have. Are there going to be seats at the peninsula? I would insert those into your drawing and make sure there will still be plenty of room for a traffic path between the great room, kitchen, path to garage, and guest hall. Even though you aren't going to be using the guess area much, the next owner might. I would suggest posting your kitchen and surrounding area layout to the kitchen forum to get some input now while you can still move walls.

Still can't find that article but I did find inspiration photos for you. Several of them show banquettes with angled corners and round or oval tables that I think would work well in your space. I have to echo what rhome said. We're not trying to be harsh but we do see errors in your plan that we think you'll regret and, as someone already pointed out, you did ask for feedback. Even the best plans can benefit from feedback and tweaks so please don't take the advice personally. Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen & Bath Ideas: banquettes