When I got bands last year, a few had this "odd" look -- and as I think of it now, all of those were of roses that grow as climbers. If you think about how the outer tips of climbers look, you'll recognize that brown piece as coming from 1-2 year old wood, perhaps from a lateral. It's like rooting cuttings of a tree -- you'll be using the outer tips rather than any thick stems from further down. And on a climber, those "outer tips" will seem far "twiggier" than the ends of an often-pruned shrub. When it starts to grow, it's as though the cells are still "programmed" to grow the way they would at the tips of the climber. Those thin bits of new growth will feed the plant, and then when it has the reserves to do so, it will push a new, thick cane from the roots, looking more like the substantial growth at the base that you expect to see. THEN it will look like a baby climber, and by next year, you can trim off those thin "feeder stems. If you're accustomed to bands of shrubbier roses, keep in mind that when they're pruned for cuttings, they'll often be pruning canes. Repeat-blooming climbers, on the other hand, usually have most of their canes left alone, and just their laterals or the tips of the canes trimmed -- and those are the pieces which will be used for cuttings. At least, that's what I noticed with non-climber bands from Heirloom -- and RVR and Long Ago Roses and Vintage Gardens. Most of those bands appeared to have been rooted from cane cuttings, rather than lateral cuttings. Unfortunately, my 'Jaune Desprez' didn't make it through the crazy Winter we had, but I do still have some pics to show you how mine grew. Here it is the day it arrived, just after I repotted it, April 26, 2013. Doesn't it look like it was a rooted lateral? Here it is again June 2, 2013. I put some tree twigs in the pot for support, but you can still see the original part of the rose. It sprouted a few more leaves, but didn't really grow longer. But those leaves fed the plant, and on the left side you can see a thick, new shoot coming from the roots. Here it is again June 13, 2013. Note that the original piece hasn't grown much, but that thick new shoot sure has. July 8, 2013 -- that new shoot just kept growing, and started branching. The original piece, however, mostly just sat there and fed the plant. When I planted it and trained it onto a tree (August 10, 2013), all the substantial growth continued from that new thick cane. You can see the original stems did grow a little more, but gradually it faded away. September 6, 2013 -- that thick new cane continued to branch and grow... September 28, 2013 My 'Orfeo' and 'Nouveau Monde' grew about the same way -- thin, twiggy original cuttings simply fed the plant, and then new, thick canes shot from the base. If you put a nice mix of organic nutrients into your potting soil, and give your baby plenty of sun and water, you'll soon see more of what you expect as "normal" growth starting fresh from the roots. Good luck! I wish I still had my 'Jaune Desprez' but I think expecting a newly-planted Tea-Noisette to survive one of the worst Winters in years in an area that was already on the edge of its hardiness was just asking too much. I've since replaced it with 'Baltimore Belle' in the same spot -- which, incidentally, is starting a second flush of flowers now. :-) ~Christopher

What sort of finish are you planning for that undersurface? It has to be fireproof to a certain degree, so check to see what exactly is required by your local code. Some folks use Hardibacker cement board and tile it. We built an all-plywood hood and tiled it. Some folks have a big piece of stainless custom-formed to fit. Tile, plaster, etc, has to be finished before sliding the insert up into it so that the edges are covered nicely. Depending on the brand & model of your insert, you might find it helpful to use the 2-3" rectangular liners they often sell along with the inserts, which gives you a nice stainless-lined rectangular opening. But you'll need to decide what the underside is going to look like: tile? Plaster? Your inspiration photo looks like it's 'tiled' with mortar and stone. Good luck and looking forward to seeing the finished project!

Thank you all for your very immediate responses, I think I'm convinced crepuscule is the way to go - 2 1/2 metres tall by 4 long (cimmaron above) is ok, it'll at least get up the top of the arch and its length should cover over. Or maybe I could plant it sideways! Joking, of course. and a bit of B.S., a bit's not a bother. On the Banksian, I knew it was big rose, really too big for the average archway and that I'd I have to prune away each year and that it isn't recurrent, so I think I'll repot that one and keep it for another spot somewhere. Thanks again and good gardening to all.

A top down / bottom up shade might work actually....I have to look at it today with that in mind. All of the other windows have cellular blinds which are older and worn out and some are non-functioning or poorly functioning and one window definitely doesn't have a blind at all. I don't really like the idea of frosted film simply because we actually like to look out that window to check weather or look for daddy doing yard work or the neighborhood cat, etc. I feel like it would be a major loss if the window was obscured all the time. I agree that maybe painting the shutters white would look better. There is a lot of natural mid to dark wood throughout the house so its safe to say the previous owner really liked that look. We tend to go for lighter, brighter neutral with pops of color. I honestly had no idea about an ornamental leaded design......but I could see that possibly working after I searched some ideas. And yes, that is the stupidest place to put a bathroom. I have no idea what they were thinking. I think it would make a nice little office though, looking out on the front yard. I'd put built in shelves on the back wall so that's all you'd see when you looked in the window from the street.