Nastarana, I have a grafted Buttercup which I ordered from Hortico nearly three years ago. I have kept it in a large pot that is in a location that receives only half a day of sun. I like this rose quite a lot. It will get a little black spot in my hot and humid zone 9 climate, but I do not spray for diseases at all. Since mildew is rarely a problem here, I cannot tell you about that. It blooms quite regularly, with only a slight pause between flushes. I haven't grown Graham Thomas for over a decade (and that was in another garden), but I think that Buttercup's flowers have fewer petals and are a little bit lighter in color than Graham Thomas. Buttercup's flowers will fade to either a soft yellow or a cream color before the petals drop, depending upon the time of year. This rose will continue blooming during the hottest part of the summer here, although the flowers will be smaller. My plant has an upright habit, with the majority of the canes growing upright and a few on the outer part of the plant arching outward, but still the plant is taller than it is wide. My plant is currently about 4 - 5 feet tall and 3 - 4 feet wide. Obviously, my zone is much different than yours, and I have no idea how Buttercup would perform for you.

Another fan of Miss Marple! I am talking about the BBC series with Joan Hickson as Miss Marple, cause there have been some others that aren't as good. The gardens in that series are always gorgeous too. Oh, if only I could have lots of balmy rain and no 5-below days, then I too could have roses like Miss Marple's, dash it all. But I digress. I love Downton, but, really, the kitchen? I could not work there. Cramped cellar-like space, no exhaust fan or high-btu cooktop. But mostly, I am always surprised at how shabby the Downton Abbey kitchen is, from the pots and pans, to the rickety shelves, to the grimy walls. So, no, I am not a fan of Downton's kitchen! Love the rest of it though. Here is a link that might be useful: BBC series with Joan Hickson as Miss Marple This post was edited by shannonplus2 on Fri, Dec 14, 12 at 20:54

Ach! To think that I didn't mention Scout Finch (from my all-time favorite book) or Jane Eyre...I am slipping. Anne Elliot, Caddie Woodlawn: Rosefolly, you and I read a lot of the same books. I didn't learn to appreciate Anne Elliot until much later, though. And Judy Bolton! Many girl readers thought Nancy Drew was the heroine to follow through however-many-beaucoup mysteries she solved. She was blonde; had an adoring father, a blue roadster, and an ever-ready boyfriend; and she never aged. Good gravy, but I think I realized, even as an adolescent, that Nancy was unreal. Judy Bolton, on the other hand, could solve mysteries, and she grew up, changed, and even got married. She was a multi-faceted, real character in a way that Nancy never was and never would be. Rosefolly, like you, for a while I wanted to be Judy. Hmmm, ladyrose, Caroline Meeber is an interesting choice. It's been too long since I last read Sister Carrie, so about all I can recall of her is that she made Scarlett O'Hara seem like a rank amateur in the collecting of men. Scarlett, after all, married three times; Carrie dispensed with marriage. Maybe it was the ending of Sister Carrie that left me feeling a little out of sorts with its protagonist -- she came to the conclusion that art was preferable to materialism; but by that time she was so doggone jaded and I was too! What have I forgotten about Carrie, ladyrose?

Persuasion is my favorite, too. I love the theme of second chances in a life that has turned out to be disappointing. It has a bittersweet quality that has always appealed to me. Having said that, I really do like them all. Mansfield Park is fascinating to me. Some of the moral issues that are being weighed in the book seem trivial to modern sensibilities, others are timeless; but I like its exploration of what it is that makes a good person, and how easily the world overlooks these true qualities. Northanger Abbey is the lightest novel she wrote. If you grew up reading Victoria Holt and similar writers as I did, you will laugh at this wonderful spoof of the gothic novel, popular in Austen's day as well as the 1960's and 70's. Sense and Sensibility is a story of two sisters who embody the extremes of a debate going on in Austen's own time. Marianne (Sensibility) stands for the Romantic movement, all emotion and aesthetic experience and the sublime experience of nature. Elinor (Sense) expresses the values of the Enlightenment, self-discipline, prudence, knowledge, and moral virtue. Each one has something the others lack, and in the story, they both learn this. I love this book, too. Emma you already know, a story of just how wrong an intelligent, overly confident young woman can be. And Pride and Prejudice you are reading now. I'm thinking that pretty soon it will be time for me to re-read Austen yet again. Rosefolly