"What an interesting developments so are the leaves just vestigial leftovers with little purpose?" Yep! Not sure they're even photosynthetic. "So I guess the proto-Conifer would have had needle leaves for sure?" Reasonable to assume, yes. All the various conifers with scale-leaves (cypresses, etc., etc.) all start off with needles in their juvenile phase, no conifer with needles starts off with scale leaves. So scale leaves are the derived feature, and needles the basal. It can however work the other way, e.g. Juniperus communis has gone back to needles, losing the scale leaves that its more immediate ancestors had. "Are all the phyllocladus confined to southern Britain" More western, than southern. They'll grow OK in e.g. western Scotland, and better there than in the southeast. "Same with sciadopitys, right?" Maybe; the precise derivation of its foliage is AFAIK still uncertain. "What other conifers are like this?" None. Unless one can argue a case for freak mutations like Cryptomeria japonica 'Cristata'. Resin

Wow, Marlorena! Your garden is beyond the beauty of every English garden in every book on my shelf!! I CAN almost smell the aroma. Thank you so much for sharing those amazing images. Someone should publish a book of all the incredible photos on this forum. Just for the record, the rosenapping plot for your 'Mme. Lauriol de Barny' is still on. I just need to devise a way to cross the entire contiguous US and the vast Atlantic Ocean. :-) Carol

I have grown the Brother for over 20 years. I have had PA of K since it was first released in the US. I grow roses in a very different zone than you. So if there is someone out there who grows them in your climate conditions, I would take their advice. I love the Brother. His scent is to die for. It will make you swoon! He gets over 10 feet tall in my garden and I cut back the flowers (after the first flush) quite severely in order to keep him in a manageable height. He grows straight up for me on stiff canes. He does appreciate afternoon shade (as do most Austins in my yard). It gets hotter than Hades here in the summer (about 110--116 F) for several months. When it is that hot, not too many roses bloom in my garden. They shut down as they are just trying to survive. The first year I had PA of K, I read the description on the DA website and doubled the size I thought she would get. Ah, no. She (first year own root) grew over 7 feet tall. I had her in a bed on my front walkway and she would just about eat people alive as they walked down it. I moved her to the back, where she got full sun all day long and she hated it. I finally moved her again where she gets some shade and she is again coming into her own. Love her pink/coral colored blooms. They are huge (bigger than my hand) and have a lovely scent. BTW, she will sulk a bit when you move her. She can have a bit of a Princess attitude. However, she is a great and beautiful rose. She does love to be the center of attention. Her growth is not as straight as the Brother, but she does have some length on her. Again, this is in my zone which is very different than yours. I would place her where she gets some afternoon shade as well. As with most Austins, they love, love, love water! Mine are on drip so they are able to drink up the water with their thirsty roots without any interference. They also love fertilizer too.

Thank you! I am trying to collect some roses that need no spray here with super heavy blackspot pressure. Olivia rose also needs no spray here. I am not sure if you are growing her, but I would highly recommend her. Her scent is mild but definitely there.