Let me add my bit to the confusion, My 'Archduke Joseph's parent plant came from Peter Beales. It looks like Daisy's plant, naturally, since they come from the same source, and also looks like the Vintage Gardens AJ photo and like Ann Chapman's AJ photos, both shown in links above. Jeri's first photo of 'Mons. Tillier' also looks like 'Archduke Joseph' as I know it, while the second photo shows a bloom much redder than anything I recall seeing on my plant, but we all know about the variability of color in Teas. Kippy's photo posted last November looks totally unlike my AJ. She herself says she thinks she has something else, but I'll describe the differences I see. My 'Archduke Joseph' has a flattish bloom with rounded outer petals, perhaps rolled but never forming that point that gives Kippy's flower a starry look. Her bloom is also much more full of petals, giving it a congested appearance, and is also paler than I generally see AJ and has yellow tints that I never see in this variety. 'Archduke Joseph' is NEVER yellow. Some further description of my 'Archduke Joseph' (I'm not saying that mine is the true variety, just that my plant is so and so): it's a large, vigorous, very healthy rose, never gets mildew, has red new growth and noticeably handsome leaden green foliage that persists in winter and turns a polished dark color. The flowers are fairly large, flattish, full, with often quilled inner petals, outer petals curved, cupped, and perhaps rolled, but not forming a point and so the flower doesn't assume a starry shape but is always rounded. The color is mixed shades of mostly orange and pink, medium intensity, sometimes lighter but always in that case in shades of cream, pink, and pale orange, never yellow; and I've never seen it red, either. I don't recall AJ being either noticeably thorny or thornless. I can't speak as to its habit, as mine has had to fight against a persimmon tree that has in time overgrown it and distorted its natural form, whatever that might be. As I've mentioned before, I decided to try forcing it to grow through the persimmon; currently AJ is about four meters tall and is peeping out through the top of the leafless persimmon, and as I write it has some blooms. I get the best view of them from my upstairs bedroom window. Melissa This post was edited by melissa_thefarm on Fri, Jan 16, 15 at 10:26

Someone recently showed pictures of B. Oldhamii producing seeds(Coolshare maybe??). Seeds produced from a known bamboo will sometimes produce new offspring with different characteristics from the parent plant. If you grow it from seed, an adult plant of B.lako, B. chungii, B. textilis, or D. asper Betung Hitam would be easy to distinguish since they all look very different as mature plants. It is interesting to hear of seeds from particular bamboos especially when it is isolated cases. They are probably mislabeled as you mentioned. It is difficult enough to find bamboo plants that are correctly labeled at nurseries that are not bamboo nurseries. Lowe's and Home Depot sell bamboo that is mislabeled regularly. Kt

I know that Linwood is along the west shore of Saginaw Bay near the famed cheeze towns of Piconning and such. It is at the northmost part of the Saginaw Valley and is more continental than most of Michigan. Since that would be a safe zone 5, I'd recommend only a few plants; any flowering plum, or cherry (especially dwarf trees) would be good along with a pussy willow or forsythia. If it was about mid April, the options would multiply significantly. You may want to check with Dow Gardens (in nearby Midland) they seem to have a phenominal selection of plants and would have an expert who could suggest something other than what I just did. A google search for Dow Gardens in Midland, MI would be a good start.

Sorry it took me so long to get back to this post! End of school year activities will really keep a parent busy! I spoke with some of the residents that live in the subdivision behind me and they are having all sorts of problems with their community pool cracking and shifting. It's not open for the season yet and they really don't know when it will be ready if at all this year. It's already in the mid 90's here and people need to be able to cool off! Hubby and I talked it over and I think we're just going to go with an above ground pool and dress it up with a full deck and landscaping. We have 6 acres and a great place off to the side to put the pool so it won't be sticking out like AG pools usually do. For now, we just got one of those quick set temporary pools from Wal-Mart. It's 24' and huge and we've got a guy coming in with a bobcat tomorrow morning to level out a spot for it. At least we'll be swimming in *something* this year!