Hello Ingrid, I grow them both, though I've had William Shakespear, the original for about 4 years and WS 2000 for only one year thus far. Clair Martin, Curator of Roses at the Huntingdon Botanical Garden; in his 1997 book, 100 English Roses for the American Garden, wrote the following about the original William Shakespear: "The repeat bloom is good, From time to time, this cultivar will produce a flower with what looks like a notch cut out of the side of the bloom, which gives a kidney shape to the open flower. This is attributed to too many petals in the bud, which causes the calix to split. Not that much of a problem, but the defect is asthetically noticeable." I have never seen a defective bloom on my copy in four years and it blooms a lot for an Austin. Mind you, I live in a very harsh winter climate and my plant hasn't grown much over half a metre, though it is reasonably vigorous and as I say produces quite a lot of bloom with good repeat. The flowers are darker with more of a purple cast than WM 2000 for me as I hope you can see in the photo below. They are also devastatily, ravishingly, wonderfully fragrant all the time even in the heat of summer. The plant is very upright with single blooms on the end of the canes in the Hybred Tea style under my growing conditions. http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa146/rideauroselad/Roses07/DSCF0046.jpg William Shakespear 2000, is also fragrant, reblooms quite well, has more quartered flowers and is a shrubbier and bushier plant here. It stays about the same size in zone 4b, about half a metre. http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa146/rideauroselad/Roses07/DSCF0040.jpg Another shot of William Shakespear ( the original ) Both are good plants, two of the best reds I grow in fact. But the original just tugs my heart a little harder for some reason. I suspect the lack of spit calyx flowers as Jerri describes might be due to less favourable growing conditions in my climate. This rose is said to grow to 6 feet or over in a warm climate such as California or Australia. So there you have my take, don't know if it helps. http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa146/rideauroselad/Roses07/DSCF0041.jpg William Shakespear 2000

I have searched online and if you are using milk gallon containers you do not cover them or put the lids on them. The top is left open. I have had success with winter sowing in gallon jugs. In Spring you can peel back the lid as the weather warms during the days but cover again when temperatures drop at night. I always watered through the bottom and no seeds floated away. I have never had anything blow into the tiny pouring hole. You can sow seeds into open planters as well but I think you would loose seed to them washing away with a heavy snow. The slugs are more of a problem in summer for me. I think it all works well. It was a great thing to learn. I had some things that did not sprout but I am blaming human error. I do not think I had enough media in some of my containers. Good luck!

Range is about 2 years old. Oven burner stopped working, but broiler burner still works, and all 5 surface burners work. Has anyone had similar problem?

Also, if I decide to go side by side, what do you recommend for raising the pair up say 18-20" off the floor? I was thinking sturdy bakers rack, with 1/2 plywood inserted over the wiring shelf floor. There are also even sturdier "steel garage shelving" rated like a ton per shelf but looks a bit too industrial, edges might be sharp...