Debbie, I'm fortunate that I have WAY too many roses to get unduly attached to most of the individuals. I have a few, though, that would just about kill me to lose. It is those that I will continue to work to distribute to insure that they are not lost. For example, I have at least two rooted cuttings of 'Dancing Doll' in my workshop right now ... sister seedling to 'Renae', and DD is a better rose in my garden, IMO. Few people have heard of it. Another rose is my own foundling, "Tidewater Trail", a very nice dark red Hybrid China that resembles 'Cardinal de Richelieu'. The mother plant showed RRD growth when I last checked on it ... it's behind a tall fence with big "No Trespassing" signs now, so I don't know it's current condition. I lost my original plant to a yard worker's negligence, and Robert gave me his plant when he shared some of his garden with me last year. Ann, this photo is from the original occurrence of RRD growth on Crepuscule in May. Out on the end of a cane like that, I thought I would take a chance to cut it off and wait. New abnormal growth appeared this week, in another spot ... still close enough to the original site to cut it off and wait again, but I'm not going to. For the most part, a rose gets one chance to show me that I caught the disease before it spread. Reappearance means that the rose must go. There was a weird growth on a cane of 'Comtesse de Segur' in May which I am almost positive was RRD. I removed that cane (which was a large, branching one) and I have seen no sign of reoccurrence on that rose. Doesn't mean that I'm out of the woods, but it's good so far. Same thing with 'White Killarney' last fall ... nothing abnormal at all on that rose this year, fingers crossed. Not so fortunate last year with roses like 'Alba Meidiland', 'Climbing Pinkie', 'Zephirine Drouhin', 'Marie Nabonnand', 'America' (Walsh rambler), 'Verdi', 'Elina', and others. A friend of mine removed two HUGE Lamarques last week ... needed a chain saw to finish the job. I fear that our rainy spell for the past couple of weeks will fuel tender summer growth during a period when mites are most active, giving them a smorgasbord of choices in the garden at a time when roses are usually dry and chewy preparing for summer's heat and drought. All I can do is be vigilant. Can't find a wild source of the infection and I have destroyed all the multiflora I can find on my property and my adjacent neighbors'. Gonna have to admit that I don't know exactly where the source/sources are, and deal with it whenever I see it. This post was edited by hartwood on Sat, Jul 6, 13 at 7:22

I love ALL of these pieces except the oak table. I have that oak table (in fact 2 of them -- with parquet tops) on either end of my new sofa as place holders until my new end tables arrive. Upon seeing them in the same room with an Art Deco inspired credenza and a Hollywood Regency inspired coffee table, my friend said: I get everything except those tables. As if he thought I WANTED those tables there. I thought it was funny!

Yes, obviously, for now at least, a lot of the function served for this cook is visual for taping his show. If noise were the issue, as the article suggested, they wouldn't have to turn a hood on. The big ceiling vent must help somewhat, though, probably a lot better than the tiny circular fan in the ceiling of my old California bungalow. The crud that collected on my walls and ceiling over months wasn't anything that couldn't be cleaned off with soap and water and was just a task for a couple of times a year (once a year or ? for the ceiling!), though now it's right up there with defrosting freezers with a hair dryer and pick as something to be left happily in the past. Like mine, his kitchen is separate from other living areas, though, and this is a very handleable tradeof, especially as I expect he can afford to hire a crew to come do a top-to-bottom for him now and then.

In creating the bed line, I would caution against trying to emulate nature's carefree manner too much. The foundation planting is essentially an addition to the house (much like a mustache and beard is an addition to the face.) One would not add other features to the house at random angles with imprecise edges. The circular area going around the tree should be an ACTUAL circle .... not an anatomical shape derived of varying, random curvatures put together. The circle should blend smoothly with a flowing curve into the other bed areas. Personally, I would not bring the bed back out to the front corner of the walk, creating the concave loop (that I think others are also suggesting is too much.) In the sketch following is a curving way to intersect the front line with the circle and a 90* way (which looks crisp and dressy if that's your aim). As far as planting goes, I think you are in danger of creating one feature that I always find disturbing to look at: shrubs in front of other shrubs where both sets are almost the same height. I would think that the bottom of the windows is the determining factor in how high the boxwood and roses will be maintained and it doesn't look like either will be allowed to grow more than 20" tall. They will both end up the same height. It would be better to pick one and use a low groundcover in front of it. (BTW, someone said Vinca minor was the out of control one, but that's not my experience. Vinca major is the large, rambunctious vinca ... suited for large areas only. It's my impression on this forum that many people do not have, or won't use, competent methods for controlling plants.) One other thought is that you are basically covering the entire front of the house with shrubs. In my view that's overdoing it as all these things will eventually grow together and you will have the engulfed look. I'd consider going with less plants, in spite of the fact that you have a dream garden that aspires to the contrary. Now, there's enough contradictory advice in this one thread that it's getting to be like the Bible and can justify anything you want to do. Just pick and choose what you want and wash your hands of the rest.