Its funny but just today I was marveling at how incredibly glossy and healthy the leaves of Rosarium Uetersen are (I live in zone 4 so its still about 3 weeks before the first blooms open so for now its the shiny, holly-like leaves that I oooh and aaahhh over). Mine was purchased about 3 years ago from Roses Unlimited and it has been impressive. Year One and Year Two it didn't climb yet (remember, I have very short summers and it was an own-root) but made a very bushy shrub with humongous clusters of flowers and nary a speck of disease. Even the insects and Japanese Beetles left it alone, so that it was one of the only rosebushes out of 300 in July that was completely intact. This year, Year Three, it is now a climber and is halfway around the arch, and its smothered with buds which will be bursting open in a few weeks. It blooms in very large clusters and is very free with its beauty all summer long. It even winters-over well here in cold and snowy zone 4, with some dieback at the tips but not terrible. The only negative I can think of is that there isn't any fragrance that I can detect, but then I have tons of roses I grow for their scent so its no big deal. Celeste Here it was in Year One, when it was still short and bushy (it is in foreground by the fountain). This year it is about 5 feet tall on the arbor.

I have a Tassimo and love it....give me a specific question and maybe I can help. Can run you thru the steps here: turn on switch in back after making sure there is water in the canister. Put a pod in the holder and wait until the green light comes on ( could take a minute or two). Hit the big round button and you will hear it "wetting" the pod, then it will start brewing. Wait until the orange light comes on and then either push the large button again for a weaker brew or if satisfied open the top and remove the pod, turn off the switch and you are good to go.

Here are some others: Panel Blocks: http://www.shiboridragon.com/Island%20Batiks/Orcas.htm Look WAY down the page (past the dolphins) for the stunning orca fabric: http://craftsgalore.org/Quilt_Panels.html And Paper Pieced Orca Block pattern of orca: http://enchantedvalleyarts.com/Products/

I have three Princes on their own roots--the oldest one, one year old, was planted last summer. It getting tallish and is rather problem-free so far this summer, but I have noticed the weird small roses in hot weather mentioned above, but it's not the only one that does that and it was freakishly hot here, in the mid-90s in June (not normal for us). I have put two photos here with its companion plants to give it some perspective in terms of size and color. It is perhaps not as vigorous as something like Olivia or R. Dahl, which are grafted in my garden, but it really not far behind, especially given that it's own root, and started puny. And it has been been flowering more than those two did in their first years. Lots of blooms. So far it is not super tall, but in its habit, it reminds me a bit of my Louis XIV, and is it possible they are related? Louis XIV is grafted, and stays even smaller, but like the Prince, it has regular fragrant dark red blooms on sort of spindly legs, and the blooms are much bigger and more interesting than the plant itself. In the pictures, my one-year-old Prince is intermeshed a bit with Somme 2016, which is not blooming right now, but has the one large bud towering above The Prince that looks bit lighter. Somme 2016 is actually is in a similar color scheme as the Prince and Munstead Wood, and the color also fluctuates based on the weather. It can get a lovely sort of deep magenta-violent and could be an option for people who like rich colors in roses, as the Prince and Munstead Wood are essentially out of circulation, other than the occasional small vendor or in the case of Munstead Wood, I recently got one from a vendor who was getting rid of the rest of their stock from last year. Louis XIV could be an option as well for dark rose lovers, as it is still on the market, if not always easy to find. It does stay a small plant but it good for the front of a border and does smell lovely once it gets going. So far, Somme 2016 does not have much fragrance but it's only a few months old, wants to bloom all the time, and it may surprise me yet. The rose Centenaire de l'Hay les Roses is peeking out in the background, as are Jubilee Celebration (1 month in garden--also possibly about to go out of circulation, so I have heard, so one to snap up if you like strong fragrance as it has to have one of the best) and Bluebell (one year old) in at least one of the photos. Bluebell, for dark rose lovers, is an excellent, small vibrant, violent/magenta pot rose and I totally recommend it for that. I am starting to favor own-root roses (when can find them). I think they bloom more? And you don't have to worry about growth from the rootstock, and when the roots are established, apparently they can live almost forever? Or so I have heard? But I am new to gardening at this level. I live in a temperate, humid climate and this Prince gets afternoon sun, and this what it looks like after weeks of rain and wind. It has been fed but is not sprayed with anything. It bloomed into autumn when planted last year, so I think maybe it deals well, even thrives, in cool and partial shade. But last summer, it was planted right before a heatwave/drought of 40 celsius and survived that. I have a younger own-root Prince in a Southwest exposure as well, almost full sun and it's doing okay in one of the worst spots in the garden, better than many of its predessors that are in the compost heap in the sky, or had to be moved. It's too soon to tell if the Prince will completely thrive in the SW spot. It has bloomed constantly there, though, so here's hoping. I think a lot does depend on where a rose is positioned in the garden. I have had ones that do not do well in one spot that totally perk up in another. But I am still learning so it's really hit and miss sometimes!