My Mystery Rose

If you have any idea as to the identity of this rose please let us know! We've tried to find out for a few years from books and the web but failed. We recently took the above blooms out to the Antique Rose Emporium -thanks for the idea, Jean! Jean thought it might be 'Zepherine Drouhin' but when seen together, they weren't the same rose. The person in the A.R.E. office thought it was a modern pink climbing rose rather than an antique one which narrows it down to a few thousand named cultivars, I guess.



This mystery rose was planted sometime after 1979 in a SE facing border along the back wall of our house. When we bought the house in 2004 we didn't know the rose existed - Nandinas and crepe myrtle saplings filled the space. That fall we noticed a couple of thin, thorny wands waving for help over the top of the foliage. Cutting back and digging out revealed weak canes rising up from a knobby base. We shape-pruned, dumped on compost and hoped for the best.
By April 2005 the rose had rebounded enough to make a few flowers so we added a trellis and the rose has rebloomed each spring.

That first April the few flowers were enormous, a clear pink and very fragrant.
There seem to be around 40-45 petals. This rose is half-opened.

The buds are beautiful - high pointed and shapely. The thorns are large but not spaced too closely along the canes. I don't know how to describe the scent but when you walk out the back door at bloomtime you know there are roses blooming - so it's definitely a 'rose' smell.

The leaves are more matte than shiny and rather large. This year the flowers are about 5" in width .. .they've been smaller when April is very hot and dry.

Instead of nandinas and crepe myrtles smothering it, the rose now has hybrid Amarcrinum, pink cuphea and Dwarf mondo grass/Ophiopogon japonicus 'Gyoku Ryu' at its feet. This rose has bloomed every April since 2005 with occasional reblooms in June or in fall... any second flush of roses seems to be related to rain and moderate temperatures.
It's growing against the house under a roof overhang and unless I keep pruning it the canes will grow 8-feet to the top then bend and twist and head for the gate area in search of sunlight. I don't know how large it could grow if left unpruned.

Thanks for any ideas and help with identifying it.

Annie

GBBD List for April 2010

GARDEN BLOGGERS BLOOM DAY LIST

As accurate as possible - but no guarantees on spelling!


Abutilon hybridum 'Marilyn's Choice' one bud

Ajuga, unknown species, purple-leaved bugle weed

Anemone heterophylla 10-petalled anemone, thimbleweed

Antirrhinum majus, Yellow snapdragons in bloom

Aquilegia chrysantha Yellow columbine budded

Asclepias curassavica 'Silky Gold' gold cultivar of tropical milkweed buds

Calibrachoa hybrids, annual, in hanging baskets

Capsicum annuum – garden peppers a few flowers

Castilleja indivisa, Texas paintbrush, grown as annual, buds

Citrus x meyeri, Meyer's Improved Lemon, some flowers

Citrus aurantifolia? Mexican lime many flowers

Clematis hybrid 'Ramona', on trellis in bloom

Clematis unknown hybrid dozens of purple flowers

Clematis hybrid, probably 'Miss Bateman' - maybe a dozen white flowers left

Consolida ajacis, Larkspur – buds only

Coriandrum sativum., cilantro just beginning to bloom

Dianthus – several colors of ‘Telstar’ hybrids in assorted containers

Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost' tiny white flowers

Gelsemium sempervirens , Carolina Jessamine a couple of late flowers left

Hippeastrum hybrid/ ‘Red Dragon’ amaryllis - final flower

Hyacinthoides hispanica, Spanish bluebells just beginning

Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snow Queen' Oakleaf hydrangea buds onlyImpatiens walleriana, bedding impatiens in containers

Iris siberica, Siberian Iris, blue-violet - budded

Iris X germanica hybrid Fragrant peachy bearded Iris a couple left

Iris X germanica hybrid passalong from Ellen, later-blooming, grape-scented blue violet in full bloom

Lavendula 'Goodwin Creek' - one flower spike

Leucophyllum frutescens/ Texas sage AKA Barometer bush AKA Cenizo – one shrub - a sprinkling of buds

Lobularia maritime, Sweet alyssum (dotted around), end of bloom

Lonicera sempervirens, coral honeysuckle many flowers

Lunaria annua Money plant - one flowering white, one flowering purple

Lupinus texensis, Bluebonnet - maybe a dozen plants, scattered around, some doing well, some half-dead

Lycopersicon lycopersicum, tomatoes - lots of flowers!

Magnolia figo/AKA Michelia figo Banana Shrub still many flowers

Melampodium leucanthum / Blackfoot daisy - plants all in bloom - front & back gardens

Oxalis crassipes 'Alba' (dotted around and in containers), flowering like mad

Oxalis regnellii 'Atropurpurea' (dotted around and in containers), mounds of blossoms

Pelargonium hybrid, 'Fantasia Salmon', zonal geranium in breakfast room window

Penstemen tenuis, Gulf coast penstemon - finally happy and in large bloom

Philadelphus inodorus, English Dogwood/Scentless Mock orange - wall-to-wall flowers

Phlox drummondii Annual Phlox - doing great

Phlox subulata/Creeping phlox in lavender blue - had three - doing so well I bought another one

Punica granatum 'Nana'/ dwarf pomegranate - buds

Ranunculus hybrids, bulbs planted fall 2007- still a few blooming

Ranunculus mixed hybrids planted fall 2009 - all terrific

Ranunculus hybrids, pink selection, planted fall 2009 - many flowers and buds

Rivina humilis/Pigeon Berry - makes tiny white flowers and red berries.

Rosa banksiae 'Lutea'/ Lady Banks rose reaching end of bloom period

Rosa 'Belinda's Dream', Pink shrub rose- just starting to open - maybe 20 buds?

Rosa ‘Champagne’ mini rose, delicate pink , two plants - a few buds - plants spindly

Rosa floribunda ‘Julia Child’, butter-yellow rose - dozens and dozens of buds - plant much bigger than 2009

Rosa 'Mutabilis' (two good-sized plants) nonstop bloom

Rosa /unnamed apricot mini-rose, handful of buds and flowers

Rosa, unknown variety/ tall pink climber - lots of flowers

Rosa, unknown climber, dark red - buds

Rosemarinus officianalis, upright Rosemary a few flowers

Salvia greggii, many plants including 'Navajo White', cream, deep rose, true red, cherry red

Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips' - most flowers all red - only a few red/white 'Lips'

Salvia roemeriana /Cedar sage, red flowers in shade - full bloom

Salvia X 'Nuevo Leon' (several borders and containers), just starting small violet flowers

Scabiosa columbaria ‘Butterfly Blue’/Dwarf Blue Cushionflower, two plants - one in flower, one all buds

Spiraea cantoniensis - guessing name for long-leaved Bridal Wreath spiraeas in bloom

Spiraea X vanhouteii guessing name for rounder-leaved spiraeas in bloom

Strobilanthes dyerianus/Persian shield - one plant has flowers

Tetraneuris scaposa, four nerve daisy Hymenoxys a few flowers

Teucrium fruticans Silver Bush germander in bloom

Trachaelospermum jasminoides, Star Jasmine, Confederate Jasmine, evergreen vine all budded with white, fragrant flowers. Four vines, on veranda, side fence, trellis and shed.


Viola spp– various hybrids of Pansies and violas in containers and hanging baskets

Weigela florida 'Rumba'/ Weigela Canadian Dance series - full bloom