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Discussion id : 18-212 most recent 8 MAY 07 HIDE POSTS

Initial post 23 APR 07 by Auntie_S

This is a rose from a very old neighborhood in Chico, CA. It has a trailing habit with long canes and was laced through neighboring shrubs when found. It reblooms in flushes and the blooms are 4 to 41/2 inches in diameter. Foliage is very light green--chartreuse when new with red edges, and leaves are very rounded. Blooms are cupped, lilac pink, and hold their form well until petal drop. Any ideas?

Reply #1 of 7 posted 3 MAY 07 by HMF supporting member

Cass

Sally, your rose looks like a hybrid wichurana, but you say it reblooms, so that doesn't work. Does it have any scent at all? And are the blooms in clusters?	REPLY

Reply #2 of 7 posted 7 MAY 07 by Auntie_S

Hi Cass--Thanks for responding to my question. This rose is not a cluster bloomer, but blooms all along the canes every 4 or 5 inches--one bud to a stem most of the time, though I do find an occasional stem with 2 blooms--as shown in the attached photo. It has light to moderate fragrance and yes--reblooms all season. It is really lovely--the blooms are large and hold their color well, even in hot weather. Buds open slowly and blooms last well in a vase when cut. Petals drop cleanly.

Sally

Reply #3 of 7 posted 7 MAY 07 by HMF supporting member

Cass

Gosh. I'm stumped, thinking a LCl, but there are many. Are you growing it out? Good luck!	REPLY

Reply #4 of 7 posted 8 MAY 07 by Auntie_S

It has struggled along between gopher and deer damage. We finally got a deer fence up and resited it and I am hoping to see what it really can do. I have had it in my garden for about 15 years and the original plant was removed when the old house was torn down. I have a couple of other "found" roses I would like your opinion on too, if you have time. The pink one was found in an old church yard in Chico. I thought it was a shrub type until I brought it home and let it go. It is a climber with 10 to 12 ft. canes! Looks a bit like La France with deeper pink on the reverse, but I have had La France CL. and the bloom is different. The white rose is from an old neighborhood in Orland and is definitely a China--red stems and new growth, rather twiggy, dainty new growth. Blooms are small (2 1/2 to 3" max)--I thought it might be Ducher from photos, but have never seen Ducher in person. Both these roses rebloom in flushes all season and are great garden plants.

P.S. Somehow I was inadvertenly signed out and posted this question twice (see post #5)--sorry!

Reply #6 of 7 posted 8 MAY 07 by HMF supporting member

Cass

Ducher I can do, since I've both seen a very old cemetery plant and grown out several from cuttings that I later had to ID. Once I decided it was a China, the rest was easy because the field is so small. The new wood is reddish, growth twiggy and open, blooms a lot, no form to speak of, small, 2 inches or smaller, sweet, fleeting scent. The color is a pale cream fading to dirty white. It blooms every 4 weeks all season, a real workhorse. Don't prune it except to open it up, i.e. don't shorten canes. Your shot definitely looks like it could be Ducher, especially with the hints of red canes in the background. Robert's picture shows a typical bloom:
http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/pics.php?itemId=P1647&qs=1165

Your pink climber is lovely. Does it only bloom once like a climbing HT? How about scent? It looks like it has to have scent!

Reply #7 of 7 posted 8 MAY 07 by Auntie_S

Thank you for the info on Ducher--I had pretty well narrowed it to that one too. The pink rose blooms in flushes all season & has a lovely scent. It is also very well armed with thorns. My first thought when I saw it was La France, but have seen that rose since and don't think the bloom form is the same. The canes are quite stout--not like a tea or china in any way--tho perhaps like an old ht...? Rebloom is very good & does very well in our hot climate in Chico. By the way, this rose has since been eliminated from the church yard where I collected it. It roots extremely easily from cuttings, and I have been spreading it around.

Reply #5 of 7 posted 8 MAY 07 by Unregistered Guest

I have had this rose about 15 years (the original plant was lost when the old house was torn down some years ago) but it never had a chance to perform until this year when we finally got a deer fence up. I am hoping to have a better opportunity to see what it will do this year.

I have two other mystery roses. The pink one (see attached pics) was growing in a church yard in an old section of Chico & I thought it was a shrub variety as it was pruned to a small plant there. I tried to keep it pruned here, but it just insisted on growing long canes & is apparently a climber also. The blooms are large, frosting pink, and the petals have a deeper pink reverse--reminds me of La France, but more petals and more ball shaped bloom--with moderate fragrance. It repeats very well--almost never out of bloom & the blooms shatter and petals fall cleanly. This rose has also disappeared from the churchyard in recent years.

The White Mystery rose was from an old neighborhood in Orland, CA and looks like a china to me with small twiggy growth and red new stems and foliage. Blooms are in heavy flushes from early spring thru late fall, and my 20 year old plant is about 5 ft. (though I have some canes trained on my wire fence that go a bit higher now). Bloom size is 21/2 to 3"--not much fragrance. Petals drop cleanly. It looks a bit like Ducher in photos, but have never seen Ducher in person to compare & some descriptions of Ducher sound like it has larger blooms than my mystery rose. Anyway--I would love to identify these lovely old roses if you have seen either of them yourself.