I don't think that's the Sacramento City Cemetery -- May be Santa Rosa? There was a big old Devoniensis there, like this. Alas -- it was pruned to death. :-(

Josh, what happened to this rose is not unlike what happened to the Jesse Hildreth rose, in another old cemetery. As canes died, either new ones did not emerge, or they were actively removed by dimwitted mow and blow gardeners. You ended up with what looked like a standard, but it meant all of the energy for this plant had to come through one ageing cane.

When we first saw the Hildreth rose, it had three remaining canes. Then two, and now one -- with the addition of severe damage to the root system in order to dig another grave at the foot of the already weakened plant. Though the rose has tried to put out new growth, the "gardeners" have systematically removed them. It may be too late -- but the Mow/Blow guys have now been banned from touching the roses.

Jeri

Mrs. Jennings,

The mow and blow guys strike again. It seems to me they were treating them as crepe myrtles by 'removing suckers.' The expression on your husband's face in the third picture seems to say, "What in the world did they do to this poor rose"

Well, then I shall forego attempting to replicate the look in my roses. Thank you!

Josh

Josh, what about encouraging a cascading vase shape? You would have multiple canes that way

Kippy,

I like that. How would I go about shaping the bush?

Josh

Some roses just do that naturally, if you allow them to. I suspect that "Jesse Hildreth" was like that, at one time, for when we first saw it, it had three canes remaining, each arching out in a different direction.

Jeri