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linjon54

Please help me identify this rose?

linjon zone 5
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago

This rose blooms only once a year in the spring. My parents neighbor had
it attached to her house for as long as I knew her. I was born in 1954 so I think it must go back before then. I don't know how long they had it or where it came from as it always was growing there. I have been trying to
find out what it is. The blossoms are full and as you can see from the
photo fairly small. It does have thorns they are quite small. This piece of it was given to me a couple of years ago late in the season. We planted it by our garage and put a trellis in the spring. Once it was placed on the trellis it grew probably 10' by the end of the season. It is obviously a climber. I haven't noticed any scent on it. Thank you for any help you may be able to give me.

Comments (10)

  • alameda/zone 8/East Texas
    9 years ago

    I have Russell's Cottage Rose that was given to me by a friend and it looks very similar to your rose. It blooms once a year and suckers. It is a smallish rose, reddish pink - but cant say for sure. Your rose is lovely, hope you can identify it. You might send the photo to Mike Shoup at the Antique Rose Emporium - bet he could identify it.

    Judith

    linjon zone 5 thanked alameda/zone 8/East Texas
  • nippstress - zone 5 Nebraska
    9 years ago

    Since you're in zone 5, you might look at some of the traditional groups of once-blooming roses like Albas and Gallicas, but my impression is that their flowers are usually bigger than what you describe. The impressive cane structure and bloom of your pink climber suggests something that's robustly hardy for you in zone 5, which probably means a rose rated down to zone 3 or 4 in reality. You might check out some of the Canadian Explorer roses. The blooms remind me of my Alexander Mackenzie, but I think it was bred more recently than 1954. What you could do is go to Helpmefind.com and search for dark pink/red (this color can be called red in the rose world) small bloom, once blooming climbers bred before 1954, hardy to zone 4 or better, and see what pops up. I expect this will help you narrow down some options.

    Regardless, it's a lovely rose, and congratulations on growing it so successfully from a cutting.

    Cynthia

  • jerijen
    9 years ago

    I'm inclined to think that jannorcal is on the right track with this, and that it is Dorothy Perkins, or something much like it.
    For comparison, here is 'Russelliana.'


  • mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
    9 years ago

    Good photos of the leaves will help, but my first inclination is also towards Dorothy Perkins, or something else with the mark of multiflora (fringed stipules). The leaves aren't really right for much of anything else.


    linjon zone 5 thanked mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
  • belmont8
    9 years ago

    The color seems light to me for Dorothy Perkins. I'm wondering if it could be Excelsa.

    linjon zone 5 thanked belmont8
  • linjon zone 5
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I don't have any photos of the leaves and right now we have about 2 foot of snow so it will be a while before I can get any. Thank you for the help though.


  • Embothrium
    9 years ago

    One of the Wichurana ramblers of the type like 'Dorothy Perkins' (less pink than this one), 'Excelsa' (more pink - toward red - I believe) etc. There is a whole group of these and they are asked about frequently.


    linjon zone 5 thanked Embothrium
  • linjon zone 5
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I have looked at both the 'Dorothy Perkins' and the' Excelsa' Roses and the blossoms that were on it last year mostly resemble the 'Dorothy Perkins'. I would like to thank everyone who was kind enough to help me with this mystery. I will continue to grow it but now know a little more about it's needs which will help.


  • Embothrium
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    There is a whole group of these cultivars with the two discussed here being but two examples - another name that I think I have seen used for them is Walsh ramblers. Maybe if you do a web search with that term useful hits will come up, with enough photos and descriptions that you can at least start to zero in on which particular one you have. I do not expect 'Dorothy Perkins' to be this dark myself - but I have not checked since coming to this discussion. There are enough different kinds that they can probably be organized into a continuum of levels of pigmentation, with perhaps some enthusiasts calling one of the others 'Dorothy Perkins' by mistake.

    This is yet another group of garden plants that were apparently widely sold or perhaps traded between gardeners recently enough that existing plants are common on properties yet garden centers seldom have any of them anymore. In my area 'Dorothy Perkins' in particular can even be seen growing on its own, on unoccupied land like a wild rose yet if I remember correctly I have only seen it offered by one local garden center during my decades of frequenting these.

    And in that case I suspect one of the employees had brought in cuttings from which the finished plants offered were raised by the garden center itself, it also being a large growing operation with extensive facilities in the manner of a wholesale production nursery.

    linjon zone 5 thanked Embothrium