Pretty rose! Love the stripes on the outter petals. Reminds me of my Candice and my Vick's Caprice. Love that characteristic!

It is pretty isn't it. Very interesting rose. It's a a once bloomer as far as I can tell.

Chris, your rose is indeed a dead ringer for the 'Pompon Spong' at helpmefindroses. It really is the most adorable little rose, although I can't really recall anyone mentioning it here. Since it's a Centifolia/Gallica that would make it a once-blooming rose as you mention.

Chris, you should add that one to the Gallica thread on the Antique Rose Forum. It's so cute! : ))

I agree, Chris! These are wonderful photos.

Oh, Gosh! That's a really sweet rose. I wish I could help you, Chris. Maybe Christopher grows it? Or Melissa? They grow everything Old European! I'm bumping your thread in case it takes awhile for them to spot it. Carol

Thanks everyone. It certainly is a neat little rose and seems like something quite rare, whatever it is.

Carol, although he doesn't grow it Christopher's the one who suggested the identification. He certainly has a good eye for these kinds of things. I'm waiting for more blooms to open to then post on the gallica thread.

I got it this year for the cemetery, but it won't bloom until next year. Mine came from High Country Roses. And I think there's a 'Spong' at my job -- or maybe it's 'De Meux'. I can't remember, and I have my work cut out for me as far as correctly identifying some old roses that are mislabeled. Thus far, I identified a longtime unlabeled mystery as 'William Lobb' before it even bloomed, 'Quatre Saisons Blanc Mousseaux' that came recently with a 'Quatre Saisons' tag from Heirloom -- strange, since Heirloom doesn't list the mossy white sport in their inventory -- and am currently having friendly debates with my boss about a few others that we haven't settled yet. Maybe after Rose Day on Saturday we'll be less anxious and can start an accurate catalog without our mutual stubbornness getting in the way. But in a public park, sometimes tags get moved, and then something dies and the wrong tag gets taken out, then the error persists for years. We had what I was thinking was the world's largest 'Williams' Double Yellow' until I realized it was probably another 'Canary Bird' -- or whichever other related species or hybrid that actually was. I don't dare to attempt telling them apart. I was excited to see 'Omar Khayam' listed in the inventory, but when I saw the rose, I realized it was the same Portland/HP imposter I got from Roses Unlimited, and whose identity I don't know.

:-)

~Christopher

Ha, ha. You DO have your work cut out for you, Christopher! There ought to be some kind of title for rose ID experts, like there are with medical diagnostic specialists and art historians. IDing roses is definitely a magic combination of talent, skill and loads of experience that requires attending to details in the way one does when discriminating between an original painting and a very successful forgery. Carol

I am dying to see photos of Chris's garden in bloom!

What a darling little rose. Love it! Lisa

I don't have 'Spong' and have never seen it. I totally get the frustration with unidentified roses, whether they came nameless or mislabeled, or I lost track of their IDs over the years.

I just don't understand how some people don't even care to know the name of the Rose they grow and throw away the label as soon as they buy it. When I ask someone it's usually just oh it's a red rose.

Hey Chris,

Your Spong is enchanting! Really love that subtle color patterns embedded in each petal. How is the foliage on your two plants faring in all this rain in the past few of months? Does it remain fairly clean?

--Lin

Lin, it's been perfectly healthy. The one in the ground got hard hit by sawfly larvae but no disease.

That's some testament to their disease resistance! With all the rain we've been having, several of my OGRs are spotting to various degrees, both my Apothecary's roses are mildewing, and Duchesse de Rohan is simply a disaster that I can't start describing. You truly have found a treasure - Congrats!

@chris209 (LI, NY Z7a)

Hey, Chris. I was just looking the pics I posted for Brandon of my Frederic II de Prusse, and I remembered your ”Pompom Spong”. I haven’t looked for thorns on the canes of my young plant, but do you think the bloom and foliage might be a match? I’ll check my plant’s canes if you think it’s worth a look. Thread “The One That Got Away” link below.

Carol

Fred II de Prusse pics

PS What is the provenance of your ”Pompom Spong”?

@portlandmysteryrose

Hi Carol,

Actually, it does look quite similar in many ways. I will have to post more pics this spring for us to compare. My plant appears to be topping out at about 4' x 4', which is more in line with Spong, than with the longer, climber like canes I see in the pictures of 'Frédéric II de Prusse'. My rose also has subtle striping that I also see in some of the Spong pics on helpmefind. So I'm still leaning towards Spong, but I'll keep an eye if it starts shooting out longer canes. I came across the mother plant while riding my bike in my neighborhood (I've come across a lot of great plants this way, including irises). There are a lot of older homes and this was growing in the front corner of a yard, against a white picket fence, but very overgrown. I haven't looked for the original plant lately but it was really crowded out a couple of years ago.

This was the post from when I originally encountered the mother plant.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/3961002/you-think-it-s-cramoisi-picote

-Chris

@chris209 (LI, NY Z7a)

Thank you for the link! I missed those shots of the rose. Looking at those pics, I think the foliage on your OGR might be a bit more rugose than Fred. Your rose’s growth, etc, also sound more like Spong. Brilliant Christopher’s educated ID guess is a good indication, too, as is your OGR’s bloom size that you noted.

This beauty of yours is truly a find! Finding a likely-to-be Spong growing nearby—wow!! And irises, etc etc.: Your neighborhood is gardener’s gold. :-) Please do update on your rose whenever you get a chance.

Carol