I have only superficial experience with DA roses. The bloom color is too nice to be a “random” rose. It reminds me of cherry lifesavers.

I WONDER . . . If what you have might not be 'Dr. Huey' . . . Sure looks like it could be.

'Dr. Huey' Rose (helpmefind.com)

If that is the case, "Lady" died, and they gave you a rootstock plant.

I think Jeri is correct. I'm sorry. What a disappointment. Diane

And may I say . . . I REALLY would be P.O.'d if I was sold 'Dr. Huey' for $50.

Can you take it back for an exchange?

Where do you live Ben? If you live in a colder climate and did not bury the graft I suspect that LOS died over the winter and now you have the root stock onto which it was grafted. If you bought it from David Austin they have an excellent return policy but I would speak with them now because they may not have any available and in that case you'll have to wait till next year. It's not necessarily the case that you were sold the root stock but that you planted it last year and it did not survive the winter. However thinking about it usually doctor Huey doesn't Bloom until the next year so it could have come out doctor Huey Last year. And any case you need to have it replaced.

I bought Lady of Shallot from Antique Rose Emporium on its own roots. It seems to do really exceptionally on its own roots and sends up 10 foot canes in the second year. So if you have your heart set on her then it’s another option if you get on their notification list.

Looks like the god Dr. to me too!

There's lots of 'Dr. Huey' in my region where the scion grafted on top failed and the stock continued on without it. With various levels of a remaining scion presence being seen from a few live canes hanging on to a dead cluster of canes (and bud head) amongst the live shoots from the stock to the scion being pretty much gone. But with the dispersal of the 'Dr. Huey' canes still carrying an implication of the specimen having been planted as a grafted combination.

Killer winters like the one here in 1990 seem to be particularly good at generating such zombies. Also there may be some delayed graft incompatibility going on, I don't know.

I didn't realize dr huey was that color.

I think I want one now.

@jc_7a_MiddleTN The good (hah!) Doctor is a martyr to blackspot if there ever was one. He's quite a looker when he blooms, but he blooms once, then immediately develops spots on every.single.leaf. Which then all fall off. I joke not. There are very few ways to grow a decent looking plant without severe, constant spraying. Growing him in desert California is one way. You and I don't have that option, lol. The only OTHER way is rather draconian. As soon as he finishes blooming, you can cut him down, right to the ground, and he will (he WILL!) re-sprout new canes that won't *immediately* defoliate. Don't worry, you can't kill him, and you probably can't even embarrass him, with this treatment.

There are lots, and lots and lots of other roses in this color range. Some re-bloom. Some are climbers. ALL have better, healthier foliage, lol.

John

Darn. Ben, I don't think you would want to keep a once bloomer...no matter how pretty. :)

I have kept a couple of Dr Hueys because they came up in spots nothubing else would grow or bloom. When he is in bloom he can be really pretty.

A lot of them I have seen locally have had quite apparent mosaic patterns on the leaves.

@fig_insanity Z7b E TN so you would only pay $20? Haha

@seil zone 6b MI do yours blackspot terribly like johns? I Wouldn’t buy one on purpose, but yours looks very nice to my eye!

My brother in law is a sucker for anything trying hard to survive

So when he saw these 2 little roses coming up he quickly dug them up and transplanted them

When my sister told me it was a red rose I had to laugh and I told her what it was but her husband is very happy with his litte red Dr Hueys lol

@jc_7a_MiddleTN ...don't worry, if you grow enough grafted plants, you will eventually have Dr Huey, whether you want him or not. Just think of him as a "free" rose, when the one you bought dies and he takes over (that is if he waits until the graft dies. He's been known to suffocate his betters in their sleep when he gets impatient for his time in the spotlight, lol)

Fig - he sounds like a vampire! LOL

Seil - that's beautiful!!! And you have a good point about it being a really tough rose thace can thrive in parts of the garden that other roses would perish in. :)

Kristine - After seeing Seil's pictures (especially the close up) I can see why your b-i-law loves it.

I have kept a Dr Huey also, he is growing in a most unforgiving place in front of our garage. It's super hot and dry. When he popped up I left him out of curiosity and he remains because I can't develope this area as my Dh has been trying to decide if he wants to extend the wall.... I don't like giving a spot to a once bloomer, but when he blooms it is glorious.

Rootstock favorites aren't automatically homely or ineffective ornamentally for other reasons, they just have things about them that make them good for use as stocks.

That's 'Dr. Huey' The rootstock has taken over the graft.

I think how Dr. Huey behaves might be different in different places, but here in Northern CA, John is completely correct - it is a total MESS of blackspot 5 minutes after it stops blooming. Also, it is almost impossible to get rid of - we had Dr. Huey coming up all over one bed years after we thought we had eradicated it. You don't have to worry about killing it - it is almost immortal.

What I REALLY do not like about its behavior here is that it is very very aggressive, and will send up suckers constantly if you plant a rose which is grafted onto its roots. In gardens in my neighborhood where there is no one really paying attention to the roses, I see it emerging, and no one doing anything about it. A couple of years later there is nothing left of the scion rose.

If Lady of Shallot does well on its own roots, I would never purchase a plant of it grafted on anything, and certainly not on Dr. Huey. I have not purchased a grafted rose since I figured out what root stock is, and had to battle Dr. Huey constantly on several of the roses we inherited. I know that there are roses which do not do well on their own roots, but I do not need them in my garden, just as I do not need roses in my garden which hate my climate, or need to be sprayed constantly. Just me - life is too short, and there are zillions of old roses which do fabulously on their own roots, and love my climate.

Jackie

Well, everyone has said it. I'll just add that Dr. Huey also blackspots generously in dry Southern California (though it is lovely in the spring, in Las Vegas, NV.).

It was highly regarded in its day, but its day has passed as there are now so many good, healthy, climbing red roses.

Would I, today, plant a rose on Dr. Huey rootstock? Sure . . . if I wanted the rose, and that was my only option. But my objection to it nowadays is that all of it in commerce is going to be inflicted with multiple strains of RMV. Otherwise, it's really a great rootstock for SoCal.

@rosecanadian Dr Huey is worse than a vampire. At least there is a (theoretical) way to kill a (hypothetical) vampire: drive a stake through it's heart. Dr Huey would just assume that a nice sharp stake through his heart was a gift of a convenient trellis to clamber over :P

The only cure is what Kim Rupert calls "Vitamin R".

Jeri, I hate using the stuff, but some scenarios just require it. Dr. Huey is a prime candidate, if he's where you want another rose. Or another ANYthing, lol. I'm just afraid of the drift affecting my other roses, so using RoundUp is an absolute last resort. I know Kim has perfected the dunk-it-in-a-can method, and some day I may have to try it.

I think that is TESS OF THE D’URBERVILLES

@fig_insanity Z7b E TN thank you, but I didn't perfect the dunk method of Vitamin R. It was on an instruction sheet how to use brush killer and it WORKS. So does painting the stuff on foliage and/or the freshly cut cane ends. Dunking definitely provides the maximum dosage and will take out the strongest, nastiest stuff. Nasties such as Poison Oak and Ivy aren't phased by spraying Vitamin R, but dunking works. It also works quite well on Algerian Ivy, something almost as immortal as Dr. Huey. It was the ONLY way for me to clear out Prickly Cucumber from my old 24% downgrade hill. I dug for several years until I couldn't dig where they are coming from, so dunking took the ones living inside the Banksiaes and in the neighbors' yards. These nasties. https://www2.palomar.edu/users/warmstrong/CometFireImages1.htm

kleigh - oh my!!!! That is FABULOUS!!! :) :)

Jackie - I had no idea Dr. Huey was THAT invasive!! Wow!

Fig - oh you are good!!! :) :) "Dr Huey would just assume that a nice sharp stake through his heart was a gift of a convenient trellis to clamber over :P"

Kippy shared this on Face Book this morning. It opened a whole discussion of immortality and Vitamin R. I was prodded for coffee on the screen with my "Herpes with prickles" comment.