I'm So Excited, I Have to Share!

[Wildflower]

We have a climbing rose on our property that is 20 years old. My father actually tried to kill it for a while, but it managed to survive. Anyway, about 4 years ago I began the rehab process on this rose. It hasn't bloomed in 10 years, it's always just been this spindly thing that my father thought should be climbing the bush he planted it in front of. Well it is now partially inside the bush and partially outside of it, and has it's very own trellis, etc. Anyway, I did my daily walk around today to check on everyone, and I happened to notice there is the very beginning of three buds on this bush! After 10 years we've finally gotten it back to blooming status and I am so hyped! I cannot wait for the roses! I will share pictures when they arrive.

The other good news. I have a rose that I call the zombie rose because the bush "died" years ago and mysteriously came back to life about 3 years ago. It also has a bud, first one in a long time. I think it is either white or white with the red splotching, but I'm not sure yet. I am so excited! Thanks for "listening" to me, no one around me gets it.

 

[Celina]

That's awesome, happy for you!

 

[Alvean]

I totally relate to your feeling I have an olive tree that looked like three twigs and it just sprouted a few leaves. Yay for life!!

 

[Alvean]

do have pictures of your tree ?

 

[Wildflower]

No, I figure there's a week or so before any buds open.

Also, update for everyone. The zombie rose is up to seven buds. I don't know what got into it, but it's producing heavy.

 

[Wildflower]

Some of the buds have opened!!!

 

[Wildflower]

Also, the zombie rose ended up not being the one we thought it was. It's an American Beauty and it is now covered in bright red blooms.

 

[DeborahJane]

Good on you Wildflower. Lovely news. I understand that feeling when people just don't get it. We gardeners do of course

 

[LouisFerdinand]

I like the color of the zombie rose.

 

[Marck]

Also, the zombie rose ended up not being the one we thought it was. It's an American Beauty and it is now covered in bright red blooms.

Not an 'American Beauty'..., that's Rosa x 'Dr. Huey', the most common of all rootstock roses. As usual, it has survived long after its scion died, and stayed dead. Not a zombie.

Rosa x 'Dr. Huey' is a hybrid climber introduced in 1914. It is both remarkably vigorous and pretty enough when in flower, as well as being almost thornless.... but it is also overwhelmingly common.

The name of Rosa x 'American Beauty' is now far more common than the rose itself. The original and true name of which is Rosa x 'Madame Ferdinand Jamin', a Hybrid Perpetual bred back in 1875.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Marck confirms something I had suspected when you said it 'died and came back'. Years ago I was called in to prune a rose that covered the whole of one side of an old half timbered house but didn't flower. The owner called me up in the summer to say my pruning had worked, but he was disappointed as the flowers would not last, could I help? When I went back and looked I realised that the intended rose had died off years ago and what I had pruned so carefully was the root stock it had been grafted onto. Your plus is that the root stock has a much better flower than mine did. People used to simply dig wild rose shoots from hedgerows and use them, so it was a simple white, five petal flower with a bit of a pink edge.

It is excellent you have discovered the pleasure of seeing things grow, I must have been about eight when I planted a cherry pip and saw it turn into a small tree, and I am still getting pleasure from watching things grow seventy years later.