my "new" 25 yo rose bush-pictures today****

[dinahmoe]

i have never had a rose bush before and know nothing about them.
here is the story-


we just moved into my MIL old farm house.we put a new roof on it 2 yrs ago and tore off all the old plywood and tossed it below.cleaned it all up and just finished the remodeling inside.this august i was cleaning out all the overgrowth and cutting down the old shrubbery up against the house.well, i came across this old rose bush.i knew that because of the thorn i grabbed.all that time with the roof i never noticed it.it was completely covered by brush.i cleaned it all out and saw that it was 3 little bushes.i think they are connected because one is bigger and they are close.i found the rusted wire tag still on it in the ground and it said hybrid tea rose"pink peace".so i have decided to try and help it and maybe plant some more next year.the really interesting thing is that i found out my MIL planted those roses in 1965-70 and no one has lived in the house since 1985.that whole area had roses but this is the only one left.

so that little rose has had no care for at least 25 years-how is that?
i keep thinking how aweful i will feel if it dies now that i start trying to care for it becuase obviously it doesn't need help.
any tips for them?-i am looking to buy a good book.
it had a very small bloom in october and then 2 big ones last month.

can't wait till spring.

they were cut completely down and then a week later i saw new green growth.each plant had one tall skinny stem that grew.i had to stake it up to hold the blooms up.
i hit the root of the one in the middle and it started to wilt but it has recovered completely and growing nicely.

does it look like the 3 plants are the same.one root ball is alot bigger than the other 2

i am trying to find some rabbit fertilizer because all i have are chickens and horses and someone told me that would be a good one for them.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

it's the little rose that could! good luck with it!

roses, even those that go hiding for many years, will struggle to survive, some will die off others will live. once they are allowed to see sunshine and have less competition from the surrounding weeds will thrive and come back to their full beauty over time! i have a few that i love but i am afraid that they are considered the invasive type in my state. :/ there is one i am trying to get all the blackberry canes cleared away so i can rescue it but those canes just grow too quickly for me to get it out of there and moved to a better location.

 

[thistlebloom]

What a great find! Roses can be incredibly tough as you've discovered, and yours looks very healthy.
Do all of the bushes bloom like the one in the photo?
If so you must have three separate Pink Peace bushes.
If the two smaller ones are coming up from the roots of PP they wont bloom true. They would be from the rootstock that PP is grafted on.

Don't fertilize until spring, and then just make sure it gets watered. Roses have a fairly shallow root system so a layer of mulch would be a good idea.
I think you've got a beautiful rose Dinahmoe!

 

[dinahmoe]

thanks



thistlebloom-the big one is the only one that has bloomed so far.
what do you mean by "won't bloom true."?

 

[thistlebloom]

thanks



thistlebloom-the big one is the only one that has bloomed so far.
what do you mean by "won't bloom true."?

Well, if the other two rose bushes have sprouted from the roots of the original Pink Peace they would not have the same type of bloom
since they would be from the root stock that the Pink Peace was grafted onto.
They may bloom but it would likely be a single type (as opposed to a double, fluffier bloom ).

However, I doubt they are root sprouts because the spacing is pretty consistent and they're pretty far from the biggest shrub.
Usually roots sprouts come up right under the main plant.

It looks to me like they were planted deliberately, so you may have some nice roses. You'll know when they bloom.

 

[lesa]

What a wonderful garden surprise! Nature never fails to amaze me! I am with thistle- they look like three separate plants to me. Since they have survived utter neglect, I wouldn't worry about them too much! They will be so much better, without weeds, etc. crowding out the light and robbing the nutrients. Can't wait for a summer update!

 

[Carol Dee]

:rose That is a lovely rose. Enjoy it. (Between the dog and the japanese beetles we can't keep one.) Good luck. :weight

 

[April Manier]

Roses are like that. Good news: It's probably a winner if it lived this long. This year should be great with it. Pile some steer manure up on it just before danger of last frost in spring, prune it back and you will surely be amazed. And dare I say, this plant has already won your heart and probably started a love affair with roses that is bound to last.

Let us know how it goes. This is such a romantic story!

As for grafting...who knows. If it's old enough it could be on its old root stock. If not the other roses are probably Doctor Huey. They aren't worth a darn as the flowers shatter immediately. You will have to decide if they are holding up and are w worth teh effort.

 

[skeeter9]

What a beautiful surprise waiting for you under all that brush! They are your gift for working so hard on the place! :weight

 

[dinahmoe]

thanks everyone.:weight
i'll post pics of how it does this summer.