"lvflowers" wrote in message
oups.com...
Our area had a great deal more rain this spring than is normal. Then
later in the summer, we had some of the hottest days ever. Now it
appears that some of my roses reverted to wild roses or something. They
have stems that are 7-9 feet tall and no roses. Is it possible for
roses to change types? If they do, do they ever go back?

Most modern roses are grafted. The part above the
bud union (the scion) is the rose you want; the part
below (understock) is there to provide hardiness
and/or to protect from certain critters in the soil.

If the bottom rose is allowed to take over, you have
permanently lost the top rose. It's called "reversion".
The trick is to cut any canes below the bud union
back as far as possible. If there's anything left of the
rose on top (canes growing out of or above the bud
union), it might recover.

Here are a few links with some information:
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/r...905017003.html
http://koning.ecsu.ctstateu.edu/Plan.../grafting.html

You'll see references in rose catalogs or nurseries to
"own root" roses. These are roses literally grown on
their own roots. So no problem of reversion. But
it doesn't work for all roses (those not hardy enough
to thrive on their own roots).

Gail
near San Antonio TX Zone 8