"Huskies4all" wrote

You recall correctly. I'm only slightly worried that the sucker will not
be true. Just about every cane on the bush seems to be a "sucker" so I
think it is on it's own root stock. It is gorgeous. When cared for, it
produces vast amounts of smallish (2-3" across) flowers that are sort of
"teacup" shaped. Pretty dense petals. Family legend is that she brought
it over on a wagon train.

Scent?

Some scent, I can't particularly remember what the scent is, but I'll let
you know when/if it blooms.

Does it rebloom? I ready your original post,
where you described it as a once bloomer.

I believe it's a once bloomer. We'll see what happens when it actually
recieves some water.

What state is this in?

I'm in Southern Idaho. The "high desert"

How big is that shrub? Looks 6 - 8 feet tall.

Yes, it's at least 8' tall. And absolutely NO water or care in a desert
for the past 20 years. I can't wait to see how it does with regular
watering and fertilizers.

And what color is it? Looks
golden to buff washed with cerise to crimson.

Yes, it is a very golden rose with tinges of pink to peach. The
pink/peach is usually toward the center, but on some individual flowers
can be on the edges of the petals.

This rose should be
preserved. Whoever owns that rose now, I think you said he wouldn't let
you dig it up, should be persuaded to let you take more "samples" so
you can be sure that several plants survive.

Well, the piece that I planted had a root section on it about 2 feet long
in an "L" shape from the main cane. Yesterday I noticed two "suckers"
coming up from that root. I'm considering letting them go ahead and
develop, then whack them off from the main plant to give me two more
specimens.

You need to give this rose a study name that you and everyone else can
used as a reference. snip Grandy'sGold..."
Heritage Rose Groups like the study name to not be too long
and to include a geographic reference. So....what's the name?

Gosh, I'll have to think about it. How about Lemmon's Immortal Idaho?
The "lemmon" will do for the family name and the color. LOL. The rose
has got to be nearly indestructible to survive the abuse it's had.

Hello again,

I am so happy for you! I know the thrill of bringing
something from the past every time an old rose comes
to me and I can root it and pass the gift along to others.

I wouldn't worry at all about the sucker. It is very
unlikely that anything but an own root rose would
have survived without help and attention all these
years, and beside, the form indicates to be a quarter
with multiple rows of petals still holding form after
all these years . It is gorgeous, and as Cass so aptly
put it, it must be saved.

Can you get more cuttings from it? I will be more
than willing to send Federal Express your way to
bring some cuttings to Oregon to help with the
study of this rose. Or you can get close ups of
the cane, the prickles, the leaves and the bloom,
count the petals and see if the color can be
adequately photographed so I can start doing
some research. I will be happy to send it to
England to some experts with whom I communicate
to ask for their opinion and perhaps a guess as
to what it may be.

I just hope that somehow the entire bush can be
rescued and although I suspect the main trunk may
be as big as 16 to 20-inch by now, it would be a
worthwhile effort to save such a beauty. Where
did your great-grandmother come from in the
wagon? What year? do you know? the reason
I am asking is because it would be easier to
identify if we know from where in the East coast
she came, if from there. For many years German
and Pennsylvania Dutch people who came across
the plains carried with them cuttings from the homestead
they left behind, inside vase-like containers made of
potatoes. Once they got to their new land, the potatoes
were planted into the ground, and while they disintegrated
the new rose grew from the cocoon into the many beautiful
things that continue, like yours, to live after all this time.

I hope you can find about all this. I love a good
mystery, and goodness knows one of the things we
can always count on with an old rose, is a mystery.
If you are interested in pursuing this please write
to me at and
I will see how to take it from there.

Take care and good luck, now you know you
have a treasure in your hands

Allegra