A Walk Through The Garden, 2008

"Fa's Morning Stars"

Shrub, Alba? Found Rose

Looking for a rose that grows like a weed, shrugs off winter and summer alike, transplants like a dream, has a fabulous fragrance and has petals covered with pale dots and swirls? Have I got a rose for you! It's "Fa's Morning Stars," another of the roses that grew on its own in the East Rose Ditch.

There was only one plant of this rose, which was at least three years old when I found it. Last year I thought I would go dig up a sucker and bring it to the garden. Turns out I dug up about two thirds of the original plant. She took about a month to get established in the garden, and then took off like a banshee.

This is a fairly tall plant, growing up to a meter in the ditch. In the garden it grows to be about the same size, but instead of staying upright, her canes fall over under the weight of an enormous amount of buds; I've taken to tying her to stakes to keep her from crowding out her neighbors. There are generally about fifty petals of a true rose pink, typically without any hint of purple, and with a hint of cream on the bottoms. Reverses are lighter in color. Spots, when they appear, show on both sides. The spotting is much less than that on "Fa's Marbled Moss;" but it is there. Flowers are borne in clusters of three from surprisingly tall buds. Foliage is dark green and there are very few thorns.

This rose sets large hips readily, but I've never found more than five seeds in a single hip. I have never gotten these seeds to sprout, and I'd like to see them, since seeing what kind of offspring are produced will me give clues to the rose's parentage.

This rose is very like "Fa's Found Alba," except that her flowers are darker in color (and hold their color whereas FFA's fade) and her leaves are lighter.

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