Backyard Nature Wednesday: The mystery rose

Last summer, a new rose plant popped up in my garden, near where my 'Litchfield Angel' rose was located. 

'Litchfield Angel,' a David Austin rose.

  
Okay, I thought, it's an offshoot from the 'Litchfield Angel.' During the winter, I dug the new plant and moved it to another location in a sunny spot where it would have more room to develop. It flourished there. And then, this spring, it bloomed.
Whaaat??? That's no 'Litchfield Angel'! But what is it?

In color, it looks a bit like the old 'Dortmund,' an antique rose that I used to grow. But the 'Dortmund' is a single-flowered rose with one layer of petals. The new rose is double-flowered with many petals, although not as many as the 'Litchfield Angel'.
So, what is this new rose? Is it some heretofore unknown hybrid, possibly of 'Dortmund' and 'Litchfield Angel'? The roses grew in the same general area, so such a hybridization would perhaps be possible. But really, I don't have a clue. Whatever the rose is, I like it and I'm glad to have it in my garden. I think I'll call it 'Dorothy's Mystery.'

Comments

  1. JayneApril 13, 2016 at 2:26 PM

    You should go into the hybrid rose business, lol. It's lovely. I think "Dorothy's Mystery" is a lovely name.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousApril 13, 2016 at 4:06 PM

    appreciate you sharing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersApril 13, 2016 at 4:19 PM

      I'm happy to share my roses with you - even when I don't know their names!

      Delete
  3. AlanaApril 13, 2016 at 5:30 PM

    That's such a good name. Dorothy's Mystery. I hope you can find out what happened (or maybe a rose breeder will buy the rights from you...)

    ReplyDelete
  4. rusty duckApril 14, 2016 at 5:32 AM

    It's very pretty. Could it be a sucker from the rootstock of one of the original roses?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersApril 14, 2016 at 9:56 AM

      That is another possibility. I think the only one that would have been close enough to throw off a sucker would have been the 'Litchfield Angel.' I'll have to try to research what that rootstock would have been.

      Delete
  5. Pam's English GardenApril 14, 2016 at 6:24 AM

    Dorothy's Mystery is lovely. You may be interested in my story about the Lichfield Angel (no 't')here:

    https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2608010804192268779#editor/target=post;postID=8801821126788304115;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=2;src=postname

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersApril 14, 2016 at 9:57 AM

      Thanks for the link, Pam. I'll certainly give it a look.

      Delete
  6. CarmenApril 14, 2016 at 8:43 AM

    Hmmm... Or maybe an animal carried seeds? Doesn't matter I guess, it's lovely!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersApril 14, 2016 at 9:58 AM

      It doesn't really matter to me since I'm not a professional rosarian. I'll just enjoy the rose.

      Delete
  7. Judy KruegerApril 14, 2016 at 10:14 AM

    How exciting really. My mom used to call such things "volunteers" and they were always welcome in her garden.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersApril 14, 2016 at 10:37 AM

      I call them that, too, and I have many volunteers in my garden. In fact, I might say they are the backbone of my garden.

      Delete

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