Wednesday, May 9, 2012

My First Rose Rustle of the Year

When we lived in our last house, there was a cluster of small houses and trailers that I passed each time I went to town.  There is a large, old rose in the front yard of the trailer closest to the road.  Many times, I wanted to stop and talk to the owners of the trailer and ask them about their rose.  I never took the time to do it.



At least two years ago, and probably longer than that, all signs of habitation on the property ceased.  I don't know who owns it or why it appears to be abandoned.  I suspect that it may soon be a victim of road widening, but this is just a guess on my part.

The bush is approximately 7 to 8 feet tall, and is wider than it is tall.


While I was out running errands one day last week, and I had my D-SLR camera with me, I decided to stop to see what rose this is and take photos.  I found that it appears to be an early-style white Noisette and it is very healthy and vigorous .. despite having at least two rogue weed trees growing out of it.



After I finished taking photos, I returned to my car and fetched my trusty Felco pruners.  I trimmed off a low-hanging cane with lots of good cutting material, tossed it into the car, and headed for home.



If my hunch is correct and this property IS going to be demolished, it is important that this old rose be preserved. 

The cane I cut off yielded 11 cuttings, which are now planted in a milk jug, sitting on a shelf in a north-facing window in our cool basement.  I expect to see roots in a month or two ... if this happens, I'll have plants for my garden and to share with friends.



Thank you very much for your kind words of sympathy about my accident with the chef's knife.  My finger is feeling better than I thought it would at this point, and I'm not taking pain meds anymore ... just the antibiotics.  I mustered up the courage earlier this morning to change my whole bandage and check on the wound itself, and it looks really good (relatively speaking, considering a slice of my finger is missing.) 

I hope to be able to downsize the bandage in a day or two ... this vet-wrap club on my finger is really awkward.  It helps remind me, though, that I have to take it easy and remember not to overdo things too soon.  I certainly don't want to do anything that will cause this to heal wrong.

Still typing without using my left index finger ... getting pretty good at it, too.  :)

13 comments:

  1. Pretty darn good typing, friend.
    I like your rose rustling to save the sturdy rose bush for future plants. I think I bought a book on rose rustlers, a noble group!

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  2. Ouch! So sorry about your finger! Glad it is healing up well.

    Good for you to get a cutting of the rose. Will look forward to hearing of it's progress. :)

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  3. Beautiful big old rose bush, so glad you got a start~
    happy to hear you are healing~ take care
    Teresa

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  4. Darn good typing my friend! Glad your finger is doing better! Love that you save old roses like this lovely one! Hugs, Linda

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  5. I knew you wouldn't be down for long! What a great healthy rosebush! I know it is so sad to see a bush planted with such hope and promise to be just dug up and moved to make way for a road. At least it will be able to live on...looks like it is a pure white, but the buds look pink, very interesting! Maybe one will come live at my house. :) donna

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  6. Huge rose bush! Just HUGE.

    So glad you took a cutting. Can you get thrown in jail for that if caught? LOL

    Oh, and good news about your finger. Keep on doing what you're doing and it will heal up in no time.

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  7. Great idea to take a cutting.. perhaps take even more? They are like old relatives, these old plants... hate to leave them to be demolished. I feel the same way about old perennial beds that are left abandoned, and then uprooted/destroyed for building.

    Glad your finger isn't giving you any more trouble...just let it heal.

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  8. I am so glad that you were able to get a cutting, Connie. How wonderful that you can preserve that old rose. I'm surprised you didn't take several cuttings. I am sure that the old owners would not mind one bit...and it certainly isn't "stealing" in my book.

    I am glad your finger appears to be healing. What a bad time of year fo this to happen. I guess there really isn't a GOOD time, is there? Blessings- xo Diana

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  9. I know how your finger must feel. I actually did cut off the side of my pointing finger with an Exacto blade at work. I was making an architectural model at the time. I lost some feeling in it and to this day, it still tingles. I hope all is well for you and you get all the feeling back.

    It was nice you preserved this rose.

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  10. Connie - I am SO glad that you took the time to save a little history from that beautiful rosebush. I never realized how easy it is to grow them from cuttings. You make it sound like it's a breeze! :) Glad to hear that you're feeling a little better.....and your typing is amazing, girl! lol!

    xoxo laurie

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  11. Great find... I have several friends who never leave the house without pruners a wet paper towel and a ziplock bag..... :)

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  12. I have a mom-in-law that does this wherever she goes...her property is like a scrapbook - memories from so many places she's been cause it's all growing right there!

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  13. When you cut clippings Connie, do you simply use root-tone or something similar?

    As I plant more roses, I'd love to just take cuttings from my existing and replant; I'm just unsure of how to do it correctly.

    Thanks,

    ~P. Meabh

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