Oh, give it lots organic fertilizer like chicken pellets and perhaps horse manure. I say "lots" because the grass will take much of the nutrients and chicken manure can last up to two years in the soil :-) Any fertilizing will do it good.

I remember QoD as even more packed with petals and a denser shrub The open growth could be because it is left to fend for it self. I'm not much help I'm afraid.

QoD is an exceeding thorny rose-what is your thorn situation?

patricia

Somehow it doesn't look like QoD to me. Leaves color is wrong and the bush structure is very different. Why do you think it is an Alba? It can be damask or centifolia or even gallica as well.
Olga

Its not very thorny patricia,

Olga, my first thought was a Alba due to its sweet scent. However looking through roses online, thier are other classes that have this description as well. I just cant match a rose to it. I was looking through some centifolias, im almost determined its one. After going back outside and taking another look, one of the canes is easily 6 1/2 feet at least, as its taller than me and im 6 2". I think im wrong about it being a alba , as I cant match it with anything on rogers roses. Im going to ask my tempory landlord if hes willing to depart with some suckers I think, in exchange for me cleaning it up for him, it really needs some dead wood removal on it.

I wish I could provide the scent of a plant over the internet as well! It is wonderful!

Silverkelt

It *might* be R. centifolia. It really doesnt look like an alba to me, but I can't say exactly why. Damasks, IME, tend to have messier flowers.

I think your right mad gallica,

Looking at some more shots today that I took, we have had cooler weather, the buds wernt opening as quickly, the following shot really look like a "Cabbage" to me. Plus R Centifolia fits the hieght and width, plus the foliage and thorn habit are similiar.

I think the kicker is it cant really be one of the albas anyways, as alot of those were hybridized in the 1800's, This is only a guess on my part, but this rose I believe is older than that. I would think it was planted near the time of the building, around 1798. R Centifolia would fit well with that theory =P...

Another shot...

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Thanks everyone!

it looks pretty similar to Celestial, a alba which was hybridized in 1739. It has seven leaves. What's the leaf count of yours?
It's not the Loyalist rose, which is paler pink, and some say is Maiden's Blush. The Loyalists took that one with them when they fled to Canada.
Another clue is the nationality of the settlers in that area in 1798.

Well, it does look similar to an OGR I have that I purchased from Old Sheep's Meadow Nursery in Alfred,ME. The owner claimed to have rescued the rose from an historic home that was about to be torn down. They took cuttings and propogated them. She did not know what the name of the rose was. I am wondering if your rose is the same as the one I have.

I have always assumed mine was an alba as well, because of its similiarity to Queen of Denmark, which I have planted nearby. But I know it's not QoD as it grows much taller, I have mine planted along the trellis fence and it is well over 6'.

Don't assume that the rose had to have been planted in 1798. That sounds a bit early for roses in Maine. I don't think they were commonly available or planted until later in the 1800s.

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HI Kaylah,

It "could" be celestial, the only objection would be the outer petals look different to me, plus, doesnt celestial open up to show its stamens alot of times? This stays fairly doubled through its stages. It might be celestial, I do not know! Its more than likely this area would have been settled by English settelers during that time. The only other option would be french, they were more to the south and eastern north. Later the Irish and Scots came, but that was a little later.

Veilchen, that rose does look similiar, my first thought was this rose was an alba of some sort due to the height and scent. But im not sure now. My buds look a little different i feel like though... take a look...I can only guess as to when the rose was planted. I do not know if it was the year the house built or much later. It could have been in the 1800's for sure!

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Thank you,

Silverkelt

It doesn't look like Celeste to me. I think it is Centifolia.
Olga

Its very pretty, good luck with finding out what it is and striking your cuttings from it. Please let us know if you achieve growing another baby plant from it.