Thanks for the additional problem solving, Beth! I used to have Gypsy Fire from Eurodesert but it wasn't particularly hardy in my zone and has been long gone. As tough as this little plant has been for 4+ years I don't think I realized reading my notes that I can't guarantee this rose was a free RV rose however, since I don't remember what I planted there. I appreciate the advice to ask RV, but while I love their roses dearly I don't find that the folks answering the phones or emails are typically all that knowledgeable about the roses. This spring they sent me Ingrid Bergman (a dark red rose) instead of the Ingrid that I'd ordered (orange with yellow hilites Mander rose), and it took some discussion to convince them these weren't the same rose. They did give me the credit for the error, but I don't think distinguishing among possible striped roses would be likely from the staff I've encountered. Theoretically Ebharvey may be correct that this could be a seedling, but I've never had any other seedling grow in my yard in 10 or more years and 1000+ roses, so it would be odd if the only seedling I got was a nice striped one like this. Far more likely given the planting frenzy that happens in my yard in spring is that I planted this and forgot to label it some years ago. I remember trying to replace Gypsy Fire from someone but that was unsuccessful, and I wouldn't have put it in an out of the way place like this. I don't recall ever ordering JH Pierneef, but given your lovely photos I certainly would if the opportunity presented itself. I seem to recall the color being on the crimson side of red rather than orange tones, but the photo you see from back in (gasp) 2014 was the last bloom picture I have and the last bloom I remember seeing. Well, I suppose if it doesn't bloom I can call it Cynthia's Darling (or whatever I want) and no one will be able to contradict me. It's unobtrusive and stays tucked in some clematis most of the season so it stays by default. Still, it is a nagging little mystery that surprisingly after 3 years still isn't resolved. I'll keep a special eye out for it this season and see if I get any new blooms. Thanks as always for the problem solving! Cynthia

If you have a cut piece of stem, you can stick the bottom in the ground or you can just lay it on it's side, and either way, the stem will most likely (given the right conditions like enough light) grow new rosettes and roots. In nature they'll fall over being top-heavy, and whatever is in contact with some soil will root and the plant will keep going. This is a very easy plant in Southern California. As cactusmcharris points out, it could be in its summer dormancy yet, which would make the rosette more compact. It make loosen up and look different when it starts growing again.

Yes, it is Rose of Sharon. Another name for it (besides the proper name of Hibiscus syriacus) is Althea. This was the name I always heard growing up, many years ago. I love them and have always acquired at least one everywhere I have lived. When I see a color I don't have, I always ask for seeds. They are easy to grow and very pretty, I think. You can prune them to any size you want, too, in early spring before they leaf out and bloom. Probably afterwards, too!

I can think of a logical explanation for Vinelover's (surprising) guess of Pristine. Like Vinelover and Rosetom, I grow both Pristine and Tiffany in my yard. When I read Vinelover's post (above), my reaction was the same as Rosetom's ..."Pristine is not even a close guess." First: Vinelover says his/her Pristine blooms are "highly fragrant." But we know Pristine is NOT "highly fragrant." Not even close. (The ARS description of Prisitne says it has "slight" fragrance. HMF says "mild.") Second: Vinelover says he/she has both Tiffany and Pristine, and "they look identical colorwise just before the bud opens." But we know that even as an opening bud Pristine does not have Tiffany's big yellow petal-bases. So... why is Vinelover reporting characteristics for Pristine that it does not have? I think the logical answer can only be... Vinelover's Pristine is a mis-labeled rose. If that is the case, then what rose does Vinelover actually have? To me, it sounds like Vinelover is describing the blooms of Secret. It is highly fragrant rose, it has a lot of yellow at the petal-base, and its barely-opened buds CAN (in certain climates) look very similar to Tiffany. When you look at a bunch of photos of a rose-variety at HelpMeFind, sometimes you see one photo that is "not even close" to what the rest of the photos look like. For a long time I have wondered why that happens. I think the answer is: someone UN-KNOWINGLY contributed a photo of a mis-labeled rose. Approximately ten days ago, in another thread, I mentioned that I insisted for two years in these forums that Oklahoma has mild fragrance and only about 25 petals - because I was describing the "Oklahoma" I had bought and planted in my yard. Then in 2004 I discovered my "Oklahoma" was actually a mis-labeled bodybag bareroot. Color me dark-red with embarrassment! I'm just glad I never contributed a photo of it into HelMeFind's collection of Oklahoma photos! But (quite obviously in some cases), other people have done that - because they innocently believed the INCORRECT paper identification-label on the "Oklahoma" (or "Pristine") rosebush they bought. Regards, JohnReb