formandfoliage 9b (Sunset zone 15) In picture 2, on the lower right edge of the picture, you can see a small item of bright orange and lemon color. To its left, there is a long branch, see how many leaves does it have. Will rose ever grow this way?

It definitely looks like Kerria japonica however mine was always in mostly shade and bloomed just yellow. It was reliably hardy in my then-Zone 5b garden. It grew larger year after year but never seeded around and after 20+ years was still what I would categorize as a well-behaved perennial shrub. It was never bothered by pests in my experience.

Thanx for all the kind comments!! Today is the 3 day of its opening and it has turned white and the petals have moved around a bit. Amazing, it's like having 2 flowers in one plant. Also found that there is a naked bud growing in the new leaf right next to the flower. By naked I mean no sheath....catts are definitely very interesting! Hope it will make it to bloom. Perfection - there's a fragrance that even *I* can smell but only during the day and it's even more pronounced when the temps are warmer. Again, without all your help...this catt would have died back in May. So I owe it all to you!

Tim, I'm relatively new to this, but let me tell you what I know. If you are talking about shima nishiki (red and white), not all flowers will bloom with that mixed coloration. Do you have other buds on your plant or is that the only one? My shima bloomed with a pink flower (which in the light looked candy apple red). At first, I thought it might be a different plant. Then I went to the nursery where there were other shimas (some red/white, others red) and mine was exactly the same. Someone else told me that some of her flowers turn out pink. If you're talking below the graft, then you suspect that what you have is an herbaceous peony flower, but that doesn't look herbaceous. It sounds like your tree has had setbacks but is finally settled in and beginning to thrive. That is a beautiful flower. 3 years is a long time to wait after having seen it bloom. What do you think happened to it?