I guess I should add that they're about 3 feet high, and while they bloom the most now (June), you get some flowers off an on all summer. The hips are round and smallish, as I recall. They never seem to show any sign of disease or damage, and they are in full sun.

WW

I think it is Carefree Wonder.

I don't know, the flowers are smaller than that. I should have said, the blooms are only about an inch and a half across. And I see that Carefree Wonder requires winter protection; really cold weather doesn't seem to bother these at all.

Thanks, though.

WW

Carefree Delight, then. It has smaller flowers and is a terrific park rose. Carefree Wonder would not be disease-free, though both are quite hardy in NYC.

Here is a link that might be useful: C. Delight

But it looks like Carefree Delight is single, and these pretty things are double?

They do have more than 5 petals. Is there a double version? And again, it says they need winter protection and these are down next to the Hudson River where it gets bitterly cold and windy in the winter.

You'd think there'd be someplace in the city you could call and ask what these things are. Maybe I should try calling 311. That's for non-emergency city information, I suppose this qualifies.

WW

I just called 311. Guess that's not the kind of information they're talking about, they don't know.

WW

I've never seen the rose in person, but I've seen pictures of it. I bet it's "Soaring Spirits", named to honor the victims of 9-11.

I've included a link to the google images for you to compare.

Also, if you click on the web info the first hit is for the Weeks site that tells more about it and on down the page is a link to the "Remember Me Rose Garden". "Firefighter" and "Soaring Spirits" are apparently the first 2 of 9 roses to be named in honor of those who gave their lives.

This is the first time I've read about any of this.
Here's that address for anyone interested.
http://www.remember-me-rose.org/roses.asp

Here is a link that might be useful: Soaring Spirits rose images at google

I've seen 'Soaring Spirits' in person, and that isn't it.

How about "Rasberry Ruffles"?

too bad, soaring spirits would have been such a beautiful gesture.

You can't tell much from "requires winter protection" on HMF. The main author is in upstate NY and suspicious of repeat-blooming roses.

Now now. No dissing HMF. The site owner isn't from New York or suspicious. Often the first source of hardiness info is from breeders, and we all know how reliable that is. If you have better info, post a comment and make the corrections.

About an ID. It isn't Carefree Delight, which I grow. Foliage is all wrong, blooms too nice.

This rose has a hand-painted look. Cherries n Cream by J & P? Doubt it's hardy enough.

Regensburg by McGredy IV? Seems too light. I'd post to the regular Roses forum.

Sorry, I didn't intend to diss-- HMF is a remarkable and generous gift to civilization. And on second thought I realize she's in, or was in, Pennsylvania. But many roses that I know to be cane-hardy to zero are flagged as "requires winter protection if temperatures drop below freezing." I call that unduly suspicious ;)

Definitely not Soaring Spirits, it is striped with frilly-edged blooms, more single form than double.

I'm sticking with Wonder, 'cause I do see it around here in a few public plantings. And it's crazy with water here with all of the rivers and inlets.

Maybe the streets department would know?

Hi. It reminds me of the Hybrid Musk "Belinda" It has been some years since I have seen the rose, though.

Here is a link that might be useful: HMF Belinda

One last thought is one of the Medilands (there is a planting of Scarlet in one of the traffic berms on Rt 35), maybe Fucshia?

Down in the West Village section of the highway there are alternating blocks of white roses and a lighter pink version. For some reason I thought they were from the "pavement" series----I might have seen a tag when they were being planted...but it might be a wild guess.

You can smell them from a block away sometimes. Yes, they did this one right!
By the way, it's a state road so the city probably wouldn't be the ones to ask.

You zeroed on one of my pet peeves, Michael. That winter protection warning is on my To Do list. Crafting a sentence suggesting that a rose may need winter protection is not that easy, since hardiness is regional and has less to do with temperature than with temperature fluctuations in many parts of the USA. Even though I'm a warm climate gardener, I routinely have temperatures in the teens and do no winter protection. My roses suffer no damage and most don't even go dormant. So I'd like to see the winter protection trigger dropped lower, say 10 or 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course there's alway the case of the garden dolt who goes into the rare hard freeze with dry roses. I'll work on it.

2010 update-
I saw a tag poking out of the ground a couple days agao and managed to jump out of the car and look at it before the light changed this morning. It said 'Meidiland Fuchsia'.

I imagine the others in that area are probably Meidiland roses too.

WW

Not sure of the id but I have to admit that when I saw that they were planting roses in those median strips of the WSH I thought they were crazy. Boy was I wrong they have done really well and add a nice touch to the urban environment.

Here is a link that might be useful: Daily Flower Blog

To digitalflower -- advertising one's business is not allowed on the GardenWeb forums.

Weedwoman -- I'm happy you finally identified the mystery rose and I will put a link below to the HelpMeFind description. Click on the photos tab to see a few pictures:

Here is a link that might be useful: Fuchsia Meidiland

I'm so happy we know the name, they are so pretty! Thank you for jumping out of the car to see the tag.

Digitalflower, I'm glad I'm not the only one looking at that stuff. Some things work, some don't. The daylilies they planted on the Riverside Drive medians lasted about 2 weeks. But if I were the Meilland people I'd be putting signs in these rose beds - what an advertisement for them.

It took about a week before I got up the nerve to jump out of the car and look - it's not a pedestrian friendly place, to say the least. But I've been trying to figure out what these are for a couple years now.

WW

I always spell "Meidiland" incorrectly, but I was close!

You were right on the money, Diane. I only spelled it right because I looked it up. I still don't think the pictures on line look exactly like these, but there don't seem to be that many pictures on line. And I'm no expert when it comes to roses anyway.

WW

I went to Home Depot today and they had many Resenburg rose bushes for sale, they looked exactly like the pictures above in New York. I wonder if the rose has 2 names because there isn't much information under the name Resunburg? I purchased one of the bushes, when it gets new blooms I will post a picture, the petals were white on the outside and pink and white on the inside, very striking, it looks like it is going to have a lot of blooms soon.

Sweetmichelia, I'm pretty sure the rose you bought is Regensberg, and I agree that the blooms do look a lot like Fuchsia Meidiland.

Here is a link that might be useful: Regensberg listing on HelpMeFind

Weedwoman; so glad you found a tag! My 1st guess was going to be Regensberg; but the flowers in your photo look too small.

You should upload your photos to HelpMeFind.

Well I am in Jersey City and I would appreciate it if my city would buy something other than cherry red knock outs.