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Name That Rose!

Help! Old Rose not blooming, think it might be a murder bush

Caitlín Carrigan

8 years ago

Alright, I saw another post on this forum about a rose bush that wasn't blooming, so I will answer all questions I saw before I post.

There was a patch of overgrown chaos in the front side yard (an area we never even thought of as our yard, it was so overgrown) that I started clearing. Discovered ancient landscaping decisions that I'm now trying to salvage.

1) This bush is ancient. It was clearly planted beside a mulberry bush by someone decades ago. The mulberry bush is now a tree that is taller than my two story house, and this rose bush tried desperately to assimilate and murder the mulberry tree.

2) I have never seen it bloom. Didn't even know the cluster of green beside my house was rosebush. I HAVE seen millions of buds on it, or hips, but never blooms.

3) I HARD pruned it in an attempt to save the mulberry just a month ago. I felt bad murdering a bush that was clearly ancient, so I transplanted a few babies (It spreads like bubonic plague) to my rose garden I'm starting in the front of the house. The bushes are hardy little buggers, but there is no sign of bud production, which is unlike my other tea roses, that bloom constantly all season long. (Pics of transplanted baby included)

4) Even after hacking it down with murder in my heart to save the mulberry tree, this bugger has come back with a vengeance. Preparing to hard prune again before it grabs hold of the mulberry again in a second attempt.

I'm not sure if I answered all the questions, but here are some pictures.

Ok, thank you for all the help! I'm trying to decide whether to pry up the transplant and plant bushes that bloom with regularity (I already have several that look gorgeous).

The Mulberry tree and the now dead bush of rosey doom.

Transplanted baby that I'm trying to decide whether to dig up or watch as a science experiment.

One of the stalks coming back to life with murder in its heart. This isn't even the most outrageous of returns. The biggest trunks are completely covered with new stalks.

Any thoughts? What am I dealing with here? Is it a once blooming? A huey? A whatever else a rose can be called? (I'm new. I have no idea save for what I read in another post)

Thank you so much!

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Comments (2)

countrygirlsc, Upstate SC
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Here mulberries come up on their own and I just chopped down about 6 that just came up a couple weeks ago next to my basement door. They were already taller than me. We thought we had killed it, but apparently it was just waiting.

For the rose, it is hard to tell by the leaves, but they require at least 6 hours of sun to bloom. It may not have bloomed because it was overshadowed by the mulberry. Since the rose is coming back with a vengeance with revenge in its heart, it could be a multiflora, especially since it spreads like bubonic plague. I think the leaf count is off for that, but not sure. Unfortunately you will probably have to wait until it blooms to get an ID.

Where are you located? Here in my area roses will be blooming until November or December. If it is a reblooming rose, you may get blooms this year.
Caitlín Carrigan
Original Author
8 years ago
I'm in Massachusetts. I'm wondering if it isn't a rebloomer, because every other rose has bloomed and offered up new buds since it started growing. There's NO sign of buds coming in anywhere on any of the bushes.
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