Mary Rose? David Austin.

And a few more pics...

I've never grown Mary Rose...but that was my first thought, too. But does Mary Rose have long narrow leaves like that? Gorgeous whatever it's called! Is there any fragrance?

Rosecanadian: yes... there was a fragrance... when I smelled it today... but it to my nose... it was NOT a pleasant fragrance. I tend to like sweet fruity smelling roses such as Bolero and Madame Moiselle... or ones that smell like what most consider a floral rose smell. This rose had a scent that had neither of those qualities to me... (but I only was willing to smell one bloom)... so I may have to go back tomorrow and give it an second chance tomorrow... I’ll report back to you.

My vote is Old Blush.

Thank you for all for your input... While this possibly could be a David Austin “Mary Rose”...

I suspect it may more likely be an “Old Bush” rose as Lori suggested. I looked up “old bush rose” and here’s the best info I found on it. I think Lori might be on to something... In part because suspect this rose has been growing in this spot a long time. I this was planted by previous owners who lived here a many, many years ago. The the long legs on it with lots of un-pruned dead wood also make me suspect its and “Old Bush Rose.” I feel like David Austin roses tend to have a more fuller more rounded, lower the the ground form. Whereas this rose probably stands at 7-8 feet tall... with a a few canes looking like it wants to reach even higher heights. I would love to hear more of your thoughts.

Now that I think the mystery is solved... I think I need to learn how to propagate it. It’s too pretty a rose not to have more of. I walk my entire neighborhood, and I think it’s probably the one that I’ve admired the most throughout my years living and walking this neighborhood. It seems to bloom year round here... even in the winter.

Ann, I love this mystery rose, and I love your photos, descriptions, and story. I hope you have solved it, and the rose is, indeed, Old Blush. It's too bad you can't do a midnight rose rustling and rescue the rose. I'm not suggesting you do anything illegal-haha. Would I do that? But it would be wonderful to propagate a start. If I had the space, I would grow this one, just from what you have said. Are you moving soon? I thought you had mentioned that, but I may be mixed up. Diane

Get a bunch of cuttings and pot them up so you're sure to have at least one that takes.

The fragrance profiles don't match though. You don't think it smells sweet...yet Old Blush is supposed to be sweet and pleasing. Maybe you need to go back and smell it again? :)

Seil: how many cuttings do you recommend I get???

UPDATE on Mystery rose fragrance: so I went back in the morning and again in the evening to smell... and smell some more... I kept smelling until I nearly gave myself a headache... hoping to discover that I was initially wrong about the scent being aversive for my nose. But alas, it smelled just like I had remembered. I even went to smell some of the cuttings I had taken after they had been sitting in a pot of water for several hours... hoping that somehow maybe... this would changed the scent to something more pleasant. But it had not. The scent was so aversive to me that I found it was causing me to have a slight headache... and I had to immediately go and sniff my Bolero Roses to clear my head nose... Ahhhh... (overcome by a feeling of relief)... now THAT’S how a rose should smell. My Bolero always comes through for me in the scent department... and I find myself sniffing her anytime I’m out in the garden. I’m struggling to find the appropriate words to describe the scent on this mystery Rose. Is this what some Rose people describe as Myrrh??? I have a bottle of myrrh essential oil in my cabinet... but I’m not sure that I would necessarily describe it as myrrh??? Myrrh to me has a deep, earthy, grounding, soothing... slightly woodsy smell... warm... without being spicy. The mystery rose has a scent that has a slight cutting, sharpness to it... and I don’t know how to describe it other than unpleasant and aversive... it’s as if the chemical compounds that contribute to the scent are at war with each other. It’s the type of scent that once I took my first sniff, I pulled away and didn’t want to take another. But in the name of research... I kept sniffing until I gave myself a headache yesterday... 🤪😂 It’s such a shame because the scent just doesn’t match the loveliness of its blooms. So maybe... it isn’t an Old Bush Rose after all??? Which begs the question… If it’s not an old bush rose… Then what is it?!? Dun!... Dun!... Dun!... (insert mysterious music). The mystery continues...

Another UPDATE from this morning: So not being want to give up… (A.k.a. Otherwise known as being stubborn 😜)... I decided to give it one more sniff test. This time I sniffed the blooms on the rose cuttings I took. And to my surprise… The sharp, unpleasant, angry, punch-you-in-the-nose, stink in the scent was gone. It’s as if sitting in the pot of water overnight didn’t just dilute the scent but got rid of everything that was aversive and headache causing about the scent. It was just a soft, barely there, butterfly kiss of a scent... but lovely... reminding me a bit of the scent from my iceberg roses... but softer. I was really worried that if I took cuttings of this rose into the house… Because I love to grow roses and bring them into the house… I would have a house smell filled with a horrible scent. This scent... I can live with. But the mystery continues... what do you think it is??? Give it your best guess.

Here are some more detailed pics of this Rose. Unfortunately, it seems to be VERY thorny... with tiny little thorns all the way up and done the stems. But the petals and blooms are just so pretty… Such a lovely shade of soft, luminous pink. A rose petal bath would be lovely with the fallen petals of this rose.

Here’s some detailed pictures of the leaves and stem...

Ann, she could be Mary rose, the flowers do look like it. I have standar rose, is not flowering right now, let me see if I have a close up. The bush looks very tall tho, not sure if Mary rose gets that tall. Mary rose smells amazing tho

Foliage

What about Bow Bells?

I wish I could help you. I did a few advanced searches on hmf...but I just don't know. Good going on figuring out the fragrance is one you would like in the house. :)

It also looks like Mary rose to me, including the foliage. I have seen Mary growing at the Biltmore in North Carolina and the bush was at least 7 feet tall or more. I love her even tho she black spots here because it is very fragrant in my garden. I keep it pruned to 4 feet so she is very versatile. Her blooms can range from the deeper pink on my last picture to very pale. I wish I could smell her from here, Mary has a very very distinctive scent I could recognize.

I also thought Mary Rose. The petals and the bush does not remind me of Old Blush. Also, the bloom form before opening is not what I recall ever seeing on Old Blush.

CeresMer, Dianela and Lynn: Does your Mary rose have tiny little micro-size thorns in addition to larger thorns all up and down the stems? I wish this rose smelled sweet and lovely to my nose the way you all describe.

I will look tomorrow. One thing, Mary rose doesn’t last in a vase, I would say 1 day tops, so if the cuttings you took last I would say is mot her 😜

I was at my local nursery the other day and they had Mary Rose, and she was beautiful and looked just like your pictures, but she indeed did have micro thorns and regular sized thorns up and down her stems. It was one of the reasons why I held off on getting her because my toddler loves to look and sniff at my roses!

Ann-SoCal-

I am not growing Mary Rose in this temporary garden, and can only recall that Mary Rose was not thornless, however, it was not a Munstead Wood or Harlow Carr either. When I enlarged my image, the thorns resembled what you posted.

Wish I could be of more help...

There was a thread here at dome point about fragrance and someone pointed out that the scent described as myrrh in roses has nothing to do with the myrrh resin. But now I don’t remember the details. Some people think is smells like turpentine and others like dirty diapers. Other people think it is a wonderful fragrance. Goes to show everyone’s nose picks up something different. My DH and I were at the Descanso Garden last summer. He suddenly said what is that wonderful fragrance! Then he pinpointed it to a nondescript plant with purple flowers. I smelled absolutely nothing from that plant. Not any scent at all!