I was wondering if someone could help me identify this rose - any suggestions are welcome. I plucked this rose from a huge rose bush/shrub (8 ft tall x 8 ft wide) growing in front of an old, abandoned craftsman style bungalow in Downtown Santa Ana, California. I think it is an old garden rose judging by the size and form of the bush (large shrub). The flower is approximately 4 inches across. At first I thought it was Celine Forestier but none of the flowers have the distinctive green eye. Then I thought it may be Duchesese D'auerstadt but it is not as yellow as Duchesese. Then again, since we are in Southern California perhaps the temperature is affecting the color - it is current about 65 - 75 degrees here. Again, any suggestions are welcome!!

Yes, please. Leaves, prickles, hips, etc etc. Whole plant, too.

Jeri

Yes, please. Leaves, prickles, hips, etc etc. Whole plant, too.

Jeri

Jeri

Can you propagate it?????

Jeri

There are so few Found Roses from Southern CA -- I'm delighted when one shows up.

Please, please keep us posted.

Jeri

Tammy

It screams "Tea!" or "Very early HT!" to me, and wow is it a BEAUTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish my Snowbird were closer to blooming, so as to compare. The overall look of leaflet shape/texture, stems, prickles on my Snowbird bear resemblance to those in the photos above, along with the "Snowbird-esque" appearance of the flower. But if Snowbird gets that big, I've got to be planning ahead here...

~ Debbie

I hope you are successful with propagating this gorgeous rose :)

Marleah

I have a friend in Torrance has an own root one which has grown against her garage and over the doors for over 25 years. It usually ate the front of the garage. The main trunk is a bit over three inches in diameter and extremely woody. Unfortunately, it started into decline and I discovered it is severely galled, so we selectively pruned it, fertilized the dickens out of it and it's being permitted to show what it can do after "surgery". The climber can achieve some mighty respectable proportions with little encouragement. You actually were able to buy Cl. Snowbird as a budded bare root from Week's about twenty years ago. Kim

First of all, it's a yellow rose, not just in the center. My camera is whitening the outer petals. It's not a white rose. Without doubt, yellow:

The reverse of the petals is white with a yellow base:

Yes there was some mildew. The foliage was large-ish and had a slight gloss. Perhaps slightly unusual in that most of the leaves were in 3s instead of the usual 5s.

To me the growth habit was very Tea-like: twiggy, zig-zagging, with new blooming growth emerging immediately below the abscission layer of the previous flower:

The prickles were few, small, and hooked:

Even down at the base of the plant, prickles were few, but they were there:

The new growth is a light burgundy.

The buds showed yellow color:

Though I did find one bud with a touch of carmine:

The dead wood and the structure at the base of the plant looked Tea to me as well. It did not appear to be a staggeringly old plant, unless it had been pulled out at one point and had grown back from the roots.

It did not require support from the house behind it. The photo does not quite bring across the grace of the growth habit. Even in neglect a beautiful plant:

Though only the center of the flower appears yellow, the entire flower really is yellow. Heavy overcast today meant light was low.

This bud was inside the plant, so it was quite dark in there and the lighting makes the bud appear to be white, which it is not.

This rose obviously blooms a lot. Old hip:

So, that's that. Unfortunately, I have never seen 'Snowbird' in person. The "mystery" looks quite a bit more yellow than 'Snowbird', but it IS planted on the north side of a building--does 'Snowbird' get yellow in part shade? Perhaps someone can compare the small prickles above the abcission layer on the bloom stem to a 'Snowbird', the stem prickes, the growth habit, and the other features I have tried to focus on and see how it compares to 'Snowbird'.

My nose found the fragrance (delightful, by the way) as strong Tea with pepper and an intermittent note of lemon.

Wow what a great find Phoebe!!! Gorgeous!

Now to try to root the cuttings...

Great in-depth analysis and pictures. You mentioned a lot of things I would have never considered - you are certainly an expert. I agree about the overall color being yellow. Depending on the lighting, my camera would also whiten the flower. In your first pic (more shade) it looks yellow but when taken in more sunlight (3rd from last pic) it looks a lot whiter. It is lemon yellow in the center which lightens in shade as it emanates towards the outer petals.

Also, could someone please measure the diameter of "Snowbird" in full bloom? A size comparison would be a good idea.

Hope your cuttings take.

I hope you all have fun figuring this puzzle out and really enjoyed reading this thread and looking at those great pictures! Gean

Sherry

'Alexander Hill Gray', I'll look at that one. Waiting on someone with 'Snowbird' to chime in as to prickle shape/count, etc...

If I remember right, there are two versions of bush-form Snowbird in the SJHRG, one of which was said to show more yellow. Can someone help with this vague recollection of mine?

Here are some photos of features on my young (1 1/2 years in ground) Snowbird this morning. There are only buds (and aphids) -- no flowers yet -- and all leaves are this year's leaves. My Snowbird has relatively few prickles.

Debbie

Melody