Oh, and some of the very thorny, brown canes coming into the Rosa moyesii are from a Rosa sericea pteracantha.

Jay

Beautiful, Jay! Yes, Moyesii is a glorious plant...as long as you have the room for one. When unleashed in a mild climate, it can quickly become enormous and never has the grace it's meant to have when whacked. Master Hugh is a pink seedling with even larger flagon shaped hips. I stumbled across Master Hugh many years ago in Gregg Lowery's garden and thought it magnificent. Kim

I knew I could find this . . . !

The Celebration Of Old Roses, 2007 . . .

Someone brought in this cutting of R. moyesii. It was, they said, in a S.F. public garden, and they were going to remove it because of its size. The person was hoping that another public garden could accommodate it.

Mel Hulse was at the HRG "Local Groups" table with me, and he regretfully said that he could not imagine WHERE.

So, where DID you see this glorious monster?

I was unsure of the specific spot until some quick research, but It was in the SF Botanical Garden in the South East Asian Cloud Forest section.

The link suggests it could be one of two, but it was definitely the rose in Bed 77A which is in the SE Asian Cloud Forest subsection. The Rosa sericea pteracantha next to the Rosa moyesii was in pretty poor shape, but the moyesii looked quite happy.

Maybe the other specimen listed in Bed 41 was the one removed a few years ago? It is only the rose in 77A that has a "Last Checked" entry with a date. I'm glad one is going strong there!

Jay

Here is a link that might be useful: Rosa moyesii at SF Botanical Garden

Darn, I just tried the link and it didn't retain the search words "Rosa moyesii," but the information I allude to above should be there once you do type it in.

Jay

Ho, the fabulous moyesii - I simply cannot say enough about this rose - although even in england, mine is way above my head - I think it is topping out at around 12 feet high and wide. Moyesii is a gaunt specimen and late into leaf....so this year, I have set the little mediterannean clematis at its base to run up the trunk. Clematis cirrhosa 'Ourika Valley, unlike 'Freckles', is an unblemished white with those delicious evergreen ferny leaves. It is in bloom throughout January, February and into March. I have always wanted a snowbells (halesia monticola) bush but my alkaline soil precludes this choice....but I have a fond hope that the pendulous creamy white bells of this clematis might look just the ticket.....and if it goes well, I may even try clematis urophylla 'Winter Beauty or one of the alpinas up the rose since it is such an obligingly architectural shape.
For the past couple of years, mine has also had an annoying tendency to lose more of the heps (hence the clems) - I will be getting 'Sealing Wax' or Master Hugh (true, Kim, a fabulous monster) to open my woodlands (along with a handful of crabs for that Christmassy tiny red apples and berries thingy and heaps of white blossom in spring (the crabs are 'Wedding Day, John Downie and m.tschonoskii - the latter especially valued for autumn colours).
A rose for a wild garden, which assorts well with those huge ramblers such as Seagull, The Garland........

Perhaps they decided, after all, that they had a good place for it. That seems likely.

I think that, at the time, Mel told the people that his only suggestion might be to contact the folks at Quarryhill Botanical Garden.

Here is a link that might be useful: Quarryhill Botanical Garden

Camps,

I grew Halesia here in our neutral to alkaline clay (can't remember which Halesia) until DH accidentally weed whacked it while clearing out the woods in order to stop the puppy from sneaking away when she knew she was out of sight. The point is you may be able to grow Halesia.

Cath