Adventures of Blaze, the Climbing Rose

Category: FRED - the garden | Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 2:48 am

We have been in this house for just over 20 years so when I say many years ago, I mean many years ago.
Many years ago I planted my first rose, it was a Climbing Blaze Rose, at the side of the old metal shed.

It grew like a weed and every spring was covered with blooms, but unlike some Blaze's it only bloomed once.
One winter we had several days in a row of temps ranging from 10 at night to 20 during the day and the rose died back to the ground. The next spring it made a complete recovery, stems were coming up quickly and were soon covered in buds. When they bloomed the roses were white...it had died back to the root stock. Later that spring one more stem started blooming and was soon covered with red roses.

The next spring you wouldn't have known it had ever been damaged by weather, except for the white and red blooms on the same plant and they were joined that year by a stem of pink blooms.
The next year the white and pink had disappeared and replaced by only red blooms.

Over time the birds planted an evergreen shrub on top of it and since the gardening bug hadn't really bitten me yet, I just didn't take the time to do anything about that. But Blaze, being so resilient and able to take care of herself found a way to move herself. She started coming up at the corner of the shed and soon was all the way around the corner and almost a foot away from the shed wall, moving herself about 5 feet from where I had planted her. And in the process of moving the original plant died.

She tried so hard putting out many long stems every year, I propped up a trellis for her and had to keep her tied to it but she would break free be in the way of the tractor mower when Randy drove it out of the shed and get a haircut every week. She wasn't getting enough sunlight there anyway, so last fall I trimmed her way back.

This spring when we put up my bloom house, it became apparent that she would have to move again and this time I would be the mover. I trimed the three stems back to about 6 inches long then started using the garden fork to get her up. I ended up having a two foot long trench across the path before I was able to pull the root up.
I found a spot on the other side of the yard, dug a two foot long trench and laid the root in it. I have been watering and watching the three little stems for signs of life. The stems have stayed green since the move in early March and today I found what I had been hoping for. Two of the stems have tiny leaves coming out...I was so afraid I had killed her but now I'm so relieved.

Of course, back over at the corner of the metal shed there are now three more stems coming up from yet another part of her that I didn't know was there. I think I will just leave them alone and keep them cut back to a managable size. They may not ever bloom but I just can't bring myself to kill something with such a determination to live.

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glendann wrote on Fri Apr 13, 2007 4:50 am:

Gosh ,She is so determended to live,I wold love a rose that blooms 3 seperate color blooms.I have a blaze but roses just don't like me for some reason.All my roses have black spot.I guess they will end up all naked.

Gardenstew wrote on Fri Apr 13, 2007 8:15 am:

Your rose is like the Terminator *shock* "I'll be back.....blooming"

Wonderful story Toni and well told. I didn't expect the ending about the original plant coming back.

eileen wrote on Fri Apr 13, 2007 9:44 am:

That rose of yours is definately one determined lady!!! I'll keep my fingers crossed that she grows from strength to strength for you Toni.

Netty wrote on Fri Apr 13, 2007 12:20 pm:

My neighbor had a shrub rose that he tried to get rid of for YEARS! Every time he would cut it back and dig up roots but it always returned. He eventually sold the house and moved away, but that shrub rose still lives there. And the new owners love it!

aloes wrote on Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:08 pm:

That was very nice reading. So the rose ended up blooming red only? I aslo had the feeling of "I will be back ..." It might be wise to be friends with that rose. joking. I can imagine it covered in flowers, I saw that as a child, but no-where lately.

colleen wrote on Wed May 09, 2007 6:47 pm:

My grandfather was given a rose when he retired. It is now about 60 years old. This rose never gives up either.
It has lived in a pot in the dessert,replanted 3 times in 1975,moved to Oregon, moved to my place last year. You can simply take a cutting stick it in the ground and it will grow. It does only bloom once in the early summer. Beautiful red roses.