I have to figure out how to take rose cuttings. This is one of our oldest roses, buried for years at the head of the drive; it must have been planted after the highway was shifted, so after 1935, but probably not too much later. It is tolerant of shade, incredibly winter hardy, more so than the other old roses which died nearly to the ground*. It is also free of pests (though that might be because there are no other roses near it), mildly fragrant, about five feet tall, and once blooming. In my opinion, it is pretty much what a white rose ought to look like. It has no suggestion of rugosa heritage, the best I can tell it is the true alba semi-plena: the white rose of York.

010

 

*Sadly, this means that they won’t flower this year since unlike the modern roses, they apparently bloom on last year’s growth.