Hi, Karen.

It looks a lot like the dreaded Dr. Huey.

Check out the link below and see if you agree.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pics of Dr. Huey

I did not look closely at the leaves, but as far as color, my rose is a cross between purple and fuschia, Dr. Huey seems to be red? And the fragrance is quite strong on my rose but the Dr. Huey says slight fragrance. It has not been vigorous thus far, my rose. Thank you for the suggestion!

It doesn't look like Dr. Huey to me - the leaves of this one seem different - more matte, with jagged edges. Plus, the good Doctor is only supposed to be hardy to Zone 6, and I think Cooperstown is in Zone 4/5(correct me if I'm wrong).

The hardiness of this rose should narrow things down a little - does anybody who gardens in colder climates have any ideas?

Thank you. Yes, the leaves are jagged and matte, they are on the light side when older however, maybe it needs another feeding. When we were in Cooperstown, end of August, we wore sweaters or jackets at night. So yes, I'm gonna put it at a fairly cold zone. The owner of the house where we stayed, where the rose was growing, indicated it had been in his family for 100 years (the rose). It was not big but it looked like he had run it over with the lawnmower! Plus it was not growing in sun. He believed it bloomed once a year and he called it purple. I put it at fuschia. Thanks to both for the help so far! The rose is still growing in a pot until I can figure out how big she will get. Karen

It's hard to tell from your photos, but the plant doesn't appear to be very thorny. Is this correct? Of course, the mature plant might have more prickles than your potted cutting.

I'll bet that it will end up becoming a rambler of some kind - perhaps a Boursault? (they're hardy to Z5, but I don't know about Z4)

The rose is growing more so as of late, especially with all the rain. It has 4 new shoots (suckers?) two of which are growing so fast as to have caught up to the original potted rose. The shoots appear more thorny than the original baby rose however, the new thorns are soft and easily fall off. Is that the norm? The rose leaf color is also darkening which might be attributed to manure and other feeding. the leaves are outlined thinly in burgundy. I also wanted to mention that perhaps it is suffering from the rain in that one section of the leaves are closing into its self, like folding up. Perhaps it will be susceptible to powder mildew in NJ? Much more humid here than Cooperstown. Cooperstown is in the mountains. It was originally growing on his families' farm in a more remote area of cooperstown and the gentleman said he brought it over from the farm a while back. I started looking up boursault's and maybe it will lead me somewhere. Thank you!

Dr. Huey will grow in zone 5 for certain. It dies back completely to the ground most years, but returns with a vengeance. It's all over the place, as so many people with 'found' roses around here have ye old Doctor. I was getting it every year for the past several years on the grafted Austins. They were SP'd because Dr. Huey was taking over. :-)

But I was not certain the photos were Dr. Huey, especially since there were none of the sparse, yet somewhat distinct, thorns/prickles. And, to be honest, Dr. H doesn't last too long around me, as I chop his canes down and eventually remove the plant. :-)

Another rootstock that was used in the past was Gloire des Rosomanes (aka 'Ragged Robin'). Some references list it as a China, others as a Bourbon. If it's truly a China it probably wouldn't survive around here, unless it is a hybrid with one its parents being hardy.

Check out the link below to HMF photos, especially the photo that shows the buds and leaves. See if we're getting closer.

Here is a link that might be useful: GdR/Ragged Robin

I suspect you will find it blooms on and off all season, once you get it into your garden. I think you have 'Gloire de Rosomanes', and there is an almost sure-fire way to tell: rub your fingers on the un-opened buds and see if the resin of the buds smells like Cedar (or Frankincense resin). This is a big clue as to its identity.

Paul

If the rose ends up being Gloire des Rosomanes, then it means that GdR must be much hardier than previously thought!

'Gloire de Rosomanes' is hardy to USDA Zone 5.

when I had an opportunity, I searched under Boursault for a bit of time and there was a rose similar, started with an "M" and now I need to find the picture I printed out and the name again. Except the leaves seemed glossy and the rose I have is matte. The pictures of the GdR are on the red side but again, have not researched too long yet as this computer is slow and I have to fight for the computer with my teenagers. The cooperstown rose is a purplish red and then again, I've only had one bloom ever and also am going by the color described by the guy in Cooperstown who told me about it. he said it bloomed once a year, purple but I don't know if he was referring to what he had at his "present" residence where he admitted it was growing in shade, which might prevent blooms, or if he was going by a longer memory of the rose when it was growing at a different location, the family farm. I'm so appreciative of your help and continue to research everything everyone is offering! It is growing alot more now, with all the rain plus the feedings. It never went dormant from when I brought it back from Cooperstown last August. I have had great luck over the years keeping roses alive in my garage all winter, no feeding just minimal watering and this rose stayed green but did not grow until around March (still in garage) and then it put out its single bloom. And we had an early spring, garage was warmer than usual. Would another picture of what the growth is like right now help? It is getting larger with shoots coming up but no other buds. karen