A Rose is a rose...
Have 2 roses at the moment a shrub rose that we have always called the Dog Rose and a miniature Sunrise Cupido, that I hope will survive the winter. We don't always get enough snow cover to keep the more tender plants safe during the colder months.

Will never forget Mrs. Hawkins in Fort Smith, north of 60 in the Northwest Territories who grew the most lovely roses, she had 2 secrets, one was an abundant supply of well rotted horse manure and the other was she treated them much the same way we grow Geraniums as annuals. Extravagant, non! and she grew the most beautiful roses in very unlikely conditions.

The first rose that we remember was a large bush growing in the garden of our house in Cordova Bay, B. C. It was a huge bush and had the most fragrant roses we had ever encountered. The colour was a soft peach and discovered that it was one known as the Peace rose -
"a glorious rose, its pale gold and ivory petals blending to a lightly ruffled edge of delicate carmine."
receiving its name April 29, 1945.

Our first venture planting roses was a hedge along a rail fence, in Mariatown along the St. Lawrence, we had moved to the 'farm' and started a large garden, mostly herbs. the fence & the roses were meant as a barrier to keep the children, dogs and chickens from wandering onto the road.
From one bush we took a number of cuttings and with the help of Willow water {The Avant Gardener] soon had shoots with roots. It was surprising how quickly they took and within the year thickened up. What pleased us more than anything was the success it proved despite help from the dogs, and the bounty of rose hips that appeared.

At one time we thought we'd make our fortune growing the miniatures; an article described the venture in such glowing terms. It always seemed such a luxury reading in the outhouse with a stack of New Yorkers spelled it out and dreams were possible. However while our success growing herbs continued we didn't have conditions for growing the wee roses.

Today we have bushes of the Dog Rose growing along the edge of the property, flowering from early June through July with fragrant blossoms, never the soft gold of the Peace or the gentle peach of Sunrise Cupido, rather a fluorescent pink - but they smell. Picking a cluster we remember the rule of 5 leaves so that more roses will bloom and to cut the stem once again below the water level.

Hoping to find a spot for the miniature with enough snow cover to see it bloom next year - the Dog Rose will continue without our coddling.