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Rosa sericea ssp. omeiensis f. pteracantha May 1 2019
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The beginning of May is always that month when one goes to
one’s garden there are surprises that seemed to have happened overnight. This
is especially true with my hostas as they unfurl quickly with the warmish few
weeks of spring sun.
But I must report that the biggest surprise today was seeing Rosa sericea ssp. Omeiensis f. pteracantha. It is then officially the first rose to bloom in my garden.
This species rose is unusual in two ways. It is the only one with four petals instead of the five found in all other species. The other unusual feature is that as the rose matures it has huge, translucent barbs that dazzle the eyes when seen in backlight.
I might have missed the blooming as the rose is in my alley/garage garden. Some five years ago I had a mature one but it died suddenly in the middle of the summer. My Rosemary tried to find it in many mail-order sites but to no avail. I found it last year at Garden Works in North Vancouver.
My original plant was used for a program for Early Music Vancouver in 2014.
