R. sericea pteracantha

Photography and rose loving are a matchless and priveleged combination. Surprizes (to the photographer) like the image above are small joys. Big joys come when this photographer falls so hard for a rose she's compelled to capture its every phase. Please join me in exploring the wonders of 

Rosa sericea pteracantha, a species rose first found in France in 1890.

Aside from having the rose world's most extraordinary thorns, buds that look like pearls, and swoon-worthy foliage, can you find anything remarkable about this simple flower? Count the petals. There are only  f o u r. All single roses have five petals. Unique yes, but sweetly so, and yet . . . let's move on

to a momentary finale before

the devil himself appears.

Not really.

After blooming new cane growth dramatically appears like the can-can on a Parisian stage. 

Back-lit thorns festoon rosedom with its brightest jewels.

Of coarse deer aren't too fond of this rose, but the thorns aren't as scary as they look. Supple when red, and quite thin as they age. Die-back is common on about a quarter of the canes in winter. This rose is not easy to come by. It's difficult to propagate, but oddly, 5-gallon shrubs tend to sometimes appear for sale during the summer

The picture in the vase above was taken a couple of years ago, after the pegged cane came back home from the display table at the Celebration of Old Roses. All those laterals sprouted thanks to pegging.

If you have a tale to tell about this rose, we'd love to hear it.