The strangest thing has happened. I have an Abraham Lincoln tea rose that I planted probably 15 years or so ago. It has always bloomed bright red and I loved it.
But it is now going to bloom kind of a pinky white color!! What happened? Now I am in the flood area and I am wondering if something was either dropped by the water or if something was washed away in the water. I was fortunate in that the standing water went down pretty quickly but alot was lost in the garden. But the hedges, roses, honeysuckle, etc survived. All are kind of stunted but I think they will come out of it.
But the change in the rose has me perplexed. Any ideas?
It could be due to a change in the nutrients in your soil. Perhaps the flooding washed away a lot of them. Try a rose fertilizer. Normally grafted plants or hybrids will go back to one of the parent colors a few years after it has been planted. But I doubt that was the case for this one. Abraham Lincoln is my favorite rose (and President). I hope you can get it's color to return. I'm so sorry you lost the rest of your garden.
To clarify what Dawn has said regarding a grafted plant: It's possible that the Abraham Lincoln tea rose was grafted onto a rootstock of a pinky-white rose. If the top of the rose -- that is, above the rootstock -- dies over winter and the rootstock sends up shoots, you would see the pinky-white blooms. So the plant does not really go back to its parent color -- it's that the rootstock (which is hardier than the top) has sprouted.
Give the rose some care and some time. Are the other roses true to their color? You may need to replace this one.
So sorry about the flooding in your garden. My heart goes out to all our Midwest neighbors who have lost so much.
My lawn has the strangest yellowish tint and the man from Senske said that I was overwatering. Could too much water be your problem? And, could your Abraham Lincoln rose maybe return to its old color soon as everything dries out?
My Rose changed colors
Posted - Jun 26 2008 : 04:55:45 AM
