My mother bought me an Austrian Copper Wild Tea Rose for my Birthday one year. He was first placed in the pack yard against the house then we moved him to a low spot in the backyard to make room for the patio extension.
My mom always told me that I was her “wild rose“. I grew up in a family of 9. A total of 7 kids. 3 girls and 4 boys. My dad would buy my mom 3 roses and 4 carnations every Mother’s Day. My sisters both loved pink and girl items, but I was her Tom Boy. I loved “weeds” as she put it (wildflowers) where everyone else loved the traditional flowers and roses.
She told me she never dressed me in pink even as a baby. It never looked good on me. She dressed me in reds mainly but darker colors which most people did not normally dress their babies in.
So this gift was to combine my mom’s love of roses with my wildflower love. This plant has always been very special to me. It became more special after my mom passed away from Ovarian Cancer.
A normal Austrian Cooper Wild Tea Rose should only grow 5 feet by 5 feet. We moved the rose plant to a low spot in the yard which flooded ever year. We hoped that it would soak up some of the water and help keep the area dry. Wild Tea Roses are drought tolerant plants that love full sun. This area of the garden had lots of sun and after Spring tended to be drier.
Apparently we found the perfect spot to create a monster!!! Hence the Wild Tea Rose was named George. George would grow over 7 feet tall and 8 feet wide yearly. My husband and son would cut him down to 4.5 feet in the fall/spring. By fall he would grow again even bigger. In the the spring he would be covered in rich covered blossoms.
Unfortunately my original George could not be moved to our new house. Today I found a new George and planted him. I don’t know if we can duplicate the monster Bush we had at our old house. I will always have a George going forward. It reminds me of my mother’s love for me and flowers. I am her wild rose!!
The first George.
The new George
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