Your comment about its tendency to ball up -- describes my mystery rose to a tee! I have wondered and wondered about my foundling. I have had it for years and last year it was destined to be shovel pruned. I was tired of the flowers balling up and the die back.

Something this spring made me give it another try. I relocated it. Gave it TLC next to my teas. It has subsequently turned into a hedgerow of thorny branches next to my greenhouse. It will receive max. hot sun in the spring, he better like it! This is his last location, he's on notice.

I have also noticed (see above about dieback) that this rose hates to be touched with clippers. So I"m leaving it alone. It also turns bright yellow in the autumn, its still holding forth with bright yellow and some orange foliage out there, and its already January. Where the leaves have dropped, new fat bud eyes are already standing by.

This foundling, which I purchased off of Ebay on 9-10-01 will always have a special place -- I didn't get him until 3 weeks later, he was mostly dead when Fedex finally delivered the wee stick....but he happily perked up over the winter when I potted him up. The seller stated that the mother plant was unknown, but had been climbing on her grandparents' barn since the 1700's at least, and had been identified by rose rustlers in her area (Bucks County, PA) as "Banshee'

I love mystery roses.

Please, oh please, bloom this spring.