I am guessing this would be a modern( polyantha) rose maybe?

Hoping someone here may help,
My grandmother had a small pink rose-polyantha type I think,very similar to Spring Song growing in her garden in the early to mid 60's ... and I am still on the trail for it,had clusters of many petaled flat blooms about one and a half to 2 inches across(was not 'The Fairy', have had it and the flowers are too small anyway and the colour too light))... was maybe more a light-mid carmine pink & was a spreading low growing bush...lightish green foliage and many thorns....I 'know ' because I used to take bunches of it to my teacher...it had a scent similar to Spring Song..not your usual 'rose' scent...but lovely just the same.
Any rose experts out there able to point me in the right direction?

This is a really hard one because it fits lots and lots of polyantha-type roses. I grow an Alister Clark Poly here called [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] which fits your description pretty well... but it could be anything really. How tall did it grow? Were the leaves typical wichurana-style leaves (picture the leaves on 'The Fairy' and the Flower Carpet series... they are typical wichurana-type leaves; glossy midgreen sometimes with a red margin, smallish, sometimes rounded not heavily serrated etc). I'm kinda thinking [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] also fits your description too.. this is another rose on my wish list. I'd love to breed with 'hina Doll' in the future.

There is an HRiAI member at Samford (dunno where that is in Qld) who collects polyanthas. If you like I could ask her whether it's OK to give you her phone no, or vice versa.

I would say that the rose would have been a common one sold in that era probably from the early 50's onward...why I say that is because it would have survived on rainwater only as there wasn't a dam or other water source and I have seen a lot of roses in that garden succumb to drought over the years. So I'm guessing that it would have been no older than 10years.
I am not really sure on the foliage,only that it was pale.The bush would have been no higher that a metre at the very most but wider.

I appreciate you doing that Margaret,thankyou.

After doing some research I have since found that 'Spring Song' was an Australian bred rose and more importantly for me,bred by Frank Reithmuller of Toowoomba which is an hours drive from where I live. Also it was released around the same time as the one I remember...so maybe it is the same rose... to me it just seems to be an amazing coincidence .
Does anyone grow 'Spring Song'?

I have it...bought it about a month ago! I haven't seen it in flower yet!

Can & will take pics of my plant's blooms & foliage for you if you like (for ID purposes)? Can also study it a bit more & give you finer details...after all of that - if it is the rose you seek - I can send you cuttings!

Thanks Damo,I didn't expect such a quick reply..that's really nice of you to offer cuttings..but I am not sure I would have luck striking them... I should be able to find one somewhere. Did you buy yours ? Please post pictures of it when it gets a go on..I would also love to see pictures of a mature bush in full bloom..It is a repeat bloomer isn't it? I have seen a very small plant of Spring Song and that was at a market stall...so with any luck when I do see a mature bush I will recognize it as being the same bush as what my grandmother grew all those years ago...

Check out [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

No worries bri-cal; I am beyond bad at getting cuttings to grow (note to Simon: the 'Sanguinea' cuttings ALL failed ).

My plant of 'Spring Song' (photos coming asap) is own root & pretty big already but I didn't take much notice of it (TBH I was too busy buying up other Aussie-bred roses for me & Bruce hahaha). From memory it does have light/er green foliage & the place I got it from does grow it in their garden (I think). I will take a squizz at it next time I visit (soonish) & report back to you about a mature plant with pics if possible. Of course, someone else may well beat me to this in the meantime...


Enjoy your roses...Damo.

Thanks Simon and Damo for your help...I tried to go back through my search again and have found that Frank Reithmuller was not living in Toowoomba at the time of it's release..although that was what I had originally read..He was in Sydney ..Turramurra. Makes this all the more interesting now..

Eric Timewell from Vic has been working on a Wikipedia entry re Frank Riethmuller; he was an interesting character, and it's worth a look. Eric's also been writing a Wiki entry for Alister Clark, and contributing to one for Pedro Dot.

Damo the Aussies are building up here, will try to complie you a list.

The Black Pekins, some of the best in the country are waiting for you.
The best eat no more than the others.

Hi Bruce! I look forward to the list! Will send you an email late next week to tell you what I have for us...I think/hope you will be happy! Would love to visit you soon BTW (if OK)!!!

So true about "the best eat no more than the others"!!!

Don't talk to me about bloody chickens My plymouth rock rooster attacked my eldest daughter, Eliza, last night and put three enormous puncture wounds in her knees. He's always been a nasty roo.. not anymore though

Simon, lucky you don't go in for horses, alpacas etc as the unwanted ones are very hard to dispose of. Even the old cocks make good soup when mixed with a few select vegetables.

LOL... I do have alpaca Bruce... Luckily I've not had a nasty one. One of the boys in a year 9 class of mine tells me alpaca taste terrific!

Simon , lucky you, chicken soup all weekend. Chooks are very easy to cull,

Just as well you don't go in for horses or cows, takes a long time to dig a hole to bury those unwanted ones.

Sorry didn't turn the page so doubled up. Haven't tried Alpacas yet.

Might be like the recipe for cooking Gallahs.

Bring the billy to a boil add a smooth river stone and one full or 3/4 grown Gallah. When the stone is cooked soft then the Gallah is just cooked

LOL... I thought it was when the stone went soft throw the Gallah away and eat the stone