Rootstocks

So as not to "thread jack" the Rookwood thread I thought I would place my thoughts here. Ian as you said, the rose that your grandmother and mother had, why could it not be a rose in it;s self. I the the same of what might be HPO/galica or other rose. In early days rose would have been struck by cutting not bud/graft. Think back to our grandparent time and if you can "remember the rose that were handed from neibghour to niebghour, Lets see what others think of my "thoughts", Regard David.

I agree with Ian and David; I don't know how people decide that something was an understock unless there's written evidence or they see one shooting from below a scion. HPs don't seem like a good choice, since a good few of them sucker. But people have tried all sorts of things as understocks - even (currently) roses where they grossly overestimated how many they could sell.
The Rookwood whatever looks like what we call the "Buffalo Rose" in SA, because the family who own it say it was brought to SA on the first settler ship, the Buffalo, in 1836. However there are a lot of very similar HPs, and you'd need pics of receptacle/bud, prickles, hips etc to compare. I don't have the knowledge of HPs to do it.

Good one David! Margaret, next time I go out there, I'll take my Canon EOS and tripod and try and get some decent shots as you suggest for IDing. I'm not good with HPs either, but I'm sure someone here is bound to be.

Thanks for the additional info. My grandmother's rose may not be the same rose, but it sure looks similar. I notice a nice healthy sucker coming from it today, so I can send material down to you Margaret. But then I remember you saying that no soil can be sent for quarantine reasons. Is it okay to send bare root with all soil removed and dipped in a fungicide? Or can only cuttings/budding material be sent?

Ian, Margaret will correct me when she comes online, "but" the only place we can't send plants to are WA and Simon, unless we have certificates for transport of plant material

Yes I thought SA was okay too. At least I have sent plants there before in the past with no dramas, including ones still in their pots. Perhaps I shouldn't have. Oops!

Fire-ants. if you're sending any soil you need a health certificate. (From Perth, it's green snails.) Bare-rooted should be OK provided it's clean.
Thanks,
Margaret

Ok thanks Margaret. No fire ants here. They are only around Brisbane (so far at least). Anyway, can easily remove soil. That is no problem.