Lady Banks' Rose

I have written about these beautiful flowers previously, but there is news I wanted to share, so I am reprising some photos and information. These flowers had stopped blooming for a few years and I figured the plants had died. I was so disappointed. They finally sprang new life again this year, a few feet from where they were previously, and so these wonderful flowers are back! I am thrilled!

Among the most delightful flowers I think I have ever seen are these small, delicate roses that grow on a vine as a "climbing" rose. The scientific name is Rosa Banksiae Lutea, and the common name is "Yellow Lady Banks' Rose." The namesake Lady Banks was the wife of botanist Sir Joseph Banks. These beauties begin blooming along with the last azaleas in springtime and the vines are filled with a profusion of delicate yellow blooms. All of these photos were taken in my back yard. I love the above photo so much that I had it enlarged to 16"x20" and it is hanging in my house, framed, so I can see it often.

These roses are so small! For reference to their size, my thumbnail is in the bottom of the following photo, as I was holding the vine while taking the shot. It is easy to see that the blooms are the size of my nail, and that is as large as they grow!

It's such a beautiful sight when these charming — and thornless! — roses and azaleas bloom at the same time!

I think these flowers look their best in indirect light, as in all the above photos, when their color is a soft, buttery yellow. The following photos show them in direct sunlight, still pretty, but with a more intense lemon-yellow color showing:

I will have to move later this year, and have tagged a couple of these roses to try to take with me. I certainly hope they survive and will be able to thrive on an apartment's porch!