The Mrs. Oakley Fisher rose is an older (1921) Hybrid Tea of modest size. With its large sherbet orange single blooms, I found it a difficult rose to place in my garden so it spent its first several years here in pots. By the time a proper spot in the ground was found, it was in a 15 gallon pot and had been located in three different spots, seeking out an environment which suited it. I had all but decided that this rose simply didn't care for Nevada's arid climate as the growth was always old, stunted and twiggy, and the blooms small, and quickly blowing.

One year ago - in spring 2008 - this struggling rose finally went into the ground. Some roses will fill a 15 gallon pot with roots and then go merrily on to root themselves securely into the ground. Mrs. Oakley Fisher had no luck with this "planting" method - it is a rose which needs its feet properly buried. One year later, it is coming into its own just beautifully, and demonstrating why it is a rose which has stayed in commerce going on 90 years. Properly planted, Mrs. Oakley Fisher is now full of new growth, the blooms are twice the size they were before, and are lasting two to three times as long.

Until now, I had always found this a hard subject to photograph. The least whisper of wind causes the wing-like single petals to dance. Now, with the larger bloom size and with more blooms per cluster, Mrs. Oakley Fisher is showing itself to be quite photogenic. It is still a challenge to catch good light with minimal wind, but there is so much more to work with in this finally healthy, actively growing plant. Gone is the struggling damsel. Mrs. Oakley Fisher is now a winner in my garden.

~ Comment from Christine, Reno, NV 2009 ~

Mrs Oakley Fisher, Christine's garden. Photographer Susan, File# D7992