Rosa
canina. species
dward Moy died on June 5, 1885 and is
buried in the Wolf Creek cemetery. This rose pictured above was growing in the
midst of a leafless shrub adjacent to his granite tombstone, overshadowing it
with tall, arching 8 foot canes. I noticed this rose on Easter weekend, April
of 1998, on a coffee run to the nearby central Ohio town of Kenton. There were
only small leaf buds arising from the smooth canes, yet very sharp and hooked
thorns drew blood as I struggled to twist off pieces of the cane with my bare
hands. I had no pruners or knife with me. I managed to root several cuttings, and to my joy one of the dormant cuttings put forth two flower buds and bloomed just two weeks after wresting them from the mother plant. They were pure white and fragrant with five very narrow petals. For three years I sought the identity of this rose, and finally the Rev. Doug Seidel quickly identified it as a form of Rosa canina. The cutting I planted in my garden grew vigorously and towered three to four feet over my head. In winter bright, red ovoid hips adorn the rose and add interest to the rose I dubbed "Edward Moy".
--kbk March 2003