I really like that idea Christopher and will check into doing so this spring. Right now I have another rose growing next to it. It is another one that I do not have a name for. It has small pink roses. When I was growing up a next door lady to my parents had this rose. She was very special to us and like a grandmother. I keep this rose in her memory. Maybe someone can identify this rose. It also only blooms once in the spring. I don't think it has much of a fragrance. and don't know how old it is. Though I do know she had it as long as I can remember so it would have to go at least back to the 50 or 60s. This post was edited by linjon on Sun, Jan 12, 14 at 23:42

Monsieur Tillier is wonderful!! I love him...Rogue Valley says Zone 6...any chance someone is zone 5 grows him successfully?

Yes, it probably is black spot. You could spray for it but it won't kill them and they're probably setting up for dormancy in your zone anyway so I wouldn't bother. As far as what to do for them, if they're growing and blooming well just leave them be. In the early spring when they begin to wake up you can cut out any dead wood but if they're once blooming you don't want to cut them back or you'll cut off that years blooms. If you want to shape them wait until they are done blooming next year and cut them back then. But remember cutting them will encourage them to grow more and that new growth is what your bloom for the NEXT year will be on. On some of these roses it's very hard to tell if a cane is dead or not so be very careful. Look at the base of the plant and find the ones you think are dead but before you cut them follow the canes all the way up to the tips and look for new growth beginning. If you see those green or red nubs along the canes starting to fatten or bud out then the cane is still alive. If it looks dead all the way to the tip snip off a short length first and look at the inside of the cane. If the center (pith) is brown or a dark tan it's dead. Clip a little lower and continue to clip down in short segments until you find a white or pale creamy color in the center. That is good live cane. If you get down near the bottom and there is no white pith then you can cut that cane off at the ground. With some practice you'll get the hang of it quickly. I don't know how much winter die back you get on these roses in your zone but any dead wood can be taken off at any time of year with out doing any harm. It's just usually easier to do it in the spring when you don't have all the leaves on them and you can see the canes better.

I can't say what it is, although it does look familiar and I would guess that it is a heritage variety. There are several experts here on the older roses and the Antique Roses forum would be another logical place to post your question. Here is a link that might be useful: link to your photos of the mystery rose