Plant Identification???

[mitintraining]

Okay so here is the skinny, we recently moved into a wonderful new house(to us) and are undertaking the process of updating and adding vegetable gardens.  The woman who lived here before was a 100 years old when she died, but was a hardcore gardener until about three years ago.  Since then everything has kind of been 'maintained' by her elderly children and nice neighbors.  

I really want to keep the rose bush(es) that she has on the south side of the house, but I am new to roses.  I am keeping them in honor of her memory, I feel a kindred with her spirit here, it may the 5 row clothes line, or the canning stove in the laundry room, or the wood stove that heats the house!  We have ripped out tons of her other vegetation throughout the yard that was covered in ivy, weeds or too overgrown to bring back.  This is the one thing I am set on keeping to honor the memory of the woman who lived here before.  

That said, I am a black plague thumb when it comes to flowers.  I can grow veggies and herbs, but flowers don't like me.  I am hoping I can maintain a little of Marvel's, the lady's name, plant magic for her roses, which she obviously loved.  

Any ideas on how to identify what kind they are? A good book to read on rose gardening, etc?  I am new to the flower garden world, and have been frustrated out of planting them after so many disasters. I even tried to transplant flowers once. A hail storm came and took most of the down, literally ten minutes after I went inside from transplanting them.  I am worried I will kill the roses with just my bad luck!!!  Good rose vibes are needed!!!

[SweetSilver]

Roses can be tricky, but there are a few characteristics to look for.  Hybrid teas are generally beefy, with relatively few but large flowers that open in the "classic" rose shape, pointy in the middle.  Fragrance is usually muted.  A wide array of colors.

     For other types of roses, notice the stems.  Are they slender and thorny, with little thorns or big?    

What shape are the buds?  Before they open, are they green sepals mossy looking?  Are the flowers single (one row of petals) or double (many rows)?  How often does it bloom?  Once?  Does it make rose hips?  Or does it bloom several times with no hips?  

These are all things to notice about the roses.  Identifying the type is possible, but very often the variety name is a guessing game.  To complicate matters, most roses or grafted onto a hardy rootstock that often survives longer than the scion and will have its own (usually rosy red) blooms.  Any rose book will guide you to the right type of rose.  You might even be able to identify the variety, but don't have too much hope regarding that.  Good luck!

[Adaline'sMama]

I would cut one and take it to your local Ag extension office. They can usually identify them for you

[mitintraining]

since we moved in last week, I only saw the roses in bloom when we looked at the house, and I didn't give them a second look at that time!  I know they were pinkish and really large, the bush has gone mad it seems, branches vining out everywhere, little thorns(that hurt a lot) and lots of dead stalk.  Are all roses vining?  I noticed the trelis after I was pulling weeds around it, lots of weeds!  I need to head to the library and check out some rose books!!  Thanks

[SweetSilver]

Roses aren't vining.  "Climbing" roses are merely loooooong versions of the standard rose varieties.