Mermaid Rose
thorny mermaid rose
Mermaid is a renowned country rose, thorny and unforgiving. She's not a pretty, pretty rose, and will try to strangle any person foolish enough to weed underneath or prune her. The single palish lemon flowers usually sit beside scruffy old buds - this rose is a bit rough around the edges.
My Mermaid roses used to reign supreme along the fence-line by Taj-dog's original run, and certainly used to discourage him from digging to China. The fence originally divided the back lawn from paddock where the sheep could roam. I'd read in a magazine that Mermaid made rather a good 'dog' deterrant!
I'd read about using big country roses to climb trees and scamper along fence-lines. Mermaid was one of my first such rose purchases.
Mermaid Rose Flowering in Autumn
Update - 2008
Well, Mermaid managed to reign supreme until I decided to turn that garden into lawn. The fence came out, and the Mermaid rose with it. Cut down in her prime, she was, and as yet there's been no replacement. I've often wondered how such a tough rose was given such a whimsical, watery name.
Mermaid Rose - 2012
Update - 2012
There must be a saying: 'You can't keep a good Mermaid down'. This rose has been sneakily resprouting, climbing un-noticed through the Senecio shrub. I only noticed it when I was giving the shrub a late summer prune. It looks pretty in the catmint, though...