Question
Texas zone 7-8  
I have had roses for several years, growing only, no in-depth knowledge of a rose's "life". I have a Blue Girl that I moved last year because it seemed to be struggling because of too much shade.  After moving it, it perked up and produced several flowers, not alot but it seemed to be recovering.  This years growth has been strange.  First, the cane growth is huge compared to its previous years, the Blue Girl in the past had single flowers on stems, this year there are buds in clusters.  Today the buds opened and they are definitely not Blue Girl.  These flowers are a dark burgandy kind of color and they are fairly open faced during the day but this evening it seemed that the inside petals closed in over the center. They are really pretty and have a good fragrance. The centers are quite yellow and large. One thing I am concerned about is the size, it is growing VERY fast, with short AND long canes, covered in small little tight buds.  I have heard the phrase that roses can go wild, but I have no idea what that means. Could it revert back to one of its parent plants? It is planted next to an Old China Blush, could it have affected it in some way?
Thanks
Lenda Palmer

Answer
To give roses more strength to grow, they bud them onto what is called an understock rose. So what you have is two roses, one for the roots and one for the top. However the bottom rose is really very vigorous and when it gets a change (such as moving) to grow it will go like mad. If Blue Girl is still alive then just yank these suckers off. DON'T cut them as they will view it as pruning and will be activated into much more growth.
The understock you describe is called Dr. Huey which is a climber. This rose can make an attractive climber if it appeals to you. Hope this helps. Lynnette