Rootstock

I found these uninvited rose blooms in my garden today:

They were growing on what should be a Charles De Gaulle bush (see last Monday's post to see what they should look like.) It's the rootstock trying to take over the bush. I hadn't really thought about these being grafted roses, as they are just bushes, nothing fancy. You might notice the smaller leaves in the middle of the photo, which are the rootstock leaves. When I traced down, I found there were three thick, healthy-looking stems originating underground. I removed them, which left the bush looking a little sparser, but hopefully will stop the rootstock takeover for now. I'll have to keep a closer eye on it in future, though.