Highdownensis Hips

Rosa moyesii 'Highdownensis' Hips. Oil on Linen Board. 5" x 7".

Rosa moyesii 'Highdownsis' is a massive shrub with a place of honor in my yard. And by shrub, I mean a 10' tall tree. It has tall, vertical canes, scary thick with dangerous thorns, and for 6 weeks in the summer covers itself completely with charming single red flowers with gold centers. Here's a painting of Rosa moyesii 'Highdownensis' from last summer.

It doesn't produce many hips - there were perhaps 15 on my shrub following about 1,000 flowers - but the ones it provides are fat and shiny. They were all perched at the end of the thorny 10' tall canes but I managed to cut off a few. 'Highdownensis' is feeling the end of winter as the growth buds were pushing out on the stems.

We had sunshine today and the yard was alive with robins, jays, little brown guys and some robinesque birds I totally plan to look up.

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