In Search of Spring ~ A rose by any other name

Tomorrow will be the first day of spring. This year because of Mary @ the Yellow Door Paperie, I've noticed it advancing. For these last two weeks my eyes and ears have been open to the sights and sounds of spring. The Western Redbuds budding out front, The Forest Pansy Redbud in profuse budding in the backyard, outdoor music on the campus, dogs outside barking a greeting and a generally lighter tone in the neighborhood. Thank you Mary! I'm completely satisfied with this awakened adventure toward spring.

The big gift is this lovely rose. I live in Southern California and love the garden. I've learned lots of garden lessons - especially, "if you're not killing plants your not really gardening." I don't suppose I completely understand this idea, but I take it to mean that as a gardener I want to stretch and try new things. I've killed plenty on my road so, I guess I'm gardening. 
In the last few years I've fallen in love with Annie's Annuals, a catalog, a webstore, a nursery in Northern California. Almost everything I've purchased from Annie's has come in a 4" pot and has done really well in my garden. And by this I mean, better than things I've purchased from most local nurseries (except my VERY favorite, Brita's Old Town Garden in Seal Beach, but that's a whole other story). Annie's collections are varied and wild, beautiful and unexpected. 
This rose is one of two (I admit, I've forgotten which one) I bought mid-summer. It's either Rosa Russelina or Grandmother's Hat. I believe it to be the former. We'll see as it grows. In either case, these babies bloom early. Russel's Cottage Rose was found growing on Alcatraz. It's cold on Alcatraz. So my coastal weather and clay (though amended) soil didn't hamper this charmer a bit. And Grandmother's Hat is a noted February bloomer. I'll update when I have a better idea and when she blooms.
But there you are. A rose in winter, blooming into spring, by a name known today only as rose.