rose tree standard root stock

I was given a rose tree last year that didn't make it through the summer. The top appears to be completely dead, but rose shoots now coming up from the roots. What was used, and is it worth keeping?

Sorry no one got back to you re your question, I'll give my best shot at advice for you.

Here in UK and most other countries too, the root stock used for GRAFTING climbing, Standard and weeping Rose shrub / plants is from the Brier Rose type, more commonly known as the wild Dog Roses, this is because these type of Roses are as tough as old boots, can cope with dry, wet, cold and blazing hot and usually survive growing wild in any of these conditions, they are also normally perfumed, single flowering and withstand a lot of the most common diseases associated with the Roses of old and still carried through to this day depending on the paretage of the Roses used by the breeders of the Roses.

You could cut off the dead, dried or decaying top growth and leave the rootstock in situ to grow on and see what type of flowers you get, MY standard roses a few years ago struck new shoots from under the soil, unfortunately I never attended these shoots by removing them (you never cut/prune these shoots as they love this and grow even stronger) you need to trace the shoot by scraping away the soil right down the the area underground where the shoot is attached to the roots, to remove this, you have to use gloves as they are full or thorns, you hold the shoot very tight close to the point it comes from the root and as you pull, you need to try pull in a downward motion, this is to remove the whole shoot away from the parent root system and leaves NO part of the shoot to regrow. By the way, my shoots threw up lovely small pink flowering single flowers that had the most heavenly perfume, but only flowered once, not repeating flowering like the rose that was grafted onto the wild root stock, these were meant to be repeat flowering plants.
If like me, you grow GRAFTED plants onto a rose rootstock, you have to be watchful for these side shoots as they gain strength they weaken the grafted more delicate grafted roses.
A lot of damage gets done to the wild root stock when we hoe, weed using tools etc and the little nicks we cause to the root allows these side shoots to form at the damaged point, these grow like Topsy and before you know it, your lovely TOP rose that was Grafted gets the life sucked out of it in a space of 1-2 years.
Hope this helps you out a bit, next time you BUY or get any Roses, ask IF they are grafted onto another rootstock. it's not harmful in any way but you need to know to look out for the shoots you have found, these wild shoots are recognised by the different leaf (normally 7 leafs, and smaller in size and slightly paler in colour) the grafted Roses normally have 5 leaves and darker in colour with less thorns.

Good luck and kindest Regards.
WeeNel.

This was very helpful. Thank you for the reply.