2016 Harvest and 2017 Ideas

Technique Overcoming Sterility
, , , , , , , , , , , , ,
1

Always questions!

The attached photo is of my primary 2016 harvest of achenes.

Is there any hope for the dark ones? I’ve always discarded the over-cooked looking ones in the past.

I’m trying the cotton balls at the top of the baggies moistened with hydrogen peroxide for controlled moisture, extra oxygen, and reduced mildew spread during stratification. Is this an old trick or a dumb idea?

Milwaukee’s Calatrava – saw two of these at a local nursery. They had a strong fragrance and looked so much better than the other pitiful summer leftovers and then upon Googling I saw they are a FRAGRANT RADLER, so in the cart they went. Any experience out there or hope for fertility?

Savannah (Kordes 2013) – ran across at Chamblee’s in Tyler, TX. Once again, very fragrant, and very healthy compared to its floor mates. Any experience? I’m betting on house Kordes on this one.

2017 and beyond:

I’ve decided to focus primarily on fragrance and health (gulf coast climate), which likely means pinks to yellow to white and in-between. Repeat would be next. Fertility to pass on is also important to me.

For a long term project I’m planning to use Buck’s Carefree Beauty, Prairie Harvest, and Earth Song, with Westerland and Autumn Sunset, and with a nod to Austin, Aloha.

On the diploid side I’m thinking of combinations of Old Blush, Blush Noisette, Danae, and Jersey Beauty (if I can find one again) going for a fragrant, healthy re-boot of sorts. I think a healthy, fertile diploid rose with some combination of characteristics of the four above with the best of their fragrance and hardiness would be a nice contribution. Although I’m on a waiting list for it, I think a diploid approaching Kim Rupert’s Annie Laurie McDowell (with thorns) would be a nice contribution.

Others I’m thinking of acquiring: Blossomtime, Belle Portugaise, Crépuscule, and Bermuda Trinity. Are these fragrant and fertile?

I’ve got 25 mature bushes marked for a friend to transplant to his place to make room for the future. Given that fragrance and disease resistance are my main goals are there any other fertile roses I should consider?

I’d also like to state, that in the spirit of amateur rose hybridizers, I will always fully disclose my crosses and share my thoughts, ideas, and results. I’ve had enough of intellectual property issues and non-disclosures in my career, and look forward to having more time as a rose hobbyist as my nest empties and my real job winds down.

Baxter
IMG_1723.JPG

1 Like
2

Perhaps another to consider is Lafter. I’m also on the Gulf Coast and I’ve had Lafter for a couple of years now. It’s been very healthy. It has a reputation for being fragrant, but I’m unable to detect much. I don’t seem to be able to smell certain fragrances in roses, though. Not much to report in the way of seedlings yet, but it’s fertile both ways and I have some interesting seedlings from it this year both ways from crosses with Carefree Beauty, This Is The Day and a seedling of mine that is ((Suntan Beauty X Abraham Darby) X Distant Drums)). It also crosses with a wide range of roses. I have seeds this fall from Lafter from crosses with R. arkansana, R. virginiana and Himmelsauge (which may actually be Russelliana). Won’t know about germination on those for a few months yet.

Mark

3

One other comment. At least five of the above-mentioned Lafter seedlings from this year have set hips this fall.

Mark

4

Hi Baxter!

When I was visiting the Modern Earth-Kind rose trial at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston this summer with Gaye Hammond we looked through all the Kordes and other roses in the trial and did a little rating for relative op hip production. This was in late June/early July. There is no deadheading there. Savannah had no hips. It’s flowers were very double. Hopefully there is some pollen. It was very vigorous, healthy, fragrant, and really stood out. We should put our notes together for a short article for the newsletter.

5

Mark,

Lafter does sound like me, but I’m shying away from roses that only some people can smell.
I loved my Teas for a lot of reasons, but I’ve yet to strongly detect the Tea fragrance.
In my own limited fashion I’m going to focus on fragrance descriptions including citrus,
and old rose. Years and computers ago, I acquired all of the molecules that I could find
that the literature and web told me were present in roses and blended simulants with
naturally occurring rose chemicals (although most were synthetically derived). It was
fun, but hazardous. From that experience I know for a fact that many of the fragrance
components are subjective. For instance, phenethyl alcohol by mass is typically a major
component. In pure form I could smell it, though not “strongly”, yet my wife was
overwhelmed by it.

But I also know that some of the components are much less subjective, and of course I
have no idea how to quantify any of it. Citrus though, I’d wager that a vast majority of
us detect. Old rose is more complex. The damascenones are exceedingly powerful,
detectable at very low levels, and change character at concentration. Check out
thegoodscentscompany.com if you are curious.

Dr. Z.,

As soon as I know anything regarding fertility it would be my honor to share with you.
As of now all I can report is very healthy so far, and very fragrant too.

The blooms are small yet for a rose classed as an HT, but it is a young own-root and
I have a sneaking suspicion that it is a triploid, although neither of these two statements
should be quoted.

6

Update on Milwaukee’s Calatrava and Savannah

I’ve add no luck yet with either as a seed parent. I’m now trying both as pollen parents, but the bloom bugs are now all over Savannah making for more difficult pollen collection.

Milwaukee’s Calatrava is making a nice compact bush. It had a touch of blackspot, but I’m in blackspot heaven and use no sprays organic or otherwise… I still am a fan, and would bet it is triploid.
Bloom size and staying power could be better, but I hope I can do something with its pollen. At this late in the game I plan to put it on Carefree Beauty for viability testing. Unlike many of my roses
CB will continue to set hips for me, as long as I deadhead, right on through the hot and humid gulf coast summer.

Savannah surprised me with its vigor of growth and length of canes - some are easily 6 feet. It’s going to be a much larger plant than I thought. Perhaps climate related, or maybe it just really liked my special spring potion.
Wonderful blooms, tending to old fashion look with great fragrance that are a magnet for the critters if you don’t give it help - much like Aloha in this regard, though not quite as bad. Of course, my opinion is based only on two specimens, growing in moderately different sun exposure in one very specific climate.

RBx