Anybody else make cross wish lists when it's too cold outside?

General Discussion
1

I spent hours dreaming during the winter about what I was going to cross this year and worked on my list of crosses I would like to try. Anyone make these crosses yet or know if these will work or not?

OK ‘Knockout’ is my favorite seed parent so far. Everything gets crossed with ‘Knockout’. I have found lots of variability in Knockout seedlings and (so far) usually bicolors (I’m guessing the high percentage of red/white bicolors are actually OP seedlings…although they have great dark green foliage and no signs of disease, I don’t have room to keep them).

Knockout x Excellenz von schubert (not much if any pollen/may be dead end…but I gotta try, almost guaranteed futility)

Knockout x Mrs. RM Finch (ditto above)

Knockout x Bella’Roma (somewhat bs prone but still love it, lotsa pollen…this cross is high on my list)

Knockout x Mardi Gras (great rose so far, maybe a little pollen)

Knockout x Graham Thomas (not the most vigorous rose for me so far- hope to spread its color)

Knockout x Sunsprite (bs magnet even though most peeps claim it’s disease resistant, whatever)

Knockout x Welcome Home (ditto)

Knockout x Guinee (great rose, an exciting cross…I’m gonna work with Guinee as much as I can this year)

Knockout x Peace (obligatory cross there)

Knockout x Golden Masterpiece (GM is a new rose for me…so far I’m loving it, great rose…exciting cross)

Knockout x Once blooming, shade tolerant, free flowering found rose (possibly Seven Sisters)

I’m gonna work with ‘Prosperity’ as much as possible this year also. BTW no-one ever lists ‘Prosperity’ as being evergreen as I have found it to be for me…the only drawback to this is that it helps carry blackspot on into the next year…not completely over-run with it though. Good rose, I hope it turns out to be a decent seed parent for me.

Prosperity x Peace (I’m VERY excited about making this cross and its reciprocal)

Prosperity x Graham Thomas

Prosperity x Bella’Roma

Prosperity x Unnamed Knockout Seedling (Think this would be a super cross…)

Prosperity x Sunsprite

Prosperity x Golden Masterpiece (excited about this one too)

Prosperity x Guinee

Prosperity x Ballerina

I’m gonna give Peace a try as a seed parent and see if she does alright for me.

Peace x Prosperity (a MUST for me…high up on my list)

Peace x Unnamed Knockout seedling (exciting cross)

Peace x Bella’Roma

Miscellaneous Crosses:

Sunsprite x Unnamed Knockout Seedling (hoping to improve bs resistance…of sunsprite)

Sunsprite x Bella’Roma (I doubt I’ll be happy with the BS factor of this cross though…not high on my list)

Carefree Beauty x Bella’Roma

Carefree Wonder x Unnamed Knockout Seedling

Carefree Delight x Unnamed Knockout Seedling

Graham Thomas x Unnamed Knockout Seedling

Red Rugosa x Guinee

White Rugosa x Mardi Gras (already done this, first crosses of the year)

Poinsettia x Guinee (Poinsettia is a new rose for me, looking good so far…an exciting cross for me)

Some roses that are new to me this year that I’m gonna spread around as it’s given to me (if there’s anything to spread…Reminds me of the blues song about being called the “spreadenator”):

Ann Harkness

Apricot Queen

Persian Flame

Sequoia Ballet

Mariposa Gem (gonna be free flowering…lotsa buds…seems to be a great rose so far)

Cardinal de’Richelieu (any pollen on this one?..lotsa buds…just about to open)

Royal Gold

Lady X (excellent leaf texture…would go good with Knockout)

Golden Masterpiece (Lotsa buds on this one too, so far the best yellow I’ve got…I’m excited about it)

Poinsettia (doing good so far…excited about using it as a seed parent)

Guinee …not a new rose for me (as I’ve had it for some years) but it simply languished as a budded rose (didn’t like the root stock apparently). This year I got the bud union to produce some of its own roots and it’s shooting out from the base like crazy. I’m gonna be using it alot.

Some roses that are doing sad for me in a spray free environment (bs defoliation/languishing away):

Angel Face (sad, it would be a good seed parent otherwise…so far she has refused to die on me though and still gives me seed)

Henry Fonda (really sad, I would love this rose otherwise)

Betty Boop (every year I’m surprised she is still hanging on)

Golden Showers (really wish I could squeeze out some crosses from this one as I would like to perpetuate some siblings of Charlotte Armstrong…guess I need to do a Knockout x Chrysler Imperial cross and be happy… this is one rose that I’ve had for years that won’t die- but just languishes on year after year)

I’m sorta tired of growing rugosa seedlings and seedlings from Robin Hood and Carefree Delight (although I do every year). It seems they are always in continual bloom though and they always get stuck with pollen when I have nothing else to put it on. My parents yard is getting quite full of them (I don’t have room to keep them in my own). I’m sure something cool will eventually come out of it though.

2

JLO:

My daughter Adair made a point of getting Guinee in setting up her new rose garden this spring for hybridizing – what has been your blackspot experience with it? Also, am I correct in assuming that when you refer to Knockout you are not referring to double Knockout? Finally, does anyone out there have any experience with Home Run and Double Knockout as seed or pollen parents. While y’all are making cross wish lists we still must first make our wish list to order new cultivars this fall – my daughter is lucky – being new she still has lots of yard to dig up. Thanks – Bob Williams Zone 9, New Orleans

3

Bob, if you enter Home Run or Knockout in the search feature of the website near the top pf the page you will pull up all past correspondence.

This can be done with any variety or topic.

It helps alleviate redundancy.

4

I found Knock Out to have limited pollen looking at it under the scope even as well. Perhaps climate as mentioned is the force behind these differences in fertility for this relatively low fertility triploid. It is an amazing rose for sure. Kathy Zuzek pollinated KO with various hardy shrub selections and has some nice lines.

Carefree Delight I love too, but I’ve found it to be an even more stubborn parent, both ways. It also is 3x. Not that that should keep us from trying and using good roses as parents of course, especially if they can transmit their good traits to at least some of their seedlings. These seedlings can hopefully provide some more fertile stepping stones to other generations carrying with them the desirable genes.

Sincerely,

David

5

Robert Neil Rippetoe:

Many thanks for excellent advice on how to optimize use of the forum resources! Thanks

Bob Williams

6

You’re welcome Bob. The search feature is very useful. Some of these topics go back years. It’s impossible to get all that history otherwise.

7

Sorry. I haven’t had much computer time lately. Guinee is subject to bs but it isn’t too bad. I manage to get growth and blooms in a no-spray environment and she manages to hold on to some foliage…usually it’s contained to just the bottom leaves.

My Knockout is blooming so I’ve been slightly busy. I’ve managed to pollinate about 15 flowers so far. I noticed A SINGLE, solitary bloom that was loaded with pollen this year…never noticed any in years past…odd.



Seedlings of Knockout:

This one is completely evergreen (and has handled single digits without any leaf burn) and has seven leaflets (both parents only carry five)


This one is semi-deciduous and has five leaflets (more like three usually).


They both have fantastic glossy foliage. I would love to direct-link pics…I’ve seen other people do it here…could someone clue me in on how to do so?

Guinee:

8

Hi JLO,

Yes, it is fun imagining what crosses might be successful in the coming season. I do it every year. I also make changes to my goals every time the season starts. Most changes involve new seed parents that have turned out to have very good germination. I always add several crosses onto them to explore what is available.

As for posting pics, if you have an uploaded site, you can link to it with the following, minus the quotation marks ("). Note however, that some sites block this capability.



Without the quotation marks, you get just the photo:



Or you can just use the photo link in the “Edit message” area.

Jim Sproul

9

JLO:

Many thanks for positive feedback on Guinee. It was a rose my daughter felt she couldn’t live without and I am glad to find there is hope she can live with it. Beautiful picture!

Robert Neil Rippetoe:

Thanks to your excellent advice, I have been having fun plugging in the names of all of our roses and all of our wish list into the search feature.

Bob

10

Your welcome Bob. There’s a lot to digest there.

11

"Kathy Zuzek pollinated KO with various hardy shrub selections and has some nice lines. "

I would love to know more. Are her roses available commercially?