I want to add some purple to my breeding stock. Can anyone recommend a good dark purple gallica that can take the Texas heat or am I just asking the impossible?
That depends, Joan: do any of the Gallica/China hybrids fare any better there? Examples would be things like ‘Duchesse de Montebello’, ‘Hippolyte’ and ‘Cardinal de Richelieu’. Of course, ‘Cardinal de Richelieu’ is completely infertile, so I just listed it as an example of type, not suggesting it for breeding purposes.
‘Cardinal de Richelieu’ is completely infertile
It’s triploid but I wonder if anybody has had a look at the pollen to see if it appears normal. Maybe Peter would do that if someone could get pollen to him.
Pollen? What pollen??
LOL! You beat me to it, Paul! Richelieu was the ONLY Hybrid China (Gallica) to perform well in the San Fernando Valley for me and I mined that @#!%$ for anything I could find for such a long time. No hips, no pollen, no seed, no nothing other than some of the most wonderful colors, lots of prickles, suckers and mildew. Thankfully, between Tom Carruth’s purples and Blue for You, I have alternatives for those colors, without the downsides, and THESE have pollen, hips and seed! Kim
What pollen??
If it was easy it wouldn’t be fun.
If it’s IMPOSSIBLE, it ISN’T fun.
Is Cardinal de Richelieu worse than Orden, Cristata or Communis? I’ve gotten pollen from all of these albeit tiny amounts.
I wonder if climate has something to do with it, though. I didn’t really appreciate the differences in growth, for instance, until I saw roses in California.
Gradual transition from winter to spring seemed to make a difference in fertility. The triploid version of Harison’s Yellow, which normally is sterile, set both hybrid and OP hips this year which I think is because we didn’t leap to heat wave conditions in early June like we have the last few seasons.
Thanks Paul,
I should have thought of Hippolyte. Ray Ponton has a Hippolyte X Paloma Blanca that he uses in many of his crosses here in this area. Think I will order one this winter. Any suggestions about what would be a good rose to cross it with to get a repeat bloomer?
Ray’s Miss Bloomsalot intrigues the dickens out of me.
Kim,
I came across Miss Bloomsalot yesterday while doing some searches and find her intriguing as well. She sure looks healthy in the pictures. Great ancestry on that one. I’m guessing tetraploid and probably fertile?
Why not try Paul Barden’s ‘Nightmoss’? It’s a moss but I’ve found it transmits purple reliably. Heat doesn’t seem to bother it.
Nightmoss is beautiful also, will have to decide between the two, I have limited space so I try not to have too many once bloomers.
I misspoke on Ray’s cross, it is actually Paloma Blanca X Hippolyte. Miss Blooms Alot is seed and pollen fertile. It readily sets hips. I have a Rise-n-Shine X Miss Blooms Alot that is now on the 20th bloom cycle for a first year seedling. That pollen is going on everything next year!
Joan,
feel free to request any pollen you desire next Spring. I have loads of these old Gallica/China hybrids and pure Gallicas, and more.
Thanks Paul, I will take you up on that offer next spring.
Miss Bloomsalot looks way too cool, with way too cool a heritage. Imagine crossing that back to something double and purple?!
Ray really has some amazing ideas. Chireno is another stunning looking rose too. I hope to make anything remotely nice as these.
I was going to suggest Nightmoss but people beat me too it in terms of gallica purple.