One of my 2009 seedlings just flowered outside.
I was very surprised to see such a big difference from the first years bloom, which was grown inside.
I know seedlings improve both in size and petals, but here it look like at totally different rose.
The cross is Cl
first bloom in 2010
That difference is astonishing!!
Bo, Nice pics. This is one of the things that amazed me most-how totally different the blooms on a one year old seedling can change-but not always. Sometimes they look almost the same. And in the third year some of them take off with a totally different growth habit. I do notice some things that give me hints of the changes that they will undergo, but still it seems all the more difficult to judge a seedling by its’ juvenile flowers, growth habit, and even color. Most improve, but some are losers from the get go.
Colors of blooms of young seedlings growing under fluorescent light are often more pure and intense than later blooms outside.
I have never notes such difference with my other seedlings, so I have double checked the label to ensure it is the same seedling.
It surely gives me a hint to be careful culling 1 year seedlings after blooming if they don’t look super.
The first year seedling was grown in a window in an atrium house, but the photo was taken outside.
I have a couple more from same cross whice will flower in the coming days, so it will be interesting to see if they have change as much as this one.
So far, with my moss roses, I’ve had two that last year were plain old boring pink, and this year are magenta-purple. Jon Singer mentioned to me a while ago that it might take as many as three years for a rose to produce its full fragrance, which is really what I’m after. All of which means I’m running out of garden room…
Fara, if 3 years is need for every seedling to show its full potential, I am also out of garden room as well. I have to be hard and selective every year. This one came through 1 years selection, which I don’t regreat now.
As this rose is already very fragrant, I look forward to next years “full fragrance” 
I have seen some definite changes in seedling I hybridized in 2009 this year, some I am very happy with.
Bo, I am glad to see someone else is using Alexander it makes great pollen. Alexander came to me as a found rose called 3rd St. Orange. I put its pollen on Raspberry Twirl and got a nice stripped rose. I recently registered this rose as “Raspberry Lemonade”. The first year of bloom was a pale single flower of pink and yellow. It is now semi-double yellow and coral pink.
I also have an open polinated seedling of Alexander that is a beautiful shade of red. The best thing about it is that it holds its petals a long time. I use the pollen on roses that tend to blow quickly.
As I said this was a found rose (Texas Rose Rustlers, Ray Ponton and Robert Stiba). When I got ready to register my rose I had to do some research and determined that it was Alexander.
And, by the way, Bo your rose is really a beauty.
Joan yes I also think Alexander is a great pollen parent.
Today the next “twin” from CG x Alexander bloomed. This one also have increased in color direction towards Alexander.
The good fragrant must come from Cl
same in 2010
What might be responsible for this dramatic pattern of color-shift??
The only difference I can see, is that last year the seedlings were grown up inside. After blooming they were planted outside. So this years blooming is outside with full sun.
Bo,
yup that helps shed light…maybe it is a UV effect + a maturity effect??