Heritage is considered as one of the more beautiful Austin roses. It has also been hardy in my zone 5 garden and disease free (I do not spray). Because of these qualities, I have been crossing it with hardy roses to try and improve their flower form. The picture below gives one of my more successful croses of this type.
Nice rose, Henry. Good form, good petals, and good color. Does the seedling’s blossom last longer than Heritage’s does? Here in Charleston, WV, Heritage blossoms that open in the morning fall apart on the morning of the third day–if they last to the third day.
A nice thing about using Heritage as a parent is the good number of thornless and nearly thornless plants that come from it. I have some thornless Heritage x R15 seedlings that would be good if the blossom didn’t fall apart about the middle of the second day.
Regarding how long does the bloom last. I “think” that the bloom opened the day before I took the first picture (which means that it opened September 10). I have added a picture of what the bloom looks like today (September 14).
Not bad. At least it fades gracefully–and apparently doesn’t shatter early as most Heritage blossoms do.