I visited a friend’s garden Tuesday and noticed his Comtesse du Cayla, which is significantly older and larger than mine, had three, large red-orange hips which he graciously allowed me to purloin. I harvested the seed today and was impressed at how HUGE they all were. Like nearly mature kernels of corn! I wish to use it for breeding, once it matures into a larger plant, hopefully tall enough to resist the vermin from eating my efforts. It’s going to be interesting seeing how easily these germinate and how decent the selfs are.
Hi Kim, do you have any idea of what is growing this Comtesse Du Cayla, could produce something really interesting. I can’t get over the amount of petals Tea x Modern’s produce sometimes, a couple I bred a few years ago are so doubled all reproductive organs are gone. I am hoping to get something not so doubled from the China’s I have been using this year. Those Tea/ China seeds are big eh!, I find they take a lot longer to germinate than most modern seeds, you just have to be a little patient, but they will pop up LOL.
I can find out what he has growing near it easily enough. I’m not that worried about the large seeds requiring more time. NOTHING is germinating yet. It’s been too hot until this week. It should be interesting seeing how double Mutabilis can encourage her to create.
I was just browsing the new photos on HMF and encountered this one. Baronesse Manon which I’ve never seen before. Interesting it sprang from Else Poulsen and Dame Edith Helen. I’ve always been impressed by what can be encouraged from Else. Perhaps she needs to meet the Comtesse?
Comtesse is such a beautiful rose. Mine is a runt. But I can’t believe when it flowers (and it does despite being under a foot tall) they are like silk, and so beautiful. Really an equisite rose. I want to cross it with the musks to possibly get a somewhat look-a-like with additonal hardiness and vigor.
Hey Kim! Think ‘La Marne’ has any tricks up it’s sleeve? I wonder if crossing it back to ‘Comtesse du Caya’ might produce something neat.
I dunno, Max. Both are sufficiently susceptible to mildew here, I’d be concerned about reinforcing it.