I just harvested a few crosses that I’m really looking forward to and that is:
Show 'n Tell x Halo Glory (you’ve seen some of those before)
Show 'n Tell x Distant Drums
Show 'n Tell x Eyes for You
Show 'n Tell hips don’t ever seem to want to show any evidence that they are ripe by looking at the stems, which is what I’m trying as something new this year. These hips were orange but with solid green stems and were tightly attached. They’ve been maturing for a full 6 months. When I cut them open the inside had some air spaces and some brownish pulp even though the outside looked fresh. I sure hope I didn’t ruin these crosses!
Hi Judith, do some of the seeds look normal? If so, I wouldn’t worry about it. In my experience, rose hips behave very differently from one cultivar to the next. I used to think that sepals drying was a sign of ripeness, or peduncle drying/abscising, or having a solid red or orange color. There are exceptions to all of these signs where the seeds are still going to be ripe. I have a seedling that will turn orange if hips are left on the bush (after 6 months or so), but after 3-4 months, even though hip and peduncles are green and sepals have not dried, the seeds are ripe. I have noted that in this particular variety when you tear off the peduncle from the hip, that the flesh within the hip underneath will be starting to turn orange at this “green” stage. 3 months is sufficient for many varieties, but I like to pick hips at 4 months, regardless of surface characteristics. Best wishes for something fun from your crosses!
Thank you Jim. You have confirmed a lot of what I’ve found in my experience. I think I will go back to my old method of picking at about 4 months, but it will be interesting to see how these do. Yes some of the seeds look ok, but many do not. To add to the complications, this variety seems to have odd seeds anyway. I sure hope these crosses produce. Very much looking forward to their progeny.