Hi, all,
One of my goals this year, apart from getting more and weirder spots, is expanding the color palette of spotted roses. Right now I’m looking for something to add some yellow. I’ve tried ‘Golden Celebration’ because it’s hardy in my garden, but the result has been extremely disappointing; when I get anything at all, I get pale pink, flat blooms with button eyes on plants that never make it more than 20 cm tall.
I was hoping to use Gold Moss but that hasn’t produced any buds this year. Anyone have any ideas of what might work on this rose? Repeat blooming is not an issue.
Fara, I was thinking about you today while looking at one of my Purple Heart seedlings. There is something very unstable about it so that sometimes the violet and purple begin to spot. I think you should try it with your OGRs. Like I said in another thread, Tatton x Purple Heart yielded a keeper seedling that is semi-double, wavy that is hot violet with mauve-purple where a hand painted rose would usually have the typical red or pink area. I believe that you could get a lot of cool spots with it mixed with your hybrids!
As for a new palette of color, thats a hard one when thinking of yellows that are hardy. My personal kick is with Yellow Brick Road, but its impossible to find now. Toprose is one of the best for getting true gold to come up in seedlings but I dont know if its hardy enough for your area or not.
Has anyone tried using 'Sunny Knock-Out"? That’s kinda…yellow…perhaps you could try some Buck shrubs? I know a lot of those are hardy. Maybe more apricot than what you are looking for…
Hi Fara, Midas Touch is a great rose to use, it sets good hips and has a strong fragrance that passes along nicely to it’s seedlings, used as seed parent and/or pollen. I know there are alot of yellows that are in the lineage on MT also.
Fara, What about Paintbrush? I’m trying it for the first time this year and it is shedding pollen quite well. Loads of buds on the plants too. I’m not sure how it does as a seed parent.
I’m not sure if Shockwave is hardy in your zone, but it sure produced a lot of warm apricots, oranges, a few reds, all with a heavy golden yellow center/petal base. It also produced a couple pinks and mauves, but that probably was the other halfs contribution. Strangely enough all the hips with 3 different yellows aborted (Dorolla, Moondance, and CalPoly) but this may be because I tried these crosses in July, and others did take, but it was hot and I did not try again(here in San Diego crosses are successful up to the end of August.)
Shockwave is probably similar in hardiness to Sunsprite, which is has in it (probably) more than once. I believe the parentage is [Goldmarie 82 x (John-John x Baby Love)], which are all pretty similar to Sunsprite in general hardiness.