Experience with some (sterile?) roses

General Discussion
1

Last year and year before I planted some roses I wished to use for breeding. Now I suspect them to be sterile, but I’m not certain. None have set hips yet.

  • The Mayflower (Austin)
  • Harlow Carr (Austin)
  • Goethe (multiflora moss, Lambert)

I’ve tried using Goethe both as seed- and pollenparent. Nothing yet. I really hope to use Goethe.
All these plants are still not established, so I’ve some hope they’ll eventually set hips.

Anyone experience with these roses?

2

I can say that Susan William Ellis (sport of Mayflower) has never set hips for me. As for Goethe, the fact that it dates from 1911, and has no descendants per HMF is a pretty sure bet it is sterile. Harlow Carr also has no listed descendants, but it is relatively new, and it may have just never caught a hybridizer’s eye.