Since I’m limited in what I can buy this year, I want to nip all of my “rose crushes” so I can effectively prioritize and make smart purchases when I can, in fact make them. I was just wondering if anybody has done anything with is rose with breeding? The colors seem rather up my alley. Is this worth tinkering with or are there better places to get that purple (gallicas, naturally come to mind of course) coloring?
Interesting class distinction regardless though, very strange.
HMF lists no descendants. That would be a red flag for me.
That’s a shame, the color is really nice.
HMF lists no descendants.
It does give a reference where David Austin says he got some remontant seedlings from it.
I don’t know about this one in particular but many of the Geschwind hybrids were lost to commerce outside eastern Europe for a long time so haven’t been used much in breeding.
The heavy petals make it a sorry candidate for breeding but sometimes if you dig deep you can come up with a few anthers on such blossoms.
There is a picture on HMF showing hips of it, but this means nothing I guess.
Mine set op hips very heavily and the hips held through winter. FWIW
Not so full, stigmas exposed at anthesis.
Very easy many hips/seeds producing. Not as good germinability.
I did not keep a single seedling. Most prevalent faults: poor plant architecture and once blooming.
Possible answer: find a better mate…
Max
David Austin used Gipsy Boy with Chianti in his early rose breeding. Most notable result was The Knight. Interesting that both were once bloomers producing repeat off spring.
Here’s a link to the complete article by Austin on his early breeding program. I found it quite interesting. Hope it helps.
John… Very enjoyable and interesting reading … thank you very much. Larry
Excellent observation John. I’ve posted a note at HMF.
Hopefully they can update parentage for, ‘The Knight’.
This kind of information is especially important to hybridizers.
I have a good number of the Geschwind roses here in zone 4. Most are cane hardy to the snow line here and bounce back quite well. They are probably cane hardy in zone 5 or 6.
I haven’t had problems yet with blackspot, several have touched with mildew, not bad enough to cull yet.
I do believe they have good qualities to be further explored in hybridizing.