Hi! I’m a little old to just be starting to grow roses from seed. I just turned 79. I have 5 new sprouts, a week to two weeks old. Last year I had two, and they didn’t make it past this point. I’m hoping these, and several more, will grow some true leaves and turn into actual seedlings.
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Welcome to the forum! If you’ve had even the slightest gardening experience, you’ve got this (ask me how I know 
).
Who are the lucky parents?
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I have some OP seeds from Easy Does It (4 sprouts so far); Easy Going (1 sprout); and about 8 seeds from a cross between those two (just an experiment to see if I could do it). No germination from the cross yet
I also have some purchased seeds from Iceberg and Pretty Lady. I read that these seeds are usually not authentic, or viable, but they were inexpensive enough that I figured why not try.
My Zone is 6b.
I only have 5 rose bushes right now:
Easy Does It
Love & Peace
Easy Going
plum Perfect
Marc Chagall
I plan to add a few more this year.
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Welcome, Njflowergirl! And, happy belated birthday! Age is really only important if you’re planning to begin a multi decade breeding program, but you CAN raise seedlings at any age you’re able to deal with soil and the other aspects of planting and caring for them. Ralph Moore, the Father of the Modern Miniature Rose, kept spreading pollen and raising new seedlings to nearly 102, so, you just might have some time to accomplish something! Have fun!
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Thanks, roseseek. I’m definitely having fun.
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Welcome! I am only in my second year of rose breeding however it’s only gotten better! Good luck with your seedlings
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Thanks, and good luck with yours too. Any tips from a newbie to another newbie, besides not letting them get too wet?
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Don’t use compost with slow release fertiliser balls. It’s a bit too much for the little ones at first. I have found a less nutrient rich compost works better for the stage after pricking out
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Certainly not too old to start. I am also 79 and just started 5 years ago with OP hips from roses in the garden then moved to some crossing and more lately got hold of varieties that might be of more interest. I just use modern roses in crosses so get first flowers by June/July so it is not like planting acorns for posterity. I look to the forum for more information all the time. Good luck!
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Thank you! I love your “acorns for posterity” statement. 
We have a lot of oak trees in our area, so no need, or I may have been tempted to try that too.
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My first seedlings. Two OP from Easy Does It, and one from Easy Going. Now I have to keep them alive. No other germinations yet.
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I went away for 4 days, and was worried about my little seedlings. Of the 6 that germinated, three have survived and have gotten some leaves. Those are in the red pots. They did okay while I was gone. I also have two seedlings from purchased seeds that did not germinate last year. I left them out all winter, and they germinated a week or so earlier than the others. If my tags are correct, they are Ops of Bolero in the green pot, and Bordeaux in the black pot.
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Congrats Njflowergirl!
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Oh, no! It looks like one of my three seedlings has aphids. I picked off as much as I could without damaging the seedling, and lightly sprayed all three with Neem (only thing I have on hand).
It also looks like one of them might have a tiny, microscopic bud. This could, of course, be just my imagination, since just yesterday I was worried that the stem wasn’t even strong enough to hold up its leaves.