Everything is worth trying if you enjoy working with the plants and if the cross doesn’t work, it was time well spent. I grow R. rugosa alba Flore Pleno and it’s never set a hip by my hand or OP but it has a prime spot in my garden as inspiration. I say just dive in. You could spend years researching and never have all the answers - and there are very few absolutes in this endevor, anyway. Are you saving OP hips from roses you like this year? That’s a good place to start.
I am so cramped for space in my garden that I’m thinking of switching my program to trying to breed hardy miniatures. My best seed parent in the miniature department is Hot Tamale- if you’re really looking for bang for your buck, it is a ton of fun to work with. It produces abundant, beautiful, diverse babies. The drawback is that Hot Tamale itself is a fungal nightmare. If this year’s seedlings are any indication, it can be redeemed somewhat by crossing it with a fungus-resistant pollen parent.
May, please note that your username has been changed to mayadnan rather than the email address that you had previously been using.
Hi ,
yes for sure I am only wanting to do this as a hobby and this year sadly I am leaving my garden in NY to move to Germany. I am sad to leave it behind and have been dreaming of what new beautiful things I can grow in Germany, first of all I can maybe plant a few things in my mothers garden until I have a home of my own. I am also looking forward to visit many nice gardens there ,my mum says so many beautiful roses growing everywhere.
Oh and thanks the tip about Hot Tamale, what did you cross it with that you liked? If you have pictures that you want to share I would love to see them.
Thank you for your replies,
May
May- so far my best seedlings are with Easy Going as pollen parent. I’ll try to post some pics.
thank you, that be nice.
may
Hello May
nice to hear, that you are moving to germany. I live in south west germany but lived in Munich several years. Munich region can have cold winters with cold winds from eastern directions. But of course, there are lots of roses there too.
In 2009 I bred a little bit with Westerland. I pollinated a plant in the neighborhood and collected a hip in autumn, pollen parent was Sissi/Blue moon. There was normal germination and I got some seedlings. I used pollen from Westerland too which I put on Florence Delattre, a very fertile rose in both ways. Gemination of that cross was very good und I had some nice seedlings. Unfortunately I don’t have enough space, not even a garden, just a balcony, so I gave most of these seedlings to people with gardens, because they hadn’t my favourite bloom colour (brownish). Most of them died in a very special winter.
I tried to breed with Schneekoppe (the only rugosa I bred with). I only used it’s pollen but last year I got no hips on my plants. This year 1 hip is developing on “Honey Dijon”.
There was a german breeder who bred a lot with rugosas: Karl Baum. Perhaps there are any publications of him?
Rosa rugosa “Hansa” has a lot of descendents in first generation and german beeder Sievers (who is a member in this forum too) bred with it too.
I like to to use the HMF-tools “descendants by generation” or “parentage tree”, they are often helpful to me (but they only work with “premium membership”).
hi,
Thank you for your great tips. Did you find Westerland seeds germinated easily? Also ,I have read Munich is Zone 6 but I cant remember it being as cold in the winter as we have here in NY from the few winter when I lived there 10 years ago. I am living in zone 6 now and our winters are often -20C at night. What has your experience been with winter damage?
I have been looking online to see what is available to buy , do you have any tips of good places to buy roses that have a good selection etc.
I am a member of HMF and do use it.
Thank you again for your helpful reply,
May
When I lived in Munich, I wasn’t interested in roses yet. I never lived In New York, I can’t compare it.
In germany I order in nurseries, because often I can’t get the roses I want in “normal” garden magazines oder in local nurseries. There are such a lot of good nurseries that I can’t list them all. But I want to mention Schmid, because they are in colder western Bavaria and should know which roses are especially cold hardy. When you have time to travel in germany, I would recommend Sangerhausen. Also “Stauden und Rosen” near Göttingen have a lot of experience with cold hardiness and some rare roses: They have a beautiful park in an area with rough winters.
hi, I arrived in Munich yesterday and its hot! Thank you I looked at Schmid and it looks great!