I wonder what causes some roses to open up to a somewhat single shape and to be bunched up in the middle? Could it be a genetic trait? They do open up fully after a day or two. I’ve only observed this in Jude the obscure and now in Spearmint (an Ocarina sport).
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I have noticed that trait in ‘Snowball’ and ‘Susan Williams-Ellis’ and ‘Polestar’ this year, all whites, strangely.
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I see Peace makes dark stamens like Dainty Bess, not sure if it’s just a fluke but it has been this colour for a few days since opening up
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I’ve started collecting pollen to freeze in preparation for the coming Spring. So far the Winter was mild up until about a week ago, and we’ve only now started to get frost, so I’ve got loads of pollen that I can harvest.
Dainfern passion seems to grow fasciated, with loads of pistils, hopefully it’s a good seed parent.
I harvested 3 blooms and each of them had these strange masses of growth
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Here is a petal- & stamen-stripped flower of ‘Lambert Closse’ which commonly does the same thing. Little difficult to properly emasculate when they’re like this, but do tend to give plump hips with plenty of seeds.
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This is the current progress of my first embryo extraction:
4 June 2026
7 July 2026
It feels a bit slow, but I know these plants do things in their own time. Do you guys think the growth looks like what you would expect after a month of growth?
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Congratulations! I would still check the pH level and if possible, use the EC Meter for finding out the nutrients concentration and availabiliy, though. The different colour variations of the leaves could be a sign for a balance that isn’t quite perfect.
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Today I tried to get some pollen from my Rhapsody in blue. I went out and the bud was still tightly closed.
A half an hour later I had the container ready but to my surprise the bud was wide open and I found a bee break dancing inside
. You have to be quick with these singles and doubles
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I would consider that good growth after one month. Those first few sets of leaflets can come in a bit odd, especially from embryo extraction. I feel like that explosive growth right off the bat that is always hoped for is like a 1 out of a 100 event.
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“Breakdancing” made LOL. It’s true though…
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A little update, my Pure Magic X Blondy crosses from the embryo extractions are going strong.
Even though I know how genetically diverse roses are, it’s still interesting to see how different their first true leaves are compared to my open pollinated South Africa embryo extraction.
My seeds that I’m cold stratifying should start to germinate by 1 September 2026, it’s a weird feeling opening the fridge and seeing nothing but it is a patience game. I’ve also planted some hybrid tea seeds I got from a friend as an experiment in containers outside, will let you guys know if they germinate.
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Possibly but these darker purple types vary quite a bit with temperature, brilliance and heat of sunlight and probably nutrients. If it continues producing that flower, it’s more likely a sport. If it goes back to the normal color, likely not.
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My very first planted embryo extraction (the open pollinated South Africa seedling) has produced a bud after just 3 months! I’ll keep you guys posted as it opens up. I realised that the grow light was too bright and it caused the initial leaves to yellow. I have since dimmed it and the newer foliage seems to have better colour as a result.
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Awesome congratulations! Looking forward to the bloom!
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I forgot to add these photos of the other two crosses I have. They’re doing good, can’t wait to see if they flower!
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While I wait for the bud to open I’d like to share this:
I’m happily surprised with Breezy! It changed from a pure orange colour when I first bought it to this almost fiery orange and red pattern. I’ll definitely be using it for hybridising.
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Wow never seen a rose like that before!
First pollination of the season, wish me luck!
(Stanwell Perpetual X Rhapsody in Blue )
It’s a big pain to find every single anther between the damask folds, but I guess every rose has their thing when it comes to hybridising.
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About a week past the 3 month mark it seems my SA open pollinated embryo extraction is a yellow! It’s a bit early but it could still develop into an orange
The other two, my Blondy X Pure Magic crosses, are almost taller than the one above
This one has grown to almost 10 cm in two months, but it seems to have some deformity each time the leaves appear, but I’ll guess I’ll have too wait and see if it outgrows it.
Does anyone have any tips for dealing with spider mites? I discovered that all three had a small infestation at the base. I rinsed them off, but I believe this is only a short term solution
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