Just how winter hardy are Bayse Legacy and Bayse Blueberry?

General Discussion
1

Both of these roses are completely cane hardy for me in zone 6b, but does anyone have any experience with them in colder zones?

Any information would greatly appreciated.

Shane

2

Basye’s Blueberry survives northern Wisconsin winters. Mine has come through two winters and is progressing nicely. It is not tip hardy, but it is at least snowline hardy. When I lived in Duluth, Minnesota, I had several potted roses that never got put away one fall and the pots sat outside (above ground) with absolutely no protection all winter other than what snow we received. Included in this group were several Canadian roses and Basye’s Blueberry. All roses were dead the following spring with the exception of BB. It made it through several more winters in Duluth but I kept moving it to different locations and that always set the plant growth back. We moved before I could see mature size. I will say that the plant seems to be somewhat slow growing–or maybe it is just slower to establish. I sent one to David Zlesak and I think he said his got to be fairly large in the Twin Cities area.

3

I’m curious as well to see how hardy Bayse’s Legacy is. I purchased a Commander Gillette this spring from Sequoia, which I guess is really Bayse’s Legacy. We’ll see how it fairs this winter in central Minnesota.

4

Apparently, all roses distributed as

5

Thanks for your input so far. I have used them both extensively, so I am very glad to hear they are both quite hardy in colder areas.

Roger,

By your descriptions, my Bayse Legacy sounds like it is Commander Gillette. The rose itself and its offspring sound identical to what you have seen. That actually makes a lot of sense now that I think about it. I have never seen any distinct Rugosa or Abysinnica traits in any of my Bayse Legacy seedlings. Plus, the growth habit is quite similar to Hugh Dickson, one of the parents of Commander Gillette. I purchased it from Ashdown.

Does anyone know if the real Bayse Legacy is available anywhere?

Shane

6

Shane,

Now that you mention it, what IS Hugh Dickson like? I have always been curious about how many thorns it has and what happens if it is crossed with modern roses. I don

7

Roger,

I saw Hugh Dickson for the first time this year at a botanical gardens. I have grown Bayse Legacy (Commander Gillette) for years and the growth habit of Hugh Dickson was very similar (6-7 ft tall with a nice arching shape). I was there in August and it was blooming nicely, so it definitely repeats. It has very nice big reddish/pink blooms that would give Austin’s roses a run for their money. I cannot vouch for disease resistance or winter hardiness, but it was certainly thriving. I do not remember the thorniness of it.

That is too bad that the real Bayse Legacy may be lost.

Despite all of its great qualities, Commander Gillette has been a frustrating parent. I was prepared to weed through the non-repeaters and the thorny seedlings (which there are plenty of), but I have been surprised with the number of extremely disease prone seedlings (leaf spot in particular). I guess that comes from Hugh Dickson.

8

I do believe that the real Commander Gillette may be lost not Basye’s Legacy. Please read this earlier topic, especially the post by Kim Rupert. There is an outside chance that Commander Gillette is still available through Ashdown but in further conversations with Kim, he doubted it.

Link: www.rosehybridizers.org/forum/message.php?topid=13422#14497