This year, well, sucks for hybridizing. 2 floods, 2 freezes, a premature heat wave…and all that their is left, really, is a 2-3 window right before July hits due to what has been basically a 6+ month rainforest winter.
I am definitely not getting a lot done in terms of what I had hoped for, with a few minor exceptions. This makes me, as a hybridizer, left feeling anxious and left down. I always look forward to this time of year, and it is flying by like a clock’s second hand on crack.
So, what about you all? How are you all coming along so far?
I’m wondering if people here understand what “emo” means…
As for me… I haven’t done much at all. Early spring, and that’s it.
Although, I’ve been waiting for Queen Elizabeth to bud before I remove some frozen pollen of kordesii X Basye Amphi.
I had an intentionally light year. I have too much to carry forward from last season and want to utilize some of the stuff I’ve already created.
I have to wait till the seedlings I have mature some.
Still, I had a good hybridizing season. If I had more room I could have accomplished much more.
I have no idea where I will put the stuff I create from this years efforts.
I will no doubt be offering some of last years efforts to others as I won’t be able to carry them forward. It’s either that or let them go.
Sorry you’re emo but be careful what you wish for! 
haha I said emo on purpose in order to mesh the generations 
Welcome to Gen Y, guys =)
Robert, youre usually right lol! You always cheer me up =)
I did have a seedling I liked pop up so far. It is Rosa californica x Royal Amethyst, and seems uber vigorous and healthy. I cant wait to use it in 3 years to expand the mauve climber selections.
Jadae, congrats on Rosa californica x Royal Amethyst. That one sounds fun.
Btw, I posted a foliage shot of ‘Henry’s Blend’ to HMF a little while ago. That thing suckers like crazy! It’s growing like mad now. Hard to believe it descends from R15. I hope it will flower in my climate.
It’s great that you’re creating some new species hybrids. I’m also doing some species crosses that include mauves. Maybe we can meld them eventually?
Link: www.helpmefind.com/rose/pl.php?n=60939
Weatherconditions are poor in Europe to. A dry fall and winter. Groundwaterlevel isn’t high at the lot. Not much rain predicted on the weatherforcast. I hope hips will stay on.
Yup, I agree with you Jadae, it sucks. Last year I was pollinating the last week in May. This year I just got started last week, everything is slow this year. Trouble is I generally stop pollinations after the first week of July. I hope that it is a nice long fall and the seed matures.
Sorry about your lousy weather conditions. Up here in Maine I’m just getting the first blooms which is typical. The bad weather down south has cancelled my order with Ashdown of 10 roses I wanted to add to my hybridizing program this year, a disappointment.
In the meantime I have to make the life and death decisions of the past several years seedlings. Most are climbers so I’ve been waiting 2 to 3 years for first bloom. I’ve got about 150 and hope to come out of it with 10 decent ones.
This spring was a good germination year and I have about 50 new seedlings to put in the ground next week.
Everything is growing well except for my mother plant of Henry Kelsey, I don’t think it’s going to make it through another year, very sad because it gave me a lot of 0P seedlings.
Now I need to find the time to actually do some hybridizing. I’ve got about 3 weeks now that things are blooming in order for the hips to be ready this fall. First frost is usually mid Sept.
If all else fails and you end up with no hips of your own, I find a visit to a rose nursery or public garden “easy pickins” for some ripe hips.
I agree, this hybridizing season started out badly for me. First, we had the long winter and late spring. We had a late freeze right after I had put out this years seedlings and it nearly killed them all, most are still not back to where they were before the freeze.
Then like Liz stated, everything is blooming 7 to 10 later than last year. So I
I’m just now getting flowers, the midge have just devastated my roses. Plus it’s been so wet I haven’t been able to cross anything yet. But I’ll manage to get some crosses made ASAP.
Cool spring temps have delayed flowering, though things are now finally coming along and will start with my crosses. Most of my breeding stock is potted, as summers are too short for some of the roses to ripen their hips, though when frost threatens, I snip them off and ripen them in the house.
Terry
We had a delayed spring that actually benefitted the roses after last year’s drought. The eight (or was it only 6)heavy snowfalls of the previous winter protected last year’s seedlings, so there were few losses. The few days of hot temperatures shrank the bloom time of once bloomers & skewed the hybridizing schedules for them. Apart from the daily & overnight showers, the conditions for hybridizing are perfect. Also great for mildew, so I know what seedlings to discard to free up room for the new ones. I had to scrunch aluminum foil over the pollinated blooms to protect them. I expect some losses due to rain. The insects are also happy, but I have enough blooms to work with. The mornings are cool & it doesn’t really get hot until late afternoon. Yes there are some benefits to being out of the bannana belt.
My non-tea Sombreuil is blooming, & both blooms of Souvenir de la Malmaison produced pollen. Can’t remember what I put on them. Maybe nature will be good to me.
I got a first bloom on my op Reine des Violettes seedling. It’s got better substance than the momma, glossier leaves, but some thorns. I also have buds about to unfurl from the Dr. Huey op seedling.
One of my Embers x Henry Cabot seedlings is finally exhibiting good clusters & producing sufficient pollen. I have a few more days of hybridizing to go, to have the seeds ripen in time. I’m finding that one of my own hardier seedlings could be a good momma plant after losing White Nights. So far it’s been a good year for my garden.
Inspite of quite a bit of rain and the current hot weather I’ve made a lot of crosses. I’m happy with what I’ve been able to do so far. I’ve got some new roses I purchased last weekend that are in bud and after they bloom and I cross them I’ll be done for the season to wait and see what ‘took’.
Ok, I’m going to show that I’m from an older generation…what does EMO stand for? I’ll probably kick myself for not figuring it out.
Because of work time and energy are lacking… didn’t cross much this year. Ah well, saves time working the hips, seeds and young plants next year!
Timo, there is nothing wrong with the weather. It’s great, nice and sunny, with the occasional shower. Only now it’s getting a bit dry, but nothing too serious. Wood chips work wonders to conserve moisture…
Rob
Lori
Tell me about your op seedlings from Henry Kelsey. How are they for thorns? HK is the best doer in my garden, but it’s pollen has produced the thorniest of seedlings when used on Belle de Crecy, and offspring of Chianti. I could understand the thorns in the Chianti line because the seed parent had European kordesii in it, but I was stymied by what it produced with Belle de Crecy. I was using HK with OGRs & progeny for cane hardiness.
Cold, rainy and bizarre weather in May delayed all my damasks, gallicas, portlands and Canadian shrubs. For the first time ever they will be blooming in unison with the Austins and hybrid teas. This allows an opportunity to make some interesting crosses.
Emo is the 2000s renewed word from old world europe of classical times meaning, “emotive or emotional.” Except, now, it has become an easy, slang way of saying “depressed, let down, angsty” etc. It is sometimes said in sarcasm as well.
Mostly I’ve heard the term as sarcasm against the new version of the eighty gothic movement in young teen agers now days.
I wish I had some of your rain. I have only seen rain three times this year. Twice it was more like spit and the third time it brought a tornado that leveled the town of Windsor just a ten minute or less drive from me. I was up in Steamboat Springs during th secound week of June and had snow. But at least it doesn’t seem like it has been as hot this year as last year. I haven’t got many crosses done because most of my roses are new. But I do have a bunch of Minatures x R.woodsii. And a couple of crosses between Prairie Harvest x Fragrant Cloud. So far most of these crosses look like they took. It surprised me a little bit that the woodsii crosses seem to be takeing well considering I used it as a pollen parent and the miniatures for the most part are tetraploid. I also got one hip of Praire Dancer x Persian Sunset. It is the only hip i got using Persian Sunset. So hopefully it produces something.
Hi Lydia - Yes the Henry Kelsey offspring, all op, are extremely prickly. I have never used it’s pollen, only use it as a mother. Usually they start out with 2 stems, one trailing and one thorny upright. But the variety of plant shapes, sizes and flower forms have been very interesting. Cane hardiness is one of the reasons I’m using it also. I have found that HK is one of the only climbers that will survive the winter and be tall enough to flower over a 7 foot arbor. I’m in Zone 3/Zone 4 area and my challenge is winter hardiness. Some of the offspring (about 50%) have shown very little winter die back.
I have a large area of Rosa cinnamomea plena near the HK and I can see many seedlings with its foliage. About 30% of the plants that have flowered have what I call genetic mutation - waxy flowers that have several centers that never fully open. Several have ball-shaped flowers that I really like, one in particular opens its guard petals first with the rest of the flower in a ball and staying in this stage for several days. The guard petals are red with a white stripe radiating from the middle and when the rest of the flower opens it is very full and a nice red. Unfortunately it has only flowered once and that was last October - a real late bloomer. I would be happy to post a picture if I knew how.
The colors so far have been everything from a pale pink to a dark purple and from singles to over 100 petals. Plant sizes have ranged from 4 inches tall to 10 feet tall with climbing habits, ground covers and shrub. Some bear single flowers and others large clusters of over 50 flowers. Some bloom once, some over the summer and some autumn only. I think this will even out now that the plants are mature.
Unfortunately scent is very scant and I’m hoping now that some that haven’t bloomed before will give some scent.
I’m very pleased with the wide variety of flowers and plants that HK has produced. The thorns could be a problem, but I’m breeding for large plants for large landscapes arbors and hedgerows so it’s low priority. Since rugosas figure largely in my scheme also I’ve gotten used to lots of prickles (and have the scars to prove it!)
Thanks for your interest. Just as a side note this year I have several Lafter seedlings that are really putting out a variety of scented multi-colored flowers, a real pleasure.
Hey Guys:
Don’t complain. You don’t know how lucky y’all are. My daughter and I just planted new gardens this year so we don’t have ANY crosses. You can’t imagine how frustrating it is to read about all the intersting things everybody out there is doing while we sit on our thumbs waiting on the sidelines like second stringers for a chance to get into the game next year. The highlight of our season was the kind gift of a “Monster” and a Fa’s Marbled Moss from Fara Shimbo. On the creative side I have found a fabulous botanical artist and plan to commission portraits of some of Fa’s roses for myself, my daughter and, of course, Fa herself. I saw a terrific photo posted by RosariumRob of one of his seedlings recently that was so good I was tempted to have it done also.
Bob of New Orleans currently in N.C.