I think the problem with miniature mosses, even though I think theyre awesome, is that they dont give that sense of awe that large mosses have. I think this is especially important to the modern consumer.
So Paul’s post has inspired me to throw my brief experience into the mix. I’ve been playing around with a couple of moss donors, Scarlet Moss and Paintbrush. My initial crosses involved Scarlet Moss and Gemini - in retrospect I have no idea what I was thinking at the time. But interestingly most of the seedlings had the moss trait and I still have a couple of them kicking around. I moved away from Scarlet Moss for a couple of reasons, which escape me at the moment. I started working with Paintbrush. I used it both as a seed parent with John Cabot and as a pollen parent with Prairie Celebration and Carefree Beauty. Parentage really influences the frequency of mossing observed in the progeny. I have remade the Paintbrush x Prairie Celebration cross and will hopefully have more seedlings from it. I have also started using one of the Gemini x Scarlet Moss seedlings as a seed parent.
I have 2 mini mosses from the Prairie Celebration crosses, 1 from the Carefree Beauty crosses, and 1 from the John Cabot crosses. What I am really excited about is that the explorer mosses have amazing winter hardiness and were pretty clean last year. 10-69-2 (Paintbrush x John Cabot) is getting ready to bloom right now. Then only other rose on the property that is that far along is Prairie Peace.
You can check out the bloom on 10-69-2 from 2011 as well. I apologize for the link to the album, I cannot seem to link to an individual photo within the album.
Congratulations, Elizabeth! You have some attractive flowers there. Hopefully, the parents you’ve selected will help weed out the disease issues and lead to improved versions.
Paul thank you for your sharing your experience with Moss Roses, I do not have any plans to include them in my breeding program at this time but it is very benificial to understand how the traits are expressed. I will look for Rose Gilardi for its health and being a miniature.
David
Paul B, I thank you so much for giving of your vast knowledge, may I with your permission, either copy to a folder or print this out for reference please.
You mention Paul about “kordesii pedigree” is it a breeding line to look at, they seem to not list a lot of thier new stuff. Is it that I go back to some of thier early breeders.
Paul, if you could name a breeder or breeding line here, who would it be, to follow/learn/read about.
Thanks everyone else with the imput all the time, my learning curve.
Any out their tried Secret Recipe?
Hi David,
Agree about the challenge thing. Some of us here are motivated by challenging …even err … near-impossible tasks. I am one of 'em!
If you are in that group of rose nuts as I am, then I support you fully to go for it, no matter how dumb it may seem to others!
Happy to be of service. Yes, you can save a copy of that in whatever way you like.
When I say “kordesii pedigree” I am not talking about Kordes hybrids in general, but the R. kordesii breeding line. Much of the Canadian Explorer series owe their hardiness and health to R. kordesii, for example.
I have just finished looking at the 788 listed decendants of R. kordesii, some interesting one’s amongst them. There are a couple I will look at more closely. One being ‘lemon moss’ as it is in my theme of yellow.
So I/we have sort of decided to step away from the Moss/Damasks, maybe Centifolias.
If we were to have poll on which variety to pursue, which would it be, all suggestions taken seriously
This then will blend into my other thread of “quest for yellow”
‘Rose Gilardi’': I feel this is potentially the most likely cultivar to offer an opportunity to breed truly healthy mosses from. However, I have found this rose picky as to what pollens it will accept. It is extremely pollen fertile. Sometimes it passes on striping as well, but don’t count on it. RG is one of the healthiest miniatures I have grown, and has one of the most attractive plant architectures of any mini bred.
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If anyone has OP seed from RG please advise here, I would love some sent my way!
Rose Gilardi is trying to sport to a red with pink stripes and a solid red for one of the ladies here in California. I hope it does it as a solid red version would be interesting.