Does anyone know a source in the U.S. for Olds College Rose?
Anyone used this in breeding?
Recommendations for something else besides this rose:
I’m already using Above and Beyond and Chinook Sunrise.
Also, just came across this rose looking through descendants of Applejack:
of interest was a cross of Arthur Bell x Applejack (used in breeding William Booth)
any other plants like this one that you would recommend that are available?
Thanks!
Duane
Hi Duane!
I got an Old’s College from a local plant sale in the Twin Cities a few years ago that got plants in from Jeffries in Canada. It doesn’t look like its patented, so this summer remind me and I’ll send you cuttings. I had it in pots for a couple years and this past year finally got it in the ground. It has been very pretty. I haven’t used it as a parent yet. It doesn’t seem to set op hips too readily, but hopefully will be a good pollen parent. I love the double flowers in various warm tones blended together. The plant habit seems tidy and mounded. I heard it may be touchy for hardiness, but hopefully it is at least reliably crown hardy for zone 4.
Thanks, that would be great!
I forgot to mention I have 1173 from Joe and really look forward to working with it.
I figure I am going to need to have multiple options to create multiple seedlings (with varying degrees of what I am looking for) which I will then be able to cross with each other.
Hopefully I will then be able to work the cold hardiness up a little bit at a time, while retaining the look and the fragrance. Of course disease resistance is another consideration. I figure the rest of my life should be filled up now.
Duane
Here’s a photo of my plant of ‘Old’s College’ from 2020 growing in a pot before it was planted out this past summer. It has the characteristic foliage of its ancestors ‘Sunsprite’ and ‘Bill Reid’. The blooms are nicely double and have a wonderful warm color.
Beautiful bloom: I love the form and color! Foliage looks good.
I almost purchased Bill Reid, but went with Chinook Sunrise instead, I don’t remember what I was thinking 
standing in the nursery, but I do have several seedlings being tested that are from Chinook Sunrise pollen. Only one from it as seed parent, although I’m wondering if it is a self.
This looks like a great plant to cross those seedlings with to increase cold hardiness another step and perhaps not lose bloom form.
How has disease resistance been for you?
It seems I remember reading someone’s post (and seeing pictures) that it was doing well in that regard.
Duane
That’s a great question Duane :0). In the nursery area with pots I have sprinklers on a timer for watering each morning and then have sprayed the pots to avoid disease from all the moisture… It was dry this summer for us after planting it out. Hopefully next year with it in the ground will be a good test year. I should propagate some to grow in the greenhouse (free of black spot) and use detached leaves and challenge them with the races of black spot and see if it has the resistance/susceptibility pattern across the races for Rdr3, the resistance gene in ‘Sunsprite’, which in its background.
I have been testing roses three places in the state of Washington (all on the east side of the mountains) and one of those places had blackspot pretty bad. Here I didn’t see any last season. I’ll see what next season brings. Or I’m going to have to figure a way to test for it.
Good to know Sunsprite is the source for it!
Thanks!
Duane
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Olds College rose gets downy mildew some years but not frequently. The institution “Olds College” is in zone 3 Canada (-37 to -34C) and the rose is crown hardy most years. I grew out one op seedling which resembled the mother but was discarded because it did not clean well…
I like the rose because depending on “climate” in the garden the bloom is quite the changeling. Some years first bloom very full and great apricot blend, others l have to call it orange blend and later season blooms are solid orange - no yello noticed. In my winter it dies to crown or a couple of stubs. Never paid attention hips or seed set. Only rose l recall getting 3 bloom sets in one season, that moved through the changling sequence.
Sont recall any fungal issues - but low pressure.
Great to know it is crown hardy in zone 3. Perhaps there will be some cane stay green in zone 4 if protected with snow.
Glad to hear the repeat bloom is so good. I happen to love blooms that change throughout the season. I have a few seedlings that do that, and I am really looking forward to crossing them with this one!
Waiting on a bud right now to open on a seedling that was crossed with Chinook Sunrise. So making plans for next season while waiting.
Duane
Interestingly, Sunsprite is not overly BS-resistant for me in my garden, but she is admittedly grafted and appears to have RMV. At the moment, I am more impressed with Kordes’ "Sunny Sky: as a fragrant HT parent, though yellow is not as deep. Definitely fertile, and a parent of Kordes’ “Orangerie.”