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Here it goes! Colour me surprised that pink overwhelms. (Heavy sarcasm) I think I got a whiff of light sweetness, but the bud is barely opened. This one is the healthiest of the bunch, the others are quite liberally spotted.
My Abraham Darby is just flushing out again, so I may strip a few buds and pick pollen-partners myself. I do wish I’d saved some pollen from Stephens Big Purple. Maybe I’ll use Outta the Blue pollen; I like the shape of it (as a plant) better. Maybe J P Connell, or Winnipeg Parks…
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Well it’s quite pretty, but pink; also not much scent. Sufficiently healthy to grow on for a bit.
Second one is a paler, not-so-double version of the first, not nearly as vigorous & healthy, so YOINK out it goes.
Third has some warm yellow-tones at the petal base, so I won’t discard it yet.
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Lord it’s pink. But pretty enough I suppose. If it doesn’t develop a good scent, it will be discarded most likely.
And a YELLOW BUD?! That’s exciting.
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HUZZAH!! Some yellow faded, but the centre shows gorgeous apricot tones, AND SCENT: sweet and light. A keeper.
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Quite nice! My local rose garden has a large bed of Abraham Darby that I’m hoping to harvest OP hips from in a month or two.
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Shockingly (to me), I’ve had only ONE GERMINATION this spring from a row of OP Abraham Darby seeds. Thus far, anyway…
AD was to be particularly “put upon” this season, for deliberate crosses. I will do so, but also use it’s pollen on some of my better germinators.
Just ONE of the seedlings has any real vigour.
Also, I have five seedlings, but I don’t have pictures of five flowers from last year worth keeping. What’s up with that?
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That one-gallon seedling is opening! Pretty sure it’s the third seedling pictured above in July ‘24- “Third has some warm yellow-tones at the petal base, so I won’t discard it yet.”
And BOY am I glad I didn’t!
Also pretty sure it’s pollen-donor was ‘Trier’ again, which would make this a likely triploid. So far it seems lax and trailing in habit. Maybe a groundcover? Or (with some more vigour) a climber?
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