Question on pollen and green eye roses.

General Discussion
1

I’m trying to get polen from Hypolite. Does the rose produce pollen in the green eye or just in the very few yellow ones hidden deep in the petals?

thanks

paul e

2

I can’t answer your question about the pollen, but Hippolyte does set hips when pollinated, as do other generally hipless gallicas. I’ve just about given up getting pollen from Gallicas.Hippolyte produces about two seeds from each little round hip. It might be easier to use her as the seed parent. Belle de Crecy is a better seed parent. You get five or six seeds per urn shaped hip, and many of the seeds germinate in the first year. Good Luck,

Lydia

3

I just went to check my one germination from Hippolyte. It germinated in April, its 3in. tall, and it has a bud ready to open, and its little leaves are thick. Hippolyte must be a hybrid as well. I was just playing around. I had no idea it would bloom this fast. What a surprise!

Lydia

4

I was about to ask about that, only about Mme. Hardy. Has anyone seen any pollen from it? Colonial White is soppose to be a cross between New Dawn and Mme. Hardy.

5

Congratulations Lydia!!!

Hypolite is possibly a gallica x china(?) cross. You may have a repeat flowering rose if it’s blooming on new wood.

I plan on using it and Belle de Crecy on rugosa alba in hopes of getting a repeat flowering gallica x rugosa cross.

I dismantled four Hypolite buds and only came up with 10 yellow ones. This may explain why there are only a few seeds per hip.

paul e

6

Paul

Good luck with those rugosa crosses. I think its worthwhile using Belle de Crecy as a female because it does produce some nice plants. Can’t tell you about the flower as mine havent’t bloomed. What a surprise with Hippolyte! Isn’t nature wonderful?

Enrique

I’ve never seen pollen on my Madame Hardy. Last year it only had vegetative centers, possibly because of the warm winter, so I couldn’t use it. It had hips, but they were empty. The previous year, I used John Cabot for pollen, and it did set seed. But that was the year I soaked the seeds in digestive enzymes, and I guess they turned to compost while stratifying. So Madame Hardy will set seed if it gets sticky centers.I’ll be on the watch this year.

Incidently, Sombreuil will set seed. I got seeds last year using Cherry Mediland. Unfortunately there’s been no germinations as yet. I think that my plant of Sombreuil from Pickering is the real Sombreuil. Its tender and dies right down to the ground in this climate.

7

Lydia, Thanks for that info. I have one flower of Sombreuil that I believe may set an OP hip. My plant never had hips before. It is slightly different in that it has less petals, and a whole lot more stamins. I’m not sure if it is a sport, but I’ve got it tied with a bright piece of string. There is a branch that I had that produced pink flowers, but I think it was the fluctuations of weather that created it. Somebody else also got a pink sombreuil last year too when the weather was a bit strange.