random thoughts... oh and a found seedling

General Discussion
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So instead of starting a whack of threads I decided to stick all the random thoughts running through my head into 1 post. So here goes…

First, Paul B. thank you for the L83 pollen a few years ago and I too really miss your blog. I’m glad that you pop up on the forum.

I’ve started pollinating this year. I’ve been using Prairie Peace pollen on my mini mosses, Alberta, and a Julia Child x (Luis Desarmero x John Cabot) seedling. I’ve posted a few pictures of PP in the 2012 rose album (see link below). This is the first year that it has bloomed for me. In 2010, I ordered it from Rocky Mountain House, Alberta and it took the Greyhound across Canada. It is probably going to be quite a monster.

I’ve also been using Oso Easy Paprika pollen on Prairie Celebration, a Gemini x Baby Love mini, and a Everest Double Fragrance x Morden Sunrise seedling. OEP pictures are also posted. It is quite a nice rose in my garden and very clean for me.

The decision that I made this year was to start using a few of my clean and vigorous Home Run seedlings from previous years as pollen sources. I have 2 Morden Sunrise x HR seedlings and 1 Glowing Amber x HR seedling that are being put on an assortment of roses.

Finally I took a trip to the UofG arboretum this morning and came back with a few blooms of Prairie Maid. Great smell and interesting background. I’ll probably pollinate Alberta and Carefree Beauty with it.

So why did I go to the UofG arboretum this morning? Well I have this found seedling from last year that is intriguing me. There are a couple of photos in the album (see link below). I guess rose seedlings sprouting up in the beds was bound to happen eventually. This particular seedling is rather interesting. It was extremely winter hardy; it is very vigorous; and it has 9-leaflets. So my first thought was that my Explorers are responsible for this seedling, William Baffin was my guess. But my WB does not have 9-leaflets, neither does the poor specimen at the arboretum. So any ideas or thoughts about this found seedling are more than welcome.

My explorers (William Baffin, John Cabot, Alexander MacKenzie) are fence eaters. They are not fertilized, receive absolutely no winter protection, and I do not use sprays of any sorts. Those same explorers at the UofG arboretum are barely recognizable. I was stunned by the difference and I am not quite sure why they look so poor.

So my last random rose thought for the day is that it is really fun to have a garden full of roses that are not mainstream. I find that most of the seedlings that I have ended up keeping are very different than what you can find in the nurseries. And I am now starting to get pretty ruthless in pitching things out. Vigor, disease resistance, winter hardiness are must haves for me, the cool blooms and scents are bonuses right now. Below is a link to the 2012 album.

2012 Rose Photos

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It looks like it has Synstylae in it. If it doesnt, maybe it has Scot in it. I dont know…

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Your Paintbrush seedling is nice. I like the idea of putting Prairie peace on it.

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I’ll probably pollinate Alberta and Carefree Beauty with it.

Nice album to look at, well organized and easy to follow!.. and some great pix !

Liz, is Carefree Beauty a good seed-bearing rose, I am thinking of using it as a mom rose this season (Sept. onwards)?

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Jadae, I googled Synstylae and there are quite a few species listed under this section. I have not used any of them directly in crosses. I’ll have to be patient and let the found seedling bloom. Perhaps that will help, or not…

Thanks Adam, I like that Paintbrush seedling too. The blooms are pretty short lived and I am hoping that it accepts pollen. Time will tell.

Thanks George. Carefree Beauty is a great seed parent from the stand point of accepting most pollen sources and in having a high germination rate. I have not had great luck with it and Baby Love, one seedling, which strikes me as a bit odd. Generally it will result in seedlings with similar bloom styles, no where near the health and vigor of CB. There are a couple of exceptions to this, seedlings from crosses with Julia Child and Distant Drums are quite variable and vigorous. I am also using 2 CB daughters, Prairie Harvest and Alberta. I would have to say that I prefer them over CB. Both have good germination rates, Alberta in particular gives me quite a range of phenotypes in the seedlings. Alberta also has this great low growing plant type that shrinks down the Explorers.

One other random observation from yesterday’s trip to the Arboretum, the only rose that seemed to thrive there was what they had labeled “The Swamp Rose”, Rosa palustris. I’ll have to post a picture of the mass planting. Has anyone messed around with this species? It seems to be a zero-maintenance rose and might have a few useful traits.

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I dont know, Liz. From the looks, it looks as if is is partially Synstylae (even Flower Carpet is this) and some sort of briar type, like the Scots or Cinn. section.

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You’re welcome Liz, and thank you for your info. on how CB has behaved as a breeder for you, it is very meaningful breeding information. I plan to use CB this coming season (i.e. Sept. onwards)…I should be getting a bare rooted CB in the mail in the next few days.

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George, I have used C.B. since early '80s. While it may not accept pollen from everything, it seems to be one of he most accepting mothers around. But I never get a lot of seeds per hip from most crosses ( around 5), perhaps because many of the pollen donors are odd, and I am stingy with pollen many days. You can count the stigmata to ascertain the maximum possible seeds per hip. I’ve never bothered, but can tell you for sure that some other CVs have a lot more of them. Country Dancer OP averages 20 seeds round here for instance. But I’ve had as many as 600 flowers on C.B. in the first two flowering flushes of a budded plant in its 2nd or 3rd year with lots of sun. By the time I’ve pollinated 600 flowers, I’m about done. In my notes at home I probably have records of what fraction of pollinations succeeded with each of 20 - 30 pollen donors. If I have time next week I’ll look that up.

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Thanks Larry, very handy information to know about!

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Hi Liz, I am going to try Oso Easy Paprika x Summer Wind (Buck) on my quest for making a decent orange shurb rose. I hope that O E P works well for you, too.

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Jadae, have you had any luck with Oso Easy Paprika as a seed parent? I really like this rose and it will be interesting to see what comes out of it. Ah, Summer Wind, that should be a nice cross. I unfortunately ordered the Buck Summer Wind and ended up with the Kordes Summerwind… Good luck with your crosses.

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I began using it this spring w/ Summer Wind and Carefree Copper. I would have used it last year, but I thought it’d be trash like most mini types. A slight error – oops.