At last, a rose Fedtschenkoana can’t bleach out. Jim Sproul’s L56-1, single, saturated, deep red mini with great foliage, used with Fedtschenkoana pollen produced this healthy horse. This germinated last winter and has now set its first flowers. There is a slight almost grapefruit rind scent to the bloom. The buds are slightly fuzzy and have the Noble Fir scent, though not nearly as intensely as Fedtschenkoana itself. The growth begins very red-bronze-burgundy and ages to deep, polished green. There is absolutely no mildew nor rust with very few individual leaflets affected by slight spotting, but they fall quickly. I almost fear putting this in the ground. I have no idea how large it may grow nor whether it will sucker. It has taken nearly two weeks for the bud to open.
Beautiful! Fedtschenkoana was virtually a silent partner in this. How tall are the canes when they flower?
Thank you, Kevin. Fedtschenkoana honestly stamped itself all over the plant. The seed parent is a very healthy, but very “normal” mini and this is anything but. L56-1 foliage
Fedtschenkoana foliage
Red Fed
The flowering is occurring between about twenty and twenty-eight inches from the soil level. I had to prune the plant before moving on March 10, so it started smaller than it might have otherwise.
The scale was hard to gauge (the hand helps). Thanks! In the photos, the new growth and foliage look like a chinensis hybrid - my eye doesn’t see the blue-grey-green influence of fedtschenkoana but you’re familiar with both plants, I’m not. Not that any of that matters - it’s spectacular! Congratulations!
Thank you. It doesn’t have any of the silvery-turquoise-gray influences. L56-1 stifles them and intensifies the pigments.
Very nice, Kim!
I admit that for me too, I think of the foliar color as that which draws me most to Fedtshenkoana. Clearly there is a lot more to her. I do like the foliage and the heavily leafleted leaves of your seedling. Very attractive in and of its own. The color is impressive, but throws me when I think of a fedt. baby, and the reasons I think I want to play with this species.
Do you expect it to be recurrent? And any thoughts as to where you might take this seedling from here?
Very nice!
Thanks, Philip. I have absolutely no idea yet what to do with it nor which direction to go. Perhaps crossing it with other Fed. offspring? Or, perhaps crossing it with Hugonis seedlings? Maybe Blue for You? I honestly don’t know. It wasn’t what I expected it to be, particularly health wise. Neither do I have any idea about recurrence. It’s now not quite a year and a half old and flowering for the first time. It may continue…or not. There is also a White Cecile Brunner X Fed. cross which may be true…or not. It is a heavily blooming poly, but unlike Cecile, it mildews horribly, which seems to come from Fed. Cal Poly X Fed is definitely not a Cal Poly self, but it is also the farthest thing from “healthy” one could imagine.
Cal Poly X Fed.
White Cecile Brunner X Fed.
This continues flowering but has odd prickles, oddly shaped flowers and chronic mildew. Nothing I’ve ever raised from a Cecile Brunner cross has ever been like this.
Then, there is a seedling which is about six years old. Torch of Liberty X Fed. Definitely not a TOL self. The color is odd, bleached, with no scent and a LOT of mildew. The growth is quite sprawling and flowering is virtually continuous. I know it’s possible. Remember the 1-72-1 X DLFED 3 that flowered continuously?
Torch of Liberty X Fed.
Great stuff there Kim. I’m excited for you!
Interesting, Kim. With Autumn Damask crosses I find the bluer the foliage, the more prone to mildew. So, I’m assuming that’s the fault of fedtschenkoana, but when I had fedtschenkoana itself, mildew was never a problem.
Yah… Can’t say as I’m surprised about white Cecile Brunner. I once grew “Spray Cecile Brunner” thinking the first word in its name described its gangly panicles of blooms. I later decided it was a directive.
Grey foliage, grey mildew? No respect for homeopathy in the plant kingdom, eh?
Thank you. They are “interesting”, but I’m not sure what, if any, value they may represent. Spray Cecile here is bullet proof, just as are all the other permutations. They simply refuse to have any fungal issues in most of SoCal of any kind. I’m not surprised Fed had no issues for you, Kevin. In many cases, Foetida remains clean during its season, but it’s descendants refuse to. Secret’s Out, Orangeade, Pretty Lady and several others used with Fed have produced clean, healthy foliage. Those have retained the grey toned leaves.