First off I am a bit limited to when it comes to playing with hybridization because of space. For right now my roses are in ceder half barrels and the youngsters are filling out large nursery pots. This year I only deemed one plant worth crossing, so I guess I narrowed the playing field a bit much. I don’t know if the roots were too warm and the plant just stressed towards the end of the season or what, but my rose hips only partially developed then rotted off. Very disappointing since Kim had so graciously shared the pollen with me, from a rose I had been drooling over. So sad 
(sorry Kim no roses to show off form that cross) 
Well all is not lost for the season I am going to try to growing a few Rugosa Roses from seed and I have a number of youngsters I received form a much more prolific hybridizer than myself as well as some oso easy roses which for the most part are filling out nicely
I’m sorry Lafllin. That’s the pits. If you have more room to raise some seeds and might like somethings which are more suited to container growing, I happen to have some nice, ripe, TINY hips on Wee Willie Winkie; Werner von Blom; Pookah; Mister Bluebird; some ripening hips on Yametsu Hime; one, single hip on Cineraire; and, perhaps a few other odds and ends of tiny things. They may not be what your eyes are attracted to, but they fit the limited space better. Interested?
Hi, Lafllin. I feel your pain because I have had perfectly fine hips die off two thirds of the way through the summer.
How limited is your space? Is it an apartment balcony or a small condo back yard? If so, is it possible that a rugosa rose might grow too large for your available space? Would you consider breeding miniature roses under lights inside your house? Minis are VERY popular, and you can fit a lot of them in just 2 square feet of space.
Cathy
Central New Jersey
Thanks Kim! This next year I was thinking of putting the younger roses in the raised beds I’ve been using for vegetable garden;. As for the roses in my whiskey barrels do you believe it’s not enough room? I was thinking It might have been the location I had it up against the house and I think it got kind of Kentucky fried towards the end of summer. I’m sure your right, I probably should go smaller it’s just I’ve never really been as big a fan of the miniatures. I like them but I love the larger ones…especially lavender and apricot colors with old English shaped roses, it’s horrible because I do love the rambler ones that become giants :P… however,I have a few smaller container roses which are no spray hardy it might be fun to cross them with some miniatures. So ,yes please, send a few and I’d like to at cover the postage… I’m not giving up on Twilight Zone, I really love this rose I’m going to try crossing it again next season after I shuffle, kick and drag it to a better location.
Cathy, I rent the top level of an old house turned duplex. I have a large deck, which is primarily where i keep my roses. ( I had a greenhouse set up on it this spring and it took up less than half the space) 
I also have access to two raised beds in the backyard and 3 flower beds which I maintain, I was going to plant the Rugosas out in the beds. The landlord lets me plant whatever and I figure Rugosas are pretty low maintenance. I’m limited in space because I keep my Roses in whiskey barrels as the deck is guaranteed in my contract not the yard. Of course I’m the only one in the house that gardens and usally the only one who does any yard maintenance.
You’re welcome! I don’t blame you for liking what you like. You might consider making crosses with the ones you have and like with the tinier ones in hopes of raising the kinds you like in smaller, more “patio friendly” sizes. I should deduct from what you’ve written that you would prefer the mauve colors?
I do like mauve colors but really I would happily try any of your suggestions. I just read your article in the summer newsletter “Persistence Pays off” How exciting for you, Do you love Dr. Mills as much as you thought you would?
Thank you! I’m excited he’s finally here. I still have yet to see a flower as the plant has only been here three and a half months and is only a gallon size now. I don’t really even know if he will flower here or not. My luck? Nope. But, at least I get to touch something I’ve known of for thirty years and had never seen! I’ll put together a “Care Package” and get it off to you tomorrow. You’re still in Tacoma at the previous address? Thanks!
yes same same address. I bet he will bloom for you next season I hope you keep us up to date I’d love to here what happens next.
Hi Rebekah, I emailed you earlier to let you know they’re in the mail, then realized one of the little baggies of tiny hips is still in my shirt pocket. They’ll go out in a separate envelope tomorrow. You’ll have fun! There are a few neat things there and one really neat surprise!
looking forward to receiving them, thanks for sharing
You’re welcome! They’re all things I would love to have planted. I just have no more room! Too many deliberate crosses. I think you’ll find them interesting.
Well, the best laid plans and all. I set the Yametsu Hime hips, which I had missed in the first batch, out to shell them so the smaller seeds would easily go in a standard First Class envelope. Lula, the omnivorous Toy Fox Terror really enjoyed those tiny, orange hips, and she’s not sorry! Sorry about that.
Cute! she got her dose of vitamin c… You know, After hearing the different uses for rose hips i decided to try a Rugosa hip. I was a bit surprised because the taste was similar to a plum, though much more pasty… I could see them being used for a jam.
Rugosa hips are nasty to my taste buds. Cl. Winifred Coulter makes enormous hips and have an almost “fruity” taste to them. The best I’ve yet tasted are very ripe hips from Sharon’s Delight, the Ralph Moore mini X Tea cross. 'Sharon's Delight™' Rose He named the rose for Sharon VanEnoo, a long-time mutual friend. When she heard I’d commented on how fruit like the hips are, she couldn’t wait to tease me about “how tasty” I thought “her hips” were.
I lost a years worth, when I did not dry pollen well enough in narrow vials. I can only guess that the pollen rotted. Now I dry the pollen on onion paper for a full day in in indirect light and a gentle fan. When it got down to it I got lazy and payed the price.
Part of the problem is learning that each type of rose is ready at different for donating and giving pollen. Each need to be learnt. Rugosa is really early polyanthas are late. Look in a microscope with I remember about a 20% sucrose solution. look for the best time where one gets the most germination. I find that I can’t rely on the pollen looking nice and fluffy. I have sometimes gotten it from Persia Yellow with no takes.
j
Kim, can’t you follow ‘Lula’ around and retrieve the seeds, the system they have been through might do the scarifying for you.
lafllin
sometimes to much nitrogen can make the hips drop. Those roses of mine which I have have hips forming are not given any nitrogen untill mid summer. Other causes can be old pollen, triploid pollen , incompatible choromsomes and pollen applied to late to the stigmas which have dried and the pollen tubes cannot penetrate. Sometimes it can take a week or so before these symptoms become visible.
Shall I fax the “little darling” to you, David? What she ate are much smaller than Saccharin tablets. She’s a goat, able to digest everything except bamboo leaves, which is one of her favorites when I lose track of her outside. Their fibers don’t digest fully and require my “assistance” removing them once “expelled” so she is fit to return inside. Thanks, but I’m not wading through her “gifts” for anything. If I notice some adventitious micro miniature seedlings where she normally “goes”, I will know what they are. Thanks, though! LOL!
Thanks for the tip Johannes.
Warren: I stopped feeding my rose a while before pollinating it, but it’s possible there was still alfalfa meal present in the soil from the beginning of summer. I’m not really sure how quickly it breaks down. Also I brushed a little pollen on the anthers in the morning and afternoon for 2-3 days because I didn’t notice a time of day when the stamen were actually sticky.
Kim: I received the seeds today Thank you So Sharon’s Delight tastes good? Interesting do you know of anyone who has purposely tried hybridizing roses for edible hips?