My simplistic understanding of the inheritance of remontancy tells me that this cross should not repeat. I would think that R. beggeriana, being a species rose, would not have a recessive repeat trait.
HMF states that Schneezwerg does repeat. Does r. rugosa pass on some traits that can overcome non-remontancy in first generation crosses with other roses with no repeating traits?
Perhaps it is an F2 (second generation) of the cross then the repeat gene would be recovered. An example of this is ‘Suzanne’ (Rosa laxa X Rosa spinisissima altaica)X selfed. Often it is listed without the second cross. My guess, hope this helps.
Steve
I’ve pondered the same question, with no real answer. However, Schneezwerg is not the only hybrid rugosa that repeats when crossed with a species. A couple of the R rugosa x R nitida crosses are supposed to repeat (Corylus, Carlsham, Frigg).
Back to Schneezwerg, it may very well be a cross with R Beggeriana but I think the lineage is still in question and was only a guess by Skinner as to what Lambert actually used.
Here are a few things that we know about ‘Schneezwerg’.
The cultivar is very cold hardy (Zone 2) When planning her rugosa breeding program, Dr. Svejda tested the cold hardiness of several rugosa cultivars. ‘Schneezwerg’ was #1. Therefore, the other species in the parentage is very cold hardy.
‘Schneezwerg’ is exceptionally thorny for a rugosa hybrid. Taking into account the exceptional cold hardiness of this cultivar, the other parent would have to be a very thorny species. Rosa beggeriana is a very thorny species.
The foliage of ‘Schneezwerg’ is relatively small and has the characteristic shape of Rosa bracteata. That is why it has been described in some rose books as a Rosa rugosa/R. bracteata hybrid. However, Rosa bracteata is a tender species and therefore could not possibily be a parent of this very cold hardy rugosa cultivar. Rosa beggeriana and one of the other cold hardy Asiatic species, Rosa fedtschenkoana, have relatively small foliage.
The hips of ‘Schneezwerg’ mature very early. Cold hardy species mature their hips early, so again it is likely that the other parent is a cold hardy species.
The hips of ‘Schneezwerg’ are relatively small and do not have the characteristic shape of Rosa rugosa. Hips of the cold hardy Asiatic species Rosa beggeriana, Rosa fedtschenkoana and Rosa laxa are relatively small.
It’s also important to keep in mind that Asiatic cold hardy species like Rosa spinosissima altaica and Rosa laxa will repeat their bloom. I don’t doubt that Rosa beggeriana and Rosa fedtschendoana will also repeat their bloom.
One more observation. My ‘Keewatin’ (Cree Indian name for north wind), which is o.p. ‘Henry Hudson’ ('Henry Hudson’is ‘Schneezwerg’ x ‘Frau Dagmar Hastrup’), has distinctive grey-green foliage for a rugosa hybrid. The three cold hardy Asiatic species mentioned above all have grey-green foliage.
We are not positive that the parentage of ‘Schneezwerg’ is Rosa rugosa x R. beggeriana. But the evidence points to an Asiatic cold hardy species, and Rosa beggeriana is likely the most suitable candidate.
John P - The parentage of ‘Suzanne’ is likely F2 Rosa laxa x ‘Stanwell Perpetual’. The foliage of 'Suzanne with its distinctive blue-green colour is similar to ‘Stanwell Perpetual’. Also, this would explain how ‘Suzanne’ has coral pink flowers. An F2 Rosa laxa x Rosa spinosissima altaica selection, of course, would only have white flowers.
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I have grown a number (I cannot give the exact number but I would say that at least five survived several years and looked promising) of open pollinated seedlings of Schneezwerg. Unfortunately, over a number of years (probably around 3 to 5 years); they have all died in my unprotected, unsprayed zone 5 northern Ohio garden.
Correction. Parentage of ‘Henry Hudson’ is ‘Schneezwerg’ seedling.
I think another clue lies in the parentage and name of White Surprise.
I’ve had Schneezwerg down here in R. bracteata country and now doubt very seriously that R. bracteata is involved at all…
Baxter
Paul I always assumed that ‘Suzanne’ had a pink Spinisissima as the other parent an that is how it got the pink. Interest explanation of it being ‘Stanwell Perpetual’, this could also explain the greater rebloom than Rosa laxa. My 2 cents
I have four plants of Suzanne: two from High Country and two from Skinner. They are going into year three and four here, and I haven’t seen any rebloom yet. R. laxa from Skinner is now kicking out scattered blooms.
Any hints as to what Suzanne likes to encourage rebloom?
Good question Ann. The Suzanne at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum has not rebloomed either, but the R. laxa usually does.
David
‘Suzanne’ does not rebloom in Edmonton. However, if I recall correctly, the Roses of Yesterday catalogue listed ‘Suzanne’ and described it as reblooming in the nursery’s California location.
Sort of related to the reblooming question, I have a F1 cross of R. palustris x Apart (a rugosa hybrid) which re-blooms quite heavily. It seems that repeat blooming is not strictly recessive all the time, and especially when working with unusual species there are often surprises in store.
Joseph
Joseph,
That’s especially interesting to me, because I have a bunch of Rosa rugosa X palustris seedlings that have never rebloomed. I used a regular run-of-the-mill rugosa for the seed parent and the local wild palustris for pollen. I’m curious if your palustris is a wild one also, or a commercially distributed one.
Tom,
Yes, it was just wild R. palustris. But, as you mentioned, I used a rugosa hybrid for the other parent, and possibly the fact that palustris was the seed parent, not pollen, effected it somehow. Only one seedling survived from the cross (it was, actually, my first ever hybrid, so it is hardly surprising I managed to kill all the others) so I don’t know if any of them would have rebloomed as well.
Joseph
Joseph,
Rugosa X palustris was my first hybrid also (although it was a long time ago, in 1987 or 1988, I think). I’ll have to try the cross the other way around and see what happens.
How is the fertility of your F1. Mine are surprisingly (to me) fertile. I once grew a large population of F2 seedlings. I started with several hundred (at least) seedlings. The site was a terraced hillside on a heavily wooded lot in the lowest rainfall area region locally. Needless to say, selection (shade, drought, disease and critters) took its toll; in 1996, I moved about two dozen survivors to a different location. This was an open agricultural field, being used for hay. A grasshopper population explosion followed the transplanting. However, even now, there are still a few of these F2 survivors not just surviving, but thriving. And they’ve gotten “zero” care – not even getting mowed around, for the last six years.
To finish that long story, none of the F2 have showed any tendency to rebloom either; although, not many made it to blooming maturity.
Tom,
I haven’t actually tried to get an F2 from my hybrid yet, but it hasn’t set any OP hips. I’ve wanted to work with it, but the past few years I’ve been moving around so much for school etc that I really haven’t been able to do much pollination. Maybe in 2005…
Joseph
To complicate matters. I just happened to be reading Modern Roses 8 and came across this:
Mrs John McNabb (skinner 1941) Rosa beggeriana X Rosa rugosa, white some pink, long season of bloom but no repeat. This is from memory so do not quote me.