I’ve mentioned in other posts that I’m primarily focusing on creating healthy and hardy miniatures. There are secondary interests such as color and bloom form. I want to add as a goal, minis that are very flexible and can be used in hanging baskets where the canes hang down and blooms form all up the canes. If I remember correctly, Green Ice is an example. These are the breeders that I have available that I think might help to get me started on that goal:
Oso Easy Paprika
Oso Easy Peachy Cream
Carefree Marvel
Royal Edward
These aren’t very recumbant but they do have a spreading habit. If climbers might also be beneficial in the mix I have Illusion and Quadra which can be trained as a pillar/climber.
I also have seeds from Pink Drift that I hope will germinate and produce at least one recumbant seedling.
The miniatures I have currently are Sweet Nothings, Purple Dawn, Teddy Bear, Little Buckaroo, MORsoul, Sequoia Ruby, Softee, Unconditional Love, Winsome, Show n’ Tell and Rabble Rouser. I several more on order for spring delivery as well.
Given what I have to work with does anyone have an opinion on adding one or two more varieties that might work better than what I have right now? I’d be looking for health, hardy, groundcover type that repeats well. Also, a ground cover that spreads quite a distance wouldn’t work for me due to space limitations. Thanks!
Rob
Hi Rob,
What about ‘Sweet Chariot’, ‘Cecile Brunner’, and some of the carpet roses?
Hi Jim. Thank you for the suggestions. I probably should have mentioned that I’m looking for tetraploid or very fertile triploids. I did look at Snow Carpet while searching on HMF. That seems to have many of the qualities I’m looking for so might be an option. I’ll look at some fo the other carpets as well. Thanks again.
Rob
If we could double the chromosome on the diploid Grouse it seems like it would fit the bill…I have a young one in a pot and it really vined straight out. Very healthy and recommended by David Z.
Does anyone know anything about the Balconia series? It’s a series of four or five roses marketed specifically for baskets.
The Balconia series is marketed by Greenheart, and they’ve basically just renames of some Kordes varieties that have been around for awhile.
Electric Balconia = Electric Blanket
Hot Pink Balconia = Knirps
Neon Balconia = Neon (diploid)
Raspberry Balconia = Raspberry Blanket
Toscana Balconia = not previously in the U.S.
White Balconia = Innocencia
Some of the lineages are on HMF.
Link: www.greenheartfarms.com/roses/rose_balconia.htm
I have Appleblossom Flower Carpet which has very supple canes. But you might want to look at some of the polyanthas. Not all of them but quite a few have a supple and draping habit. I had Margo Koster growing in a basket and she draped nicely.
And a mini I have that gets that kind of bloom all along the cane is Nostalgia. But the very best one for canes covered in blooms that I know of is Petite Pink Scotch. I’ve seen canes so packed with blooms the whole length that you couldn’t find the foliage!
In Virginia, Petite Pink Scotch was a spring bloomer only. It was a “found” rose from a southern plantation, unless another rose is going by the same name.
Jim
Joe,
A tetra Grouse would be perfect!
Kathy,
Thank you for the information on the Balconia series.
Seil,
Nostalgia is very pretty. Does it have a drapping habit? Also, is it safe to assume that Margo Koster is a diploid?
Thanks all for the information. So far my list is:
Toscana Balcana
Electric Blanket
Flower Carpet Pink
Apple Blossom Flower Carpet
Avon? (only one descendant listed in HMF)
If anyone has any other suggestions I’d welcome them. Thanks again.
Rob
Rob…
The patent application for Avon had so many errors in it that we did not include it on HMF, nor did the U S Patent office patent the rose.
Sweet Chariot does have the “weeping” habit, but it can grow into a large plant.
You can do an ADVANCED SEARCH on HMF and click on GROWING and then click the box for HANGING BASKET, CONTINUE, SEARCH and the results will give you a couple of pages of results that may give you some ideas. The USES feature is relatively new on HMF, so the data for all roses that might be suitable for hanging baskets may not have been entered into the rose pages that were a part of the database before this feature became a part of the site.
Green Ice is beautiful in a container, but, it, too, can grow into a large plant. I know that in my experience, I’d rather have the container on the ground than in a hanging basket.
Smiles,
Lyn![]()
Here is a link to the pic Lyn was wanting to show in the above posting (I think):
Link: www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=21.183292
Lyn, that is a beautiful picture. George, thanks for providing the link.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! (and a happy day for those outside the USA)
Jim
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Hi Jim, nice to hear from you. Happy holidays to you Jim and to y’all in USA!
Thank you, George. I’ve been lurking on this forum for a long time, but this is the first time I decided to add my two cents to a couple of posts.
Smiles,
Lyn
My pleasure Lyn, and it is fantastic to hear from you here, welcome!
Thank you for the welcome, George. I’ve held back on participating here because I am not a breeder. However, I do love studying linage information and adding it to HMF. Over time, some of it does begin to make sense … 'o)
Smiles,
Lyn
Lyn and George,
Thank you for posting the image of Green Ice. I didn’t realize that GI got as big as that. I was under the impression that it was more groundcover.
Jim,
Happy Thanksgiving to you and to everyone else!
Rob
Rob…
If it were in the ground, it would be a ground cover … lol.
I planted Green Ice in that container for two reasons: 1) I knew it would look good as a container plant with its weeping habit; and 2)more importantly to me, I was testing the siting of the plant. I wasn’t certain it would get sufficient light in that spot.
The plant in the photo is actually smaller than it would be had I planted it in the ground where it could spread its roots because it has been in that container for 4 years.
Next season, I will pull it from the container, root prune it and plant it in that spot. I’ll use that container to help me site another rose.
I do not see roses through the eyes of a breeder, but through the eyes of someone who loves roses in her garden and I consider myself to be a novice gardener.
Breeding a rose that can have the weeping habit which looks wonderful in a hanging basket and stays small enough to live in a hanging basket is your real challenge. I posted the photo to let you see how large of a plant many groundcover roses can be.
'nuff said. I truly hope you reach your goals.
Smiles,
Lyn
Rob, can I "thread jack’ for second, please. As this thread is named “seeking Advice” which I am about to do.
Our weather at present is rain/showers(Saturday morning). Tomorrow is supposed to be fine, but cool, around 77F/25C. So the question to all is “can I do some pollinations” in this temperture range, Thanks in advance as always David.
Maybe with a hair dryer. Neil