Your temps are not the problem, it is the rain that is gonna stuff up the pollinations if it rains heavily within a few hours after you pollinate. I assume you do not have a greenhouse.
I currently have your exact problem. It has been raining non stop (mainly piddly rain) for at least two days now, smack in the middle of pollinating season for us Down Under. This is pretty tyical weather for where I am (painful for pollinating, fantastic for the garden and for my comfort levels).
I just leave the pollinating for dry days. If it happens to rain a little several hours after the pollination, I don’t bother worrying about it these days.
In the past, I had tried covering pollinated flowers with various things to prevent rain getting to the pollen, with varying success and lots of failures.
I am trying to keep it all as simple as possible, and with as few extra steps as possible.
Thank you for posting the picture. Looking at your picture has given me more appreciation of how ‘big’ a groundcover can get to be. I’ll be putting more thought into how I can reach my goal. Thank you again.
Rob, a ‘ground cover’ can be anything from a few inches in diameter and tall, to many yards across and several feet tall. It all depends upon what your intended scale is. For tighter landscaping needs, or for hanging baskets, draping out of pots, etc., a mini with a smaller spread is wonderful. If you intend for it to be used to cover a slope, several inches in diameter is quite insufficient. Most which are suitable for that use, also seem to be those very happy to root themselves wherever they find suitable soil, making their spread even greater.
As for temps and pollinating, I’ve done it from the mid sixties to triple digits and found many things took anywhere between the extremes, though the higher the temperatures, the lower the seed set. I never attempt it when there is rain as it usually results in wasted effort. Kim
Rob, Nostalgia did spread out and drape over the pot edges eventually but it was a slow grower for me. It got transfered out to the new bed this spring and I’m hoping it will take off.
I wish I could tell you about diploids but I haven’t a clue, sorry! I really haven’t figured out all of that scientific/genetic stuff yet. I just work with what roses I have and make what ever whimsical crosses I think might produce something interesting. Which of course could explain why I have rather little success. But I do have a lot of fun!
My goal would be for a great plant for a hanging basket so a mini that would drape over the pot while only a few inches tall would be wonderful. It would need to have very flexible canes. I’m not sure this is possible but I’m tossing the idea around.
Seil,
I’ll take a look at Nostalgia on HMF. Thank you for the suggestion.
Hi Seil, Ralph grew Sweet Chariot in hanging baskets and found with restricted root room, it draped or “wept” beautifully. But, grown in the open ground where it can develop all the roots it wants, it’s quite upright and grows into a small to medium shrub/semi climber. To really test for hanging baskets, you’ll probably have to grow many in that size pot to see if they will perform similarly.
He created a rose called White Rain that should grow the way you want as it grew that way on the hill facing my old garden. It came out of Papoose, also where Ralph’s Creeper came from. I’d think Papoose might be one to check into for drapers. Now, to find it these days…Kim
I feel kind of silly posting to this forum because I am not a breeder, although Kim has been pushing me in that direction for years.
Many, not all, of the Ralph Moore climbers have the flexible canes you are seeking, but climbers by their natural habit would be “large plants”. If you could use these plants in your breeding and by crossing them with plants with a naturally smaller plant size, you may be able to bring that trait forward.
From my inexperienced point of view, starting with plants that have the flexible canes and working to make them smaller is easier than starting with plants that already have an upright habit. I haven’t grown all of the roses on the list in your initial post, but I know that Little Buckeroo and Sequoia Ruby both have the upright growth habit.
I doubt if Green Ice is fertile because I have never seen hips on the plant and it tends to throw vegative centers, even if it is not overfed. However, many of Mr. Moore’s climbers are quite fertile and may be a better starting point. (I just took a quick look at the linage reports of several of his climbers on HMF)
I don’t know if any of these procumbent roses will fit the bill, but Meilland has a number of Rosa sempervirens / Marthe Carron offspring he created including Alba Meidiland and one of the parents of Bonica. I suspect they are diploid, but I wouldn’t let ploidy limit your options. Bonica herself should be triploid, and she is fertile.
I’m a firm believer in looking into parentage of successful roses for pedigrees that might prove to have merit.
I should think any of the R. sempervirens/Mlle Marthe Carron offspring would lend themselves well to weeping miniatures, though it might not be a simple cross. You are probably going to look to roses with a bit of Synstylae in them for your purposes.
I should confess to virtually no experience with these myself, however!
A old Ralph Moore miniature “Spring Song” might work for you. When I purchased it from Sequoia it was listed as a climber but that trait is not mentioned on hmf. However it has very thin canes and I have it in a pot. It is very disease resistant in my north Dallas climate.
I haven’t used Spring Song as a seed or pollen parent and I haven’t noticed any op hips on it but I have only had her for a few years. I checked on hmf to see if anyone else had used it and I noticed that Earnest Williams a well known hybridizer in Dallas had used it a couple of times. I also noticed that there wasn’t any pictures of Spring Song so even though we have had a couple of hard frost she still had a few tired blooms so I took a few pics and loaded one out to hmf. I will take a pic of the bush today and load that out to hmf also. The canes are thin and very supple.
It’s great that you are able to upload some pictures of Spring Song Bill. Look forward to seeing the picture of the plant habit. Thin and supple canes are what I’m looking for.
“I should think any of the R. sempervirens/Mlle Marthe Carron offspring would lend themselves well to weeping miniatures, though it might not be a simple cross.” =Philip
Carefree Marvel is stacked with synstylae types, including sempervirens. It works well as a seed parent.
Red Fairy is another example of a rose that may prove similar results.
I believe I did send you a plant of ‘Magic Wand’ yes? That is one of the most indestructible “climbing minis” I have ever had the pleasure to grow. I can’t speak for its performance in other regions, but it can be grown here without fungicides, putting it in a very elite group of minis, of which I would say includes no more than 0.5% of the minis I grow. (I have over 400 cultivars here)
‘Magic Wand’ is a great place to start searching for improved plants, IMO. However, I do believe that it must be mated with just the right thing to achieve health; it appears that when crossed with other miniatures of mixed pedigree, disease resistance is compromised. I would seek out species and “unconventional” plants to mate it with. Its ability to make miniatures is quite strong, so you will get a percentage of dwarf plants no matter what you cross it with. R. gigantea anyone?!
PS: I would also recommend ‘Red Fairy’, another of the 0.5% group of indestructibles.
I did get Carefree Marvel at end of season based on your reviews and will use it heavily next season. I have some OP seeds that were on the plant in the fridge right now.
Paul,
No, I didn’t receive a plant of Magic Wand and searched my email to see if there was any reference to it and didn’t find anything there. If at some point you have an extra one please keep me in mind. I like what you have to say about it’s potential. I will get a hold of Red Fairy since you and Micheal both recommend it highly. Thanks guys!