Simon I looked up Rosa longicuspis online the foliage is gorgeous and so is the red stems.
I grew Mix and Match at one point. I didn’t get any seedlings from it, but I really didn’t try hard enough either. It has that species in it. The foliage and stems are really awesome. If I remember correctly, the main problem with it is cold tenderness.
I’m in Australia, USDA zone equivalent 9B. We get frosts and overnight lows to about -4
This is a collage I made last year. The dark green leaves are an artifact because it was a scan.
I think I underestimated its size… even after pruning yesterday! This shows the rose this morning and the ugly shed it is to cover. It’s probably closer to 6-7ft across. Not bad for 6 months growth hey 
I’m in the process of clearing out all the grass and making a garden and retaining wall allong this strip next to the shed. I don’t want to have to get in under this thing all the time to weed. ‘Fortune’s Double Yellow’ is next to it and is to grow up and over the shed too. I’m sure between the two of them they can provide almost 100% cover
Foliage shots:
The 7th foliage shot (the mature leaf) measures about 30cm long.
Very nice, Simon
30 cm? Uh, yeah, I’d consider a one foot leaf to be pretty ginormous.
It occurs to me from time to time that the RHA is such a wealth of info/graphics, etc, that there ought to be a members’ only wiki where stuff from discussions could be organized in an easily accessible manner. I suppose such would require a lot of monitoring or other work, however.
Link below from rogersroses of R. longicuspis
Link: www.rogersroses.com/gallery/DisplayBlock~bid~144~gid~15~source~gallerydefault.asp
A couple more helenae hybrids blossomed today. Influence of the pollen parent is especially evident in the petal shape here.
This from a cross made in 2006, flowering for the first time.
This is a filipes, helenae, banksia, micro mini, remontant.
Plant height approximately 6" tall after one year.
Blossom size approximately 5/8". I’ll probably try to utilize the pollen.
Robert, that last one is an interesting mix of genes. I gather the helpmefind photos include multiple sister seedlings?
Looking at your NESxHER, the idea of a large floppy spidery bloom in a rose is intriguing too. Can’t help but wonder if something like Carefree Beauty x HelRou could yield something along those lines…
Hi Phillip, yes, there are a number of seedlings from the OLGXHER cross. The single intrigues me because it repeats and will likely have plenty of pollen to play with.
The novel evergreen diploid species angle is what I’m working at with these crosses. Getting repeat is the first goal. Then I can start exploring expanding color range etc.
Exceptional health in a repeat flowering evergreen for Southern climates is the ultimate goal.
Very neat Robert! I hope they’re blooming next week when we come out. Simon, you NEED some aphids and mildew. What’s your number and I’ll fax you some!
HAH!
I’m having enough trouble with the Aussie-brand aphids, mildew, and blackspot here at the moment… I don’t need no fancy foreign imports to make things worse 
This rose just doesn’t seem to get any of it. If aphids do appear on this rose they are cleaned up pretty quickly by these very cool, tiny, parasitic wasps that mummify the aphids. The little birds do a pretty good job of cleaning them up too… just one of the advantages of having a no-spray garden So thankyou for your most generous offer but I think I will respectfully decline It’s a nice looking rose though… still keen to hear if anyone has played with it at all.
Ah come on Simon, think global economy! By the way, your collage of rose leaves is just beautiful. Beautifully photographed and artistically arranged. Love it!
Jim
Jim, I know we are all mates… and mates look out for each other and share things around… but this might be stretching the friendship just a wee bit If you wanna borrow my lawn mower… feel free LOL
Simon, you wouldn’t want your little birds to starve, now, would you? I love the bush tits which come to vacuum the garden every afternoon. They must be meringue filled feathers! Even the lightest, wispiest stem remains motionless when one lands on it. I just stand there, listening to their symphony of delicate “peeps” so they can go about their business, undisturbed.
And, if you still have something to use that lawn mower on, you have too few roses!
Simon,
Thank you for your most generous offer. Unfortunately I just went out and bought a new lawn mower less than a month ago after the high school boy who mowed my lawn hit a pipe with it (the pipe had been there for ages and he had mowed the lawn for 3 years for me) last August and totally wrecked the mower.
I may do a print of your collage however; find it soothes me to look at it! Now off to mow the lawn!
Jim
Yet another miniature helenae cross. Photo taken today.
That’s quite beautiful. Have you got any full plant photos of ‘HelRou’?
“Helrou” is quite twiggy and dwarf. I’ll try to get a photo of the whole plant. After several years it’s a couple of feet high and wide with no pruning.
Cool color tho. Maybe it will be healthy despite being a midget.