I’ve got, for instance, a seedling of Lemon Fizz that is perhaps not quite as saturated as LF, and I’m not sure but what the fragrance as well might even be weaker. (The first bloom was smaller, of course, than on a mature LF plant.) I am wondering if it might acquire any more saturation or fragrance as it matures.
It is regardless a keeper at this juncture, but I seriously doubt I’ll be able to pretend it’s an improvement over it’s parent. We’ll see what kind of rebloom it might offer…
Another (Carefree Beauty x Lemon Fizz) otherwise great seedling’'s first bloom was pretty insipidly colored upon opening (though I saw pale yellows and pinks between the sepals prior to opening) and I wonder too if it might show more color down the road. It too is otherwise showing some very good features, but anything that’s an improvement over others in my garden? Probably not without a more saturated bloom…
I also have some seedlings with purples in their ancestry, and naturally, the seedlings’ first blooms are yuck pink. I have a hard time holding out hope for improvement knowing the odds don’t favor such.
And then there are the ones with just plain ugly bloom forms… I wonder if I should hold out any hope that the muddle of petals, or stunted petals will resolve themselves moving forward.
It would be somewhat easy for me to start offing a great many of my seedlings, but I wonder If I’m inclined to be a bit too ruthless.
So another question might be, what percentage of seedlings do folks generally hold on to beyond, say, the 3 month mark?
(Donald, I have about a hundred Carefree Beauty seedlings right now, and I think I’m going to take your lead and go on an anti-pink tirade – particularly if they are simple, not ridiculously fragrant, or have any hint of disease. CB, surprisingly, has yielded a lot of PM-prone babies, and some with definite BS susceptibility. Kordes’ healthiest newer roses are fast becoming my go-to for strong, healthy seedlings in my climate.)