What roses would you all use for parents? I have heard that foetida is very sterile - are there other good options? I’m looking to cross a yellow species rose with some purple varieties to see what color combinations come out of the mingling.
I use Xanthina, Primula and my 1-72-1Hugonis each season. I’ve put all three on Blue for You and Lilac Charm with no results. I would have thought Lilac Charm to be a sure fire choice but it didn’t produce anything. I no longer grow that one.
I’ve started using Golden Cheronese…it didn’t start setting hips til it’s third year. There’s a theory on these forums that the deeper yellow from Rosa Ecae is only inherited from seed, part of the reason behind using Golden Cheronese (and that R. Ecae just hasn’t been accessible). The seed also seems to to germinate in it’s second season, add in a few more years to first bloom and I’m still waiting to see results.
Possibly some merit in using near hybrids of species like Harisonii or Hazeldean. It’ll be a slow process though.
Had Coutts #4 l believe from a reliable private source, bloomed a nice yellow but due to near criminal rose neglect (planted in amongst giants) on my part it passed on.
Below thread snip by a “Warren” on Percey Wright Roses in Feb 2018 suggesting Hazeldean can have success.
I tried ecae pollen (tentative id ) with a white large flowered Altai and obtained seed - wait to see if germinates. Reverse hips nailed by birds or pet yard squirrel.
Few other yellows for thought that are hardy here in my garden… but not tried as not primary targets for leaping off to color goal - eg Hazeldean, R. primula R. xanthina normalis, Omiston Roy, Butterball, Yellow Scotch etc.
Waiting patiently for rosa hemisphericas to do once every 10 years bloom to give them a go ( unstable zone 4a Canadian in a good winter).
This might sound silly, but it might work, instead of going from species to moderns, is it feasible to go back the other way, modern to species and see how the germination and rebloom works.
Of course you can attempt any cross in both directions. Some will work, others won’t. I most often use species pollen on moderns as I’ve found that more often results in viable seed and it’s TREMENDOUSLY easier determining if the resulting seedlings are actual hybrids instead of selfs. Many (not all, but most I’ve played with) species self pollinate pretty early and raising a whole generation of self seedlings is frequently the result. Using species pollen on a modern is just much easier to see if there is any species influence in the seedlings.
point taken Kim
to elaborate on Kim’s paragraph above, when you put species pollen onto a modern reblooming rose often selecting successful crosses is as simple as finding the seedlings that don’t bloom their first season. Technically if the modern rose had been self-pollinated then all of the seedlings would have juvenile rebloom, although there are some exceptions to that rule.
Follow up to Joe’s comment, there are likewise numerous alleged modern x species hybrids with rebloom (as mature plants, at any rate – who knows how they behaved as seedlings). That reality, while perhaps making claims as to fatherhood dubious, might give one pause…
Pretty Lady X Fedtschenkoana only flowered in spring its first several years. It now flowers nearly monthly. I’m hoping for similar performance from Pretty lady X 1-72-1Hugonis.