Unexpected results from mini X species cross

R. Hugonis is one of my "fascinations" and has been for some time. I raised my 1-72-1Hugonis hybrid some years ago and enjoy its flowering each spring. I've raised a few seedlings from it, but it wasn't until 2013 it began providing some really interesting results. 

I posted previously about the red, single, repeat flowering seedling. This germinated at the same time as that seedling, only from a different cross. Pink Petticoat is a very health, prolific miniature bred by Gene Strawn and introduced by Pixie Treasures back in 1979. I polled several folks several years ago, whose opinions I highly respect, about what minis were the healthiest for them, and which yielded good, solid seedlings. Pink Petticoat was a universal favorite. 

I pollinated Pink Petticoat in earnest with everything I found interesting. This seedling was a very early surprise! It definitely has first generation hybrid vigor! None of the other seedlings expressed anything approaching its vigor. This is the plant one year from germination. It's planted in (and rapidly outgrowing!) a seven gallon nursery can. 

The foliage is beautiful and completely healthy in this climate. All the plant parts are quite large. 

I search it daily for evidence of any buds, and was thrilled to find ONE a few weeks ago. It's taken its time opening..from this...

to this in three weeks.

After two rather hot days (mid nineties) and watering the can daily, this greeted me this morning. 

There wasn't any scent to perceive in the cooler morning air, but two hours later, it had a nose full! Quite sweet with tones of lemon zest and it lasted through several "sniffings". The color seemed to enjoy the increased heat and light, too. 

There are a few anthers which appear to contain some pollen. The stigma also appears as if it might accept some pollen. 

I like how decorative these first sepals are and how they give this bloom the "high-shouldered look". 

1-72-1Hugonis is nearly prickle-free, except for the odd cane expressing enormous, red prickles. Pink Petticoat has prickles, but not an over abundance of them. This seedling expresses heavier prickles toward the lower portions of the canes. The top growing ends are nicely low in them.

After being unable to find the Double Hugonis and it had seemed impossible to bring Dr. E. M. Mills back into the country, I figured I would have to create my own double version of Hugonis. Of course I will be keeping an eye on this one! 

What a difference some days make!

In my last post, I'd questioned if a seedling was one I had seen flowering last fall. Since then, it has been potted into the next size larger can and fed. Now there are two buds about to open and one open flower. Keep in mind it has been mid nineties to low triple digits here for the past three days. Humidity during the day has been single digit and the wind has been pretty constant any time the sun has shone. The cross is a very healthy mini breeder Jim Sproul shared with me, using pollen from my 1-72-1Hugonis hybrid. I'm very pleased with what I see so far! There are definitely some Hugonis genes in the plant and it repeats!

I wonder if this is the same seedling?

I've been using pollen from my 1-72-1Hugonis seedling all over the garden both last year and this. One of the most successful crosses resulted from putting its pollen on a rose Jim Sproul shared with me he calls L56. It's an involved cross containing his Thrive!, so it contains "good genes" for health. L56 has quite healthy, glossy, dark foliage with a deeply saturated, bright red single flower.

1-72-1Hugonis has single yellow flowers with heavily embossed, matte, medium green foliage. It's also completely disease free in my garden.

Only one seedling from this cross flowered its first year. It battled very adverse conditions but survived. I was thrilled and amazed to see it flower so quickly after germination. 

 Now, I'm wondering if this seedling, which I found in flower today, is the early flowering seedling from last year.

I believe it shows signs of hybridity in the foliage. It's definitely one of the least vigorous of the batch. L56's foliage is quite glossy and traditionally produces five leaflets. 

1-72-1Hugonis has heavily embossed, matte foliage and expresses nine to thirteen leaflets. 

Notice this seedling produces both seven and five leaflets, is more matte and quite embossed.

I don't know if it will increase in vigor with maturity, but it will definitely be interesting to watch. 

Longer than expected germination

I don't usually hold on to seeds planted longer than their originally expected germination period. Here, I find what I want to raise germinates within a few months (at most) from sewing, so there really isn't the need, much less room, to hold an "empty" table until the next season. 

Last year, I was given seed from R. Xanthina. I planted half last year, hoping for something to result from them. Only one seedling came up and I'm honestly not convinced it is from those seeds. Fortunately, I know what was planted in the row beside the Xanthina. I use the soil in the seed tables to pot the seedlings in as I remove them to make room for the next round of new seeds. I noticed in the pots containing the seedlings from what was raised beside where the Xanthina seed were planted, some odd appearing little roses are germinating. These have been under soil now for 15 months. 

I'm glad I deliberately planted the Xanthina seed next to something which appears completely different! I'm excited to see these beginning to show up. I'd looked for R. Hugonis "flore pleno" or Double Hugonis as well as the double form of Xanthina pretty much in vain. Each source listed on Help Me Find - Roses responded theirs had only five or six petals, or they had simply lost the variety entirely. 

Per the 1919 American Rose Society annual, Frank Meyer, the same Frank Meyer responsible for discovering and bring to the United States the Meyer Lemon, brought Xanthina seed from China and raised seedlings in 1906. He found some of them varied quite a bit in petal count; some were true singles with only five petals,while others had up to several rows of petals. For whatever reason, the more double forms of Xanthina appear to have fallen out of commerce here. Hopefully, one or more of these Xanthina seed will provide flowers with multiple petals! 

Some years ago, I raised a cross of Ralph Moore's climbing yellow miniature breeder, 1-72-1, crossed with what he gave me as R. Hugonis. The seedling has been code named, 1-72-1Hugonis so I can keep track of it. I've used it as both seed and pollen parent with some very interesting results. Seedlings from the use of its pollen on other more modern roses appear to germinate easily in the expected few months from planting. Seeds from this plant, whether they were apparently self-set or from my deliberate attempts to pollinate it with other roses, germinated sparsely. As I did with the spoil containing the Xanthina seeds, I know where the soil containing the 1-72-1Hugonis seeds was used. I am also seeing these seed now germinating after 15 months in soil. In some cases, the original seedling from last year failed, but others of its siblings are coming up to fill the pots. 

My suggestion is, if you intend to raise seedlings from species, plan on needing to retain the soil and containers you initially plant them in for at least a full year after planting. Not all species have expressed this delayed germination, Fedtschenkoana for one, but these from the Yellow Chinese Species definitely are. You may need to reserve those containers much longer than you may have originally intended to obtain the results you desired. 

Odd rebloom...

I was excited to see the 1-72-1Hugonis seedling throwing new flowers after the main flush earlier this spring and summer. I'm even more thrilled to see it continue throwing buds and blooms now that the real heat is hitting us.

I had made the decision that reducing the number of roses to be maintained on this hill was definitely the right decision, and even determined that letting one of the original Fedtschenkoana seedlings, Once Bloom Oadefed, go was the proper thing to do.

This morning, while out checking the squirrel traps, I noticed this rose must have understood I was about to dump it. There was a spent flower and a bud about to open! The usual spring flush is well over and the weather hasn't played the usual tricks which make once flowering roses "repeat". So, what is with this one and why is it throwing more flowers?

1-72-1Hugonis

(Remember to click on the red links for further information about the subjects. Clicking on the photos opens larger images of them in a new window.)

I obtained a species rose from Ralph Moore a long time ago, which he identified as R. Hugonis. It has many characteristics in common with it, but some have questioned the identity. Until someone can positively identify it as something else, I am content to call it Hugonis.

I'd put its pollen on quite a few roses over the years, often with no results. One year, a seedling germinated from a batch of seed harvested from his wonderful mini breeder, 1-72-1, from pollen from this Hugonis. From the look of it, this one was definitely not a self set seed, but had to be from the species pollen. It is unnamed, other than to document its parentage, 1-72-1Hugonis.

The foliage is larger than the species, but still has much of its appearance. Two other very nice differences between it and the species are the seedling's near total lack of prickles and its greater vigor.

I had the good sense to share cuttings of it with Paul Barden, who was a great steward of it. Unfortunately, I lost the original plant, but Paul propagated it and sent me back a plant. (soap box time)...If you have a rare plant or seedling and wish to make sure you don't lose it permanently, PLEASE share it with those who will keep it going because they value it. Ralph Moore lost a number of roses over the years he lamented losing because he never shared them. This was one good reason he was as generous with his breeding stock in later years.

I've grown the plant Paul sent me in a seven gallon can for several years, finally getting it into the ground this summer. Now, it is doing something I've never witnessed from it. After the spring flush of flowers, the heat wave has brought another flush of bud and bloom! These images were taken yesterday morning, July 14, 2011, weeks after the spring flush of bloom was complete. There are other buds forming on the plant.

I'll be watching this one closely from now on in hopes of it stabilizing and providing reliable repeat flowering. I'm also keeping my fingers crossed as I beat the rodents to the ripe hips this year! Next spring should (hopefully!) see some first generation hybrids of this lovely Hybrid "whatever it is"!