Interesting, and pretty results from a "what if?" cross

April Mooncrest is my crested seedling combining Ralph Moore's crested work with Griffith Buck's shrub roses. Pookah is a multiflora based polyantha which performs in my conditions much better than most others. It impresses me as a darker pink, more controlled growth, healthier Ballerina which never suffers chlorosis here. What happens when you cross the two? 

It appears to want to climb, which doesn't surprise me. It repeats its flowers, which I would expect as both parents flower fairly continuously here. I figured the foliage would be healthy, coming from two very healthy parents. It is, but it's also wonderfully pigmented. 

When still a rather new seedling, it impressed me with its purple toned foliage, scent, health and vigor.

The bloom is just a double pink, not bad, but not exceptional.

But, when fall began, the whole plant turned bronze, apricot and red tones! Wood and foliage both expressed the most wonderful coloring. 

Now in its second summer, it's starting to show what appears to be climbing growth. It's also beginning to demonstrate some more decorative sepals. It continues producing healthy, beautiful foliage and that's what counts. 

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. 

First 2014 Wraps

The weather and plant conditions appear to finally be appropriate for callusing. I've wrapped a few earlier batches to test the conditions and create some examples to use for the presentations I've given for local rose societies, but none had produced the results I discovered yesterday when these were unwrapped. 

The variety is an experimental seedling Ralph Moore created some years ago. He pollinated Golden Angel, a lovely Wichurana based yellow mini he created with what he grew as R. Soulieana. What makes this a special hybrid is, the Soulieana Mr. Moore grew produces repeat flowering seedlings in the first generation. Traditionally, it requires several more generations to get repeat flowering from most species, and particularly from Soulieana. This one apparently carries and transmits repeat in one generation as this is most definitely a hybrid. 

These cuttings hadn't callused as well as I'd hoped after their first thirteen days in the wraps. I checked, in hopes there were ones I could use for examples for a demonstration I presented that evening. Nope. None were sufficiently along to sacrifice. Fast forward three days...wow! These were all unwrapped Sunday, the 20th and planted. 

Notice how even the slight amount of cambium exposed by breaking the prickle free from the bark produced callus. 

 Every source of exposed cambium began callusing. 

Roots actually began forming in three days!

Surprising March Discovery

I'd been asked to root two roses for a friend, to ship to him later this spring. Today was their two week period, so I unwrapped them to check on their progress. 

Both are hybrids of R. Wichurana, a rose which is well known for being quite easy to root. The first is a seedling of my own which is half floribunda and half the second rose. It callused as expected and the cuttings were potted. 

Then, the surprise! 0-47-19 is Ralph Moore's breeder created from R. Wichurana crossed with the floribunda, Floradora. I knew it would root, but I wasn't really expecting to find this....

How soon till they bloom?

I've had several people ask recently how soon a new seedling can bloom. It all depends...

I have a climbing seedling from Ralph Moore's climbing yellow mini breeder, 1-72-1 crossed with the lovely dark purple shrub, Midnight Blue. It's a very nice plant: completely thornless, lovely foliage and very disease resistant. It is going into its third year since germination and it has yet to flower...once.

Then, you have this kind of thing. This is planted in a four inch pot, to give you a point of reference so you can estimate the size.

This little rose germinated February of 2011, making it about six months old. The seed parent is the russet mini, Suntan Beauty. The "father", or pollen parent, is my thornless shrub, Indian Love Call. My hope was to create a dwarf, repeat blooming, thornless, healthy shrub rose. This one should be repeat flowering by the fact that it has flowered at six months old. Once flowering roses shouldn't flower for another year, or two, from seed.

I love the sepals on the rose and the bud is quite attractive. I know it will be double and it's a very good bet that it will be pink! Not a favorite of mine, but if it's healthy, hopefully prickle free with a nice plant habit and frequently in flower, how can I reject it?

So, as you see, new baby roses CAN flower fairly early in their lives. Anyone want a thornless, healthy climbing rose that won't flower?

1-72-1Hugonis

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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"!

Rooting flower clusters

In an earlier post, I mentioned how the easiest material so far for me to root using this method have been the actual flower clusters. The terminal shoot pieces which actually held the flowers. I mentioned earlier that I'd always been taught these don't have growth buds and don't make suitable cutting material.

Polyanthas make many of these with few buds per stem, making selecting cutting material from them rather difficult.

Shadow Dancer is Ralph Moore's striped climber bred from his striped line and Dortmund. It has proven to be rather difficult to bring from the callus stage through rooted plant. To date, this has been the most successful cutting of that variety. It is actually the flower cluster which formed at the very end of the cane.

You can make out where the flower cluster was in the above photographs. This should encourage more people to actually try these shoots as they DO contain growth bud and can develop into successful plants!

New American Hulthemias due out 2012

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Hulthemia, a xerophyte native to desert regions of Iran, Afghanistan and Turkey, called "the most noxious weed in Iran" and desirable because of its characteristic red 'blotch' petal base. It's one of my prime rose "obsessions" and has been for over twenty-five years.

Rose petal bases are traditionally white or yellow. Hulthemia's is a deep, rich brick to crimson red on a bright yellow petal. Jack Harkness created four garden hybrids in England in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His company has much more recently introduced other hybrids of their breeding. None of which are available in the United States.

Mr. Harkness was a friend of Ralph Moore's, who took Harkness' work much further with his Hulthemia hybrids. I had the pleasure of suggesting the "Persian" series for their names, which is why all but Roses are Red have names beginning with Persian. I thought it appropriate because of where the species is indigenous and because two of Harkness' hybrids were named for major rivers in that area, Tigris and Euphrates. A third was named for a Persian ruler, Xerxes. The forth of their original garden hybrids was named to honor the British actor, Sir Nigel Hawthorne. I've grown all but Xerxes, which, unfortunately, appears extinct.

Mr. Moore took Hulthemia from the spring blooming only, small flowered bramble plant of the British hybrids and added vigor and repeat flowering. His Persian Autumn, Persian Sunset, Persian Flame, Persian Peach and Persian Light were introduced by Sequoia Nursery before his death. Some are still available today and are worth growing in more arid, hot areas.

Another friend of Mr. Moore's is a gentleman by the name of Dr. Jim Sproul. Dr. Sproul has worked with Hulthemia for over fifteen years, raising thousands of their seedlings each year at his Bakersfield, California home. Jim has created some very interesting, quite beautiful roses in addition to his Hulthemia hybrids. His web site, Sproul Roses is well worth browsing and following to keep up to date on his imaginative work.

Spring of 2012 sees the introduction of three of Jim's creations by Star Roses. Thrive! is a disease resistant landscape shrub bred from the Knock Out line and should be quite a good addition to the healthy landscape rose segment. His two other creations are what have me really excited!

Jim has taken the characteristic Hulthemia "blotch" and put it on real garden roses! Instead of the wispy, prickly "bramble bush", Jim's roses are real garden rose type plants with much more traditional foliage. One of the pre release plants was sent to me by a nurseryman friend, and I am impressed!

Star has created the marketing label "Eyeconic" for them to capitalize on their Hulthemia "blotch". Eyeconic Lemonade is a floribunda shrub with large, yellow with red blotch center, wonderfully fragrant flowers.

Eyeconic Pink Lemonade is similar only with pink flowers with red blotch.

The foliage on Eyeconic Lemonade is absolutely gorgeous!

So far, and it is still quite early, there are no issues with it here in Encino. Not bad for a plant which had sat in a bucket of water far too long, even began leafing out in that bucket before being mailed to me. It's just been here a few months in a two gallon can and you can see how very nice a plant it is!

Until now, Hulthemia hybrids had thin, wispy, prickly wood. Not Eyeconic Lemonade! These are thick, sturdy stems nicely clothed in very nice foliage. There are prickles but nothing like its predecessors.

If you like becoming familiar with something new, watch for Eyeconic Lemonade and Eyeconic Pink Lemonade this coming spring when Star releases them in the US. Good job, Jim! VERY good job!

Basye's Thornless Wichurana

Quite a few years ago, I purchased a rose from Sequoia Nursery they called "Basye's Thornless Wichurana". It grew..and GREW....AND GREW! As with any Wichurana, it roots at every leaf node, creating a new plant each time until it colonizes all available space. Due to lack of room, I removed it and quickly wished I hadn't. I intend to eventually begin working with it to determine if the thornless character can be bred into its hybrids.

Winter of 2004, while visiting Sequoia, I asked Ralph Moore if he still had the plant and might he please have one available for sale? He didn't but told me he'd make some. The following summer, May 29, I was in Visalia to attend the dedication of his memorial garden. People lined up to shake the great Rose Man's hand. Many of us wore name tags with our names, the names of our roses he'd created and named for us, as we slowly moved toward the honorees seat.

As I approached him, he caught sight of me out the corner of his eye and reached for my hand. Jerking medown to his face to be heard, he asked, "You know that thornless Wichurana you asked me for last winter? I got two little plants for you if you remind me when we go back to the nursery". Easily six months since my inquiry, with the dedication of his memorial garden with its associated hullabaloo, and this 97 year old gentleman is focused on my inquiry of six months ago! That's the source of my two plants of Basye's Thornless Wichurana.

It still grows and grows. These plants have been starved in depleted soil, crammed into five gallon nursery cans, yet they STILL grow! One has thrown itself through the other roses in the pot ghetto, into a huge Manetii root stock which got away, and cascades down the sunny side of the mound. Laterals spring from its smooth canes, each terminating in clusters of single, white flowers.

The foliage is attractive, and I noticed today it has the trait of "tanning" to red in heat and sun, particularly on the reverses of the foliage.

The canes ARE thornless. The leaf mid ribs do have small, hooked prickles. The plant roots EXTREMELY easily and GROWS quite well. It should easily make a very successful ground cover for a slope, rooting as it creeps along the ground. Not having the flesh eating prickles on the canes should help make it quite a bit easier to deal with when having to pull weeds or trash from the plant. When it flowers, it is quite beautiful.

Catching the fragile flowers while they are still fresh and without damage is quite a trick. Unfortunately, I can't detect much scent from them.  What I did notice today during an overcast, warmish morning is a slight "soapy" scent.

Strangely, the stipules are slightly fringed like the bracts in the flower clusters, a trait indicative of multiflora heritage. No other Wichurana or its hybrids not containing multiflora I've encountered possess the fringing.

Cuttings of this easily rooted, healthy rose are available to anyone interested within the Continental US for the cost of postage.