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July newsletter, Part 2 In
my own breeding program, a number of very intriguing things are happening.
When I first became aware of Ralph Moore's work with R. centifolia
cristata, AKA 'Chapeau
de Napoleon', I too became fascinated with the idea of creating
new Crested Roses. (see the section listing some of Mr. Moore's outstanding
results from this breeding work here: Modern
Crested Hybrids)
R. wichuraiana is a once-blooming species, and has a trailing habit unless supported. The plain green form of R. wichuraiana is the rose that was bred to create a vast number of Ramblers at the turn of the century, including 'Dorothy Perkins', 'Albéric Barbier', 'American Pillar', 'Dr. W. van Fleet', 'and 'François Juranville', to name but a handful. This species is also very much responsible for a huge number of Ralph Moore's modern Miniatures, through his intermediate hybrid, "0-47-19". Who would have thought that a Rambler that can easily make a 15 foot climber could become a major contributor to the Miniature class?!
'Lindsay's Rose' is a lovely cream white Mini with a deeper yellow center as the bud opens. The bloom holds excellent form for several days and perhaps it might make a good exhibition rose? Although it will produce one bloom to a stem, it most often makes large clusters of up to 20 blooms, opening sequentially. It can make the most astonishing display at times, the blooms almost obscuring the foliage. The plant grows to about 18 inches tall, and about as wide, with dark green matte foliage. There are a fair number of fairly big thorns, but thats OK by me. Rose have thorns, so get over it, ya know?! I'll cross my fingers and hope the Miniature growers will like it too when its released later this year. (I hope!) Although
now most of the once-blooming European roses are finished their display
for the year, I can explore my garden for the many other treats it has
to offer. Many of the roses I have chosen to grow over the years have
been selected not only for their blooms but for other features as well.
Few of my roses have as much to offer as the Moss roses do, in my opinion.
At right; The new canes of the moss hybrid "12-59-10" Here a perfect example of that kind of showy new growth, on a plant of a Moss hybrid called simply "12-59-10". This Moss cultivar was one of the first new Moss hybrids created by Ralph Moore decades ago in his search for Miniature Mosses. It came out of a cross of 'Pinocchio' (Floribunda) X 'William Lobb' (Centifolia Moss climber). Eventually this hybrid led to the creation of the very first Mini Moss in 1969; 'Fairy Moss', which turned out to be a pivotal hybrid in the creation of a whole race of new Mini Mosses. From 'Fairy Moss' several important and still popular Mini Mosses were created, including 'Lemon Delight', 'Mood Music', and 'Toy Balloon'.
But
now, I am going to kick off my boots for a bit and stare into the blooms
of the Passion Flower growing on the bridge near my front door. July
is here, and some of my work is done, so pardon me if I just sit for
a bit and wait for the first blooms of Zalusianskya capensis to open
in the evening. Till next time.......... Here is a listing of a few other seedlings that are currently being evaluated from my breeding program. Click on the thumbnails to view larger photos.
Original photographs and site content © Paul Barden 1996-2003 |
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While
Ralph's work has been geared towards creating Floribunda type shrubs
that repeat as frequently as any other modern rose, I have experimented
with some of the non-remontant roses, with an emphasis on breeding for
exeptional Cresting and less concern for repeat blooming abilities.
With that thought in mind three years ago, I used my purple Moss, '
Another
rose that is fairly new to my collection is the Japanese species, R.
wichuraiana variegata, pictured here at right. It is one of
the few genuinely variegated roses whose mottled foliage is NOT due
to a viral infection. Native to both China and Japan, the regular form
of the species was first documented in about 1860. I can find very little
about this variegated form of R. wichuraiana except that
it is also known as 'Curiosity'. The pure white blooms are quite
tiny; about 1/2 to 3/4 inch across each, borne in clusters of 3 to 10
or more. The canes will happily trail along the ground, rooting wherever
they touch down. This ability to root very easily is one of the traits
this valuable species has passed on to its progeny.
This
year I will be introducing my first Miniature, called 'Lindsay's
Rose', named for my young niece, Lindsay. (Apparently she is very
pleased to have this honor!) This new Miniature was from a cross I made
three years ago, using an un-named yellow and red blend Miniature as
the 
The
unopened buds with their various styles of Mossing are fascinating;
almost better than the open blooms themselves. The ripening hips that
some of them make become swollen green globes with spines and mossy
protuberances that make some of them look like little green mines! Best
of all, in many cases, are the new canes that come firing up from the
base right after the bloom cycle. I'm fascinated by the densely prickled
canes in all their glorious hues, some like stained glass creations.
Here
is a glance at one of my other Mosses, 'Mousseaux du Japon'.
Again, these new canes that burst from the ground in early summer are
a study in both color and texture that draws my attention. Roses, for
me, hold so many fascinating features beyond the bloom alone. Be sure
to look beyond the flowers when you choose your next rose, for there
is such richness of foliage, canes thorns and sepals to enhance the
growers experience. 
