Monday, August 8, 2011

Back to Rugosa origins

26-09-04, Parentage: 'Hansa' X "Magseed". Appearance-wise this is a completely unremarkable hybrid, but I value what it represents genetically. The pollen parent was given to me by it's creator Ralph Moore years ago; a cross of 'Anytime' and 'Rugosa Magnifica'. By crossing it back to an older "purebred" Rugosa I hoped to regain some of the Rugosa strength, character and, hopefully, health while infusing some of the modern miniature traits like generosity of bloom.

Clearly this seedling is not just a selfing of 'Hansa' since it has that odd "antler" pubescence often seen in Rugosa/modern hybrids. It has yet to be seen if this cultivar has merit as a garden shrub, but I plan on working it forward with other diploid breeding lines. I see a marriage with 'Therese Bugnet' in it's future.

3 comments:

  1. Another imaginative work for us to marvel over. You are missed, Paul! I am thrilled to open your blog early this morning and find another entry to poke, prod and stimulate my mind. Welcome home! Thank you. Kim

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  2. Thanks Kim,
    I have long felt that rose breeders have, generally, pushed too hard to move ahead quickly, with the ultimate goal being a marketable product. In the past three years I have felt a need to abandon that premise and instead, work to "massage" certain breeding lines to make something more useful, stable, and potentially of greater value as breeding material than what I've already done. Getting new roses to market is the last thing on my agenda now.

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  3. Good to see a post from you again, Paul. And as far as getting things to market, I'm happy to just watch for those roses from your breeding program that you realize are just too good not to open to the market. I just got several of your creations yesterday posted from Rogue Valley; new to me and I have high hopes for them.

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