Touring the photo library, Part II

53-03-08: ('Tuscany Superb' X 'Othello') X 'The Yeoman'.

As you can probably decipher from the code number of this one (cross #53, year 2003, seedling #8 of that cross) I have had this for several years now and I've been watching its performance in the garden. I made the cross hoping for a percentage of repeaters, and yet none of the dozen or so I kept for testing have been repeaters. However, this one has other merits: it is totally Blackspot free (that is remarkable in this climate, where Blackspot rules) and is an aesthetic winner. It also bears a delicious fragrance, influenced by (but not a carbon copy replica of) its pollen parent, 'The Yeoman', whose Anise-scented blooms are anathema to some, and heaven-on-earth to others.

I have started propagating 53-03-08 and have sent a few plants out for testing on other regions. I don't exactly plan on releasing this commercially; I mean, do we really need more once-blooming pink roses? (Obviously rhetorical: my answer is no) Still, it is a lovely, easy to care for shrub. It appears to max out at about 7 feet tall and a bit wider, with an arching outline and no inclination to sucker widely.

74-07-01: Tuscany Superb X R. arkansana

I made this cross in '07 with the idea of working the lovely native R. arkansana into my work, without resorting to using modern China-derivatives in order to preserve tetraploidy. And so, I turned to an old favorite: 'Tuscany Superb'. (FYI the Gallicanae are almost all tetraploids by nature) I am particularly interested in R. arkansana because of its exceptional Winter hardiness, its complete immunity to disease and the fact that my specimen (seed grown in 1999) blooms at least three times a growing season, with long rests between flushes. Could this be a remontancy trait that can be incorporated into new species derivatives? We'll see.

I obtained only four seedlings from this cross and unfortunately, all have been *ahem* a tad weak in the vigor department. Mind you, that isn't going to prevent me from using this selection in breeding. I can always abandon this avenue should the offspring turn out to be wusses: nothing ventured, etc, etc. It does, however, have a rich and complex "wild rose" fragrance that can undoubtedly be capitalized upon. I'd be interested in crossing this with 'Therese Bugnet' except that TB is a diploid, so I'll leave that out of the equation for now. I may, however, turn to the Hybrid Spinosissima 'Suzanne', which has been reported as being a tetraploid. For now, recovering remontancy without sacrificing disease immunity is paramount; color, my friends, will have to wait ;-)

"Tusc-o-jam", the rose pictured in my blog banner.

About 13 years ago I started down a tedious road to what I hoped would be the production of some Gallica-based remontant shrub roses. As all hybridizers do, I started with what I had on hand; a very limited selection. 'Tuscany Superb' was an obvious choice because it represented an ideal: rich color, a growth habit I liked, ease of culture and exceedingly good health. To introduce genes for repeat bloom, I turned to what I now regard as a far less optimal choice: 'Othello', a David Austin red. Still, you have to start somewhere, and 'Othello' did offer some features I wanted, such as its exceptional fragrance.

The resulting seedlings (about 8 of 'em) varied from downright hideous to quite beautiful. One of these eventually was named 'Ellen Tofflemire' and is available in comerce. Several of the seedlings bloomed very dark but had problems opening. Some never opened their blooms at all, and these were trashed promptly. One other sibling still exists in a corner of my garden; a 12 petaled medium reddish (read: muddy crimson/red) Gallica that I used in breeding one more step towards the shrub type I was seeking. This Gallica, nicknamed simply "Tusc-oth" was crossed with the beautiful dark Hybrid Perpetual 'Souvenir du Dr. Jamain' and a handful of seedlings resulted. Ultimately only one was kept and this is the seedling illustrated here.

"Tusc-o-jam" is a reasonably strong shrub that will grow to 8 feet easily, with arching canes that give it a graceful natural form. It is Spring blooming only, with bicolored deep lavender-pink deeply cupped blossoms showing a paler reverse. It has a rich Myrrh scent that some people think is more like Licorice. Not everyone finds that scent attractive. I think it is very curious that the Myrrh scent has come spontaneously out of a breeding line that (to the best of my knowledge) doesn't involved 'Ayreshire Splendens' which has often been held responsible for generating that scent. It is my experience that the Myrrh scent can surface in any crosses involving Gallicas in combination with modern shrubs.

It is pollen fertile only but the pollen results in seed from most any seed setter. A portion of the offspring (approx. 50%) are remontant. I have not done a lot of work with this in breeding but one hybrid, 'Siren's Keep' is the result of a cross involving "Tusc-o-jam". This Spring I am going to be evaluating a couple of new crosses in which it has been used. If there's something to report, you'll find out about it here!