Last winter I set up flourescent lights over a shelving unit set up in our basement to experiment with growing roses from open-pollinated seeds I had collected in the fall. This was my first attempt at doing so and it made for an enjoyable winter project that helped me deal with the usual rose-withdrawal syndrome and winter blues. It was fun to anticipate their germination and to fuss over their cute little selves...(yes, baby roses ARE adorable).
I had mostly collected rugosa hips but there were also many modern roses and to my delight I had a great number of germinations. There were over 100 rugosa germinations but none of them bloomed over the summer. However, my modern rose babies bloomed about 6 weeks after popping up through the soil and it was so exciting to await the "grand opening" of each bud. There is something so miraculous about a teensy 3 inch seedling with a huge bud on it! I couldn't believe they would bloom that young.
They were transplanted into larger pots for the summer months but none were very large plants upon winter's arrival so I hope & pray that they all make it through the winter. I can't wait to see what they will look like this year but I expect they may change somewhat upon maturity.
I was pleased and surprised that many of them were actually very, very pretty....I guess I wasn't expecting much since it was my first attempt and the bees did all the pollinating. It was fun to imagine what the babies would look like since I didn't know the pollent parent and I didn't note the names of the seed parent. I liked the suspense.
This winter I miss my little seedling "operation" since I no longer have the room for doing so....my mother and my eldest daughter moved in with us over the summer so we had to convert the cellar into living space and the rose set-up had to go. Otherwise I would be growing more right now.
Here are some pictures of the more promising of the rose babies, as they looked during their first few months.
Everybody loves baby pictures, right?
The proud rose mama,
Celeste
THE SET-UP.....
{{gwi:208583}}
{{gwi:221321}}
CLOSE-UP OF ROSE SEEDLING....
{{gwi:221322}}
{{gwi:221324}}
CLOSEUP OF FLOWER BUD....
{{gwi:221327}}
ROSE BABY #1....
(reminds me of a water-lily)
{{gwi:221328}}
SIDE VIEW OF IT.....
{{gwi:221329}}
ROSE BABY #2.....
(wonder if it will stay this frilly?)
{{gwi:221330}}
{{gwi:221332}}
ROSE BABIES #2 AND #3....
{{gwi:221333}}
ROSE BABY #3.....
{{gwi:221334}}
{{gwi:221335}}
ROSE BABY #4....
(I love this color!)
{{gwi:221336}}
{{gwi:221337}}
ROSE BABY #5....
(this one appears to be a miniature)
{{gwi:221338}}
ROSE BABY #6....
the bloom on this was HUGE, about 5" across on a tiny plant. Makes me wonder how big it will be when mature!
It is pure, brilliant white.
{{gwi:221339}}
ROSE BABY #7....
reminds me of a wild rose. This is the only one whom I noted the "mother" after picking the hips. The seed parent is Panda Meidiland which is a low-growing landscape rose, with small white blooms.
{{gwi:221340}}
ROSE BABY #8.....
{{gwi:221341}}
ROSE BABY #9....
My favorite.
This one consistently had a green "pip" in the center. I got about 6 blooms on it in its first summer, all the same.
It starts out a pale pink and fades to cream-white at maturity. Initially, the form is quartered & cupped...then becomes very flat....finally it becomes rounded in shape.
I liked the transformation from cupped, to flat, to round...and from pink to creamy-white.
{{gwi:221343}}
{{gwi:221344}}
{{gwi:221345}}
{{gwi:221347}}
{{gwi:221349}}
ROSE BABIES PLANTED OUT INTO LARGER POTS FOR THE SUMMER.....
{{gwi:221351}}
ehann
knightofroses
Related Professionals
Camas Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · New Mexico Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Redondo Beach Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Canton Landscape Contractors · Arlington Landscape Contractors · Wakefield Landscape Contractors · Bloomington Landscape Contractors · Coram Landscape Contractors · Fort Payne Landscape Contractors · Newberg Landscape Contractors · Oak Harbor Landscape Contractors · Salem Landscape Contractors · St. Louis Landscape Contractors · Webster Groves Landscape Contractors · Hueytown Landscape Contractorsmarkiz37
aprilscott12
Prettypetals_GA_7-8
hartwood
rjlinva
AnneCecilia z5 MI
pocajun
jim_east_coast_zn7
ebster
lilc5
garden2garden
teka2rjleffel
C Schaffner
zeffyrose
cincy_city_garden
celeste/NHOriginal Author
celeste/NHOriginal Author
Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
Krista_5NY
celeste/NHOriginal Author
onewheeler
User
skayc1