05 July 2011

Seedling's first flower!

Well, at long last, the first flower of my little rose seedling has opened!

Its mother looks like this:

And the daddy looks like this and boast the strongest fragrance of any rose I know:
And here is the first flower of their little baby:
It is a bit scruffy looking, but that will probably change as it matures. The first flower of a new rose seedling usually has fewer petals than the blooms from a mature plant, and the extra petals can significantly change the form and look of the overall bloom.
The good news is that the fragrance is outstanding! To my nose, almost as strong as its delightful father, which is saying something.

This cross resulted in about what I had expected, but that isn't always the case. Whenever you make a cross, odd, unexpected stuff pops out. Sometimes it is good, sometimes not so much. But I got lucky this time with one of my other seedlings from the same cross. It germinated much later, so no flowers yet, but it has stunningly lovely blue-grey leaves, very very like Rosa glauca. Totally unexpected color, and very welcome! I can't wait to see what the flowers look like. Probably pink, like its sibling, but it could be different. In any case, I'll have to cross it with a bunch of my other favorite roses. Wouldn't a dark, rich, smoldering red flower look stunning on a bush of those leaves?

8 comments:

scottweberpdx said...

Fascinating...congrats on the success! I love the foliage color...such a lovely blue-gray...almost like Rosa glauca.

Tom said...

I love the way that flower looks now...it reminds me of a camellia! As for that foliage I agree with scott, it reminds me of Rosa glauca, which happens to be my absolute favorite rose. I can't wait to see what it's flowers look like!

Joseph said...

Scott and Tom, I'm with you on the similarity to R. glauca, which I also absolutely adore. I'm wondering if a stray bee may have carried some pollen from my Rosa glauca plant. I don't think it is likely (bloom times don't usually overlap) but it may be possible. Time will tell as it matures!

Unknown said...

The first seedling is lovely... but I'm already smitten by that blue-leaf baby! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it somehow surprises you and blooms in some shade of gold. (And if so, I would happily buy a cutting-grown version! :)

Laurie Brown said...

Wow! on both the new flower (like Tom said, it really looks like a camellia) and on the foliage of the other one! I can't wait to see how that one turns out.

Hoover Boo said...

Very nice. I like the scalloped petal-edges. Congrats!

Cathy and Steve said...

Love that foliage color as well... and yes, a deep red rose against that would be a killer rose. Congrats on your success in developing your own rose!

Nic said...

Congratulations! They both look great; hopefully the charming Rosa glauca look-alike will also be fragrant like its sibling.