... growing and hybridizing all kinds of plants in zone 6b Maryland since the 1980's.

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Rosa bracteata X (rugosa x palustris) "BH3"

Definitely NOT sterile, although it has very much reduced fertility compared to the three species that went into it. Most of the flowers drop without leaving any hips, but the velvety smooth hips that do form typically have from 1 to 4 seeds each. And they're a joy to work with compared to the prickly hips of two of its siblings. This is probably my favorite of the four siblings that I've kept all these years. It has the healthiest foliage and has also occasionally had a few scattered repeat blooms.
 


 
 
 In addition to planting the seeds, I'm going to try to root some cuttings this year. If I can get it propagated, I might try some chromosome doubling experiments on it. With such reduced fertility, a doubled version should be relatively fertile.


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2 comments:

  1. fe_r556December 15, 2015 at 6:04 PM

    Sounds like fun, if you have the space!

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  2. TomDecember 17, 2015 at 9:11 AM

    Definitely! :0)
    And space they do need! The shortest of the four BH's, is a six foot tall, ten foot wide mound. The other three (including this BH3) are sending up canes 10-12 ft high now.
    Maybe chromosome doubled version might be a little bit more thick and "stubbier" in habit???

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