The Practical Book of Outdoor Rose Growing

The book that taught America to grow roses out of doors: how to site and prepare a bed, how to prune and propagate, and a rated list of the best varieties with the faults of each set down honestly.

HomeThe Propagation of Roses › Seedlings Showing Varied Growths

Seedlings Showing Varied Growths

On the left-hand side seedling of a Hybrid Tea. On the right-hand side seedling of a Wichuraiana. Both these plants are of the same age and have received identical care. Note different habit of growth even at this early stage in the life of the plants pink, known as Mrs. Harkness. Both of these new roses were perpetuated and became quite popular before the Hybrid Teas came into general notice.

In the year 1913 Dr. Robert Huey, of Philadelphia, still had plants of Paul's Early Blush and Mrs.

Harkness. It was remarkable that specimens of both these plants partially reverted to the old form of Heinrich Schultheis, throwing up shoots with rose colored blooms.

While sports are of rare occurrence, nevertheless it would well repay all rose lovers to watch for such breaks, as valuable novelties may thereby be secured which otherwise would be lost.

SEEDLINGS Seedlings, as the name signifies, come from seeds hybridized either by chance or by man's handiwork.

Nearly all the older rose growers gathered their heps containing the seeds in the autumn of each year and planted great numbers of these in nursery rows, hoping to secure new varieties; in this manner a great many of the Hybrid Perpetuals were discovered and introduced. However, of late years the commercial rose growers of Europe have hybridized different varieties of roses, and by careful selection and breeding for several generations are securing their new introductions.

In Europe this work is maintained on a very large scale. Thousands upon thousands of seedlings are raised each year, and only a very small percentage are of any practical use. In this country only a few men have achieved any great success in introducing new varieties-John Cook, of Baltimore, Maryland; E. G. Hill, of Richmond, Indiana; M. H. Walsh, of Woods Hole, Massachusetts; Dr. Van Fleet, of Washington; W. A. Manda, of New Jersey; and the late Jackson Dawson, of the Arnold Arboretum. In the American Rose Annual only twelve men are mentioned as having introduced new varieties in this country. Cook introduced My Maryland and Radiance, and lately he has brought out Panama; and Hill has given us quite a number of good roses, the best perhaps for outdoor culture being General Mac- Arthur, which is one of the finest all-round outdoor red roses grown in America today. Walsh, Manda and Van Fleet have been particularly successful in developing new climbers-Walsh's most notable being Excelsa, Hiawatha, Sweetheart and Evangeline, all excellent additions and ranking with the best of this class.

Father George Schoener, of Portland, Oregon, is doing some very fine work, not only in new varieties of roses, but also in new stocks for budding. In addition, he is making crosses between different members of the Rosaceæ order. His seedlings won a silver medal at Portland in the fall of 1915. It is hoped that ere long some of his novelties will be on the market.

Following will be found a tabulated record of the breeding of the main varieties in which the Hybrid Perpetuals and Teas figure. It has not been arranged at all in conformity with the usual botanical analyses of species and sub-species, but the information given has been taken from such books as Pemberton's and placed together so that the history of the breeding of the different varieties may be seen at a glance. There are several authorities who have noted that the exact breeding of the Hybrid Perpetuals is to some extent problematical. The roses named as the Hybrid Perpetuals' immediate ancestors are generally accepted as such, but some few other varieties were used in the gradual evolution of this class from the first Hybrid Perpetual until the list was completed. At the present time there are fewer Hybrid Perpetuals bred, as the Hybrid Teas have almost entirely superseded them.

The work of hybridization is a most interesting one, but unless carried out on a scientific scale it is almost entirely a matter of chance whether or not anything of value may be secured. No doubt any one cultivating roses to a large extent would greatly Pernetiana.....

Pernet-Ducher, 1900 Hybrid Tea Guillot, 1867 Persian Yellow Briar Luteae Luteae By some Damask considered Perpetual, first of 1812 Hybrid X Perpetuals, { Damask X Hybrid China X Hybrid Perpetual.. Bourbon Perpetual Laffay, 1830.

Held sway till 1890 X Hybrid China Chance fertilization supposedly between China and Red Four Seasons, 1817- 1822 Provence Brought to England from France about 1600 Tea-Indica Odorata Introduced from China, 1810-1824.

First improved in France where the climbing teas were bred Later Noisettes...

X X China Noisette......

China Common Blush Philippe Noisette, Musk Rose an American (Rosa Moschata) grower, 1817 FIG. 8

← New VarietiesElli Hartmann (Considering the form) →