Springtime is the best time to hybridize roses, and in Bakersfield, California, the best months are in the April and May. Hybridizing must be done sufficiently early enough to allow time (3 1/2 to 4 months) for the developing rose seeds within the hip to mature. In order to maximize success it is important to select reliable parents for your hybridizing project. If you have a particular rose or two that produces lots of hips, try them as seed parents. Among the large flowered roses, good seed parents to try if you have them are: Queen Elizabeth, Sheer Bliss, Gold Medal, First Prize, Heirloom, Paradise, and Pristine. For the minis, Avandel, Rise 'n' Shine, Black Jade, Jean Kenneally and Fairhope make good seed parents. In my experience Queen Elizabeth and Avandel have been the most reliable seed setters, and ultimately have very high germination rates. Most modern roses produce at least some pollen and can be used successfully as pollen parents. One strategy in selecting a pollen parent for a particular cross is to choose one that has some good qualities that may be lacking in the seed parent. Before proceeding, a brief review of rose anatomy is in order. Roses are dioecious, meaning that both male (pollen) and female (seed) reproductive cells are present on the same flowers. Pollen is produced in the anthers (yellow sacks at the tops of filaments surrounding the stigmas). The stigmas atop thread-like projections come out of the very center of the bloom. The stigmas produce a sticky substance to receive pollen which after applied to the stigma, germinates and migrates down the threads to unite with the ovules to produce seed. For more detailed information on rose anatomy please refer to any of the basic rose books. In order to prevent self pollination of the selected seed parent, the anthers (pollen sacks) must be removed from the blooms before any pollen is released. This is best accomplished at sunrise when blooms are in the 1/3 to 1/2 open stage. First, all of the petals are removed. This procedure allows better access to the center of the flower. Next, with tweezers or small scissors, the anthers are removed. If the variety selected as a seed parent will also be used as a pollen parent with other roses, the anthers may be collected in a cup and placed uncovered in a dry place where they will mature and release pollen by the next day. Blooms that have been appropriately emasculated are immediately ready to receive pollen from another variety. Pollen which has the appearance of yellow or tan powder may be applied with either a finger or paint brush to the stigma of the seed parent. In order to remember what was crossed with what, a label (paper tags with a string attached, available at stationery stores work well) should be gently tied to the stem below the bloom which has just been pollinated. Information written on the tag should include the cross and the date. Proper notation for a cross always lists the seed parent first followed by the pollen parent. For example, in a cross using Olympiad as the seed parent and First Prize as the pollen parent, the notation would be: Olympiad X First Prize (or just OL X FP) followed by the date. (Note, to simplify, now I just put the initials of the pollen parent on the tag and skip putting down the date. I know the seed parent because the hip is on it!) After hybridizing, it is not necessary to cover the crosses since bees and butterflies will usually ignore roses without any petals. For approximately the next 18-24 hours, care should be taken not to wash off the pollen from your crosses (by rain or overhead sprinkling). If the cross is successful, a rose hip will begin to form in 2-3 weeks. One should not expect more than about 30% of their crosses to be successful. To improve success, rose bushes chosen to be seed parents should not receive excessive fertilizer or be over-watered excessively. Assuming that some of your crosses have taken you can then sit back and contemplate what characteristics your future rose seedlings may have, knowing that each one will be one of a kind, completely unique!