After the success of last year’s (2020) hip from the cross with Officinalis, I have used the pollen of 20 different varieties or species roses on Celestial in an attempt to see if I could find if any other, or indeed what other, crosses might succeed using this rose as a seed parent. The crosses were as follows, the = being the dates on which the cross/crosses were made:

Officinalis (x2) = 14/6/21, 5/7/21

Bourbon Queen (flowers left intact, so slight chance of open pollination) (x2) = 14/6/21, 18/6/21

Complicata (x2) = 16/6/21

Lady Hillingdon = 16/6/21

La Belle Sultane = 16/6/21

Quatre Saison = 16/6/21

R. Canina Laxa (Coriifolia Froebellii) = 16/6/21

Agatha (Gallica) = 16/6/21

Coupe d’Hebe (x2) = 17/6/21

Duke of Edinburgh = 17/6/21

Portland Rose = 17/6/21

R. Moyesii Geranium (x2) = 18/6/21

R. Californica Plena = 18/6/21

Dunwich Rose = 19/6/21

Bourbon Queen (flower had petals removed and emasculated) (x2) = 19/6/21

R. Rugosa (99.9% sure it is R. Rugosa Rubra) (x3) = 20/6/21, 24/6/21

Old Blush = 20/6/21

Celestial (selfed) = 22/6/21

Adelaide d’Orleans = 23/6/21

R. Arvensis (x2) = 26/6/21, 27/6/21

Archiduc Joseph = 27/6/21

As you can see, other than purely modern roses, which I have not used ( as I don’t usually include in my breeding programme, if I can call it that!), I have used roses from a wide selection of families and types, genetics and septets. I wasn’t sure what the outcome would be – was last year a fluke, a one off? Would only some work? Would nothing work?! Well, the results so far have been quite interesting.

Although I have yet to open the hips to see what seed have formed, how many, and how fertile, that will be a follow-up part to this at a later date. However, purely from hip formation and ripening so far (on a rose that is only once recorded in the references as bearing hips, and usually is described as having none – mine has never previously had hips until the last two years), 9 hips have succeeded from these crosses (and there may even be a 10th, O.P. one coming too). They have enlarged and ripened at a very fast rate – barely 2 months from the cross taking place, a lot faster than many of my other crosses that were made at the same time on other plants.

There does appear, at least in part, to be an interesting pattern. All the Gallica crosses I used worked to at least some degree, with Agatha, Complicata, La Belle Sultane and Officinalis all producing at least one hip each. The other crosses to work are from a diverse group of unexpected fathers, namely R.Rugosa Rubra (2 out of 3), R. Moyesii Geranium (1 of 2), Bourbon Queen (1 of the 2 flowers I didn’t destroy, so possibly O.P., although not likely), and Coupe d’Hebe (1 of 2).

One of the things that is interesting is that the crosses that succeeded are almost exclusively from the earlier ones made.

I will include photos of the hips in the photos tab, so please take a look if you are interested – I will label the parentage accordingly.