Unusual seedling has appeared...

This one, which is one of two, is not long up. It's cotyledons have opened purple.



It is an open pollinated seed from a deep purple shrub rose called 'Wild Rover' (this was the last flower of the season last winter so the flower looks single... it's normally semi-double):



I'm hoping the deep purple pigment in the leaves and cotyledons indicate the inheritance of dark red/purple (anthocyanin) in this little seedling. I'm hoping it will give me a nice deep purple flower in the next few weeks.

Other random seeding shots from today:

1. Foam box-full of multiflora seedlings begging to be thinned/culled:



2. I call this photo; " 'Papageno' Forest'. These are OP seedlings from 'Papageno'. Excellent fertility and germinability of its seeds. Will cull most these seedlings but hope to use 'Papageno' as a seed parent this season if this is anything to go by.

Simon, your wild rover baby looks really uncommon and promising W. Kordes metioned in his book that it happens very rarely. Please keep us up to date with it's evaluation

cheers Bernhard

This is the same seedling now.

hopefully it will not become a red cabbage

Bemo, thats very funny. I hope too.

This is the foliage on this seedling today:

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It's not long out of the greenhouse and most the leaves that developed in there have burnt off... this newer growth is the first of its 'outdoor' foliage that I am expecting to be more sun-firm.

That is a lovely colour Simon. Will it turn green do you think?

OMG Simon, that foliage colour is awesome!

It does go greener as it ages... but retains the purple hue on mature leaves. It's in the process of growing new leaves as the 'greenhouse' leaves promptly burnt off (you can see some of the burnt foliage in the background), and now new 'outdoor' leaves are growing back. These ones will be much hardier and able to withstand the near 40 degree sun we've been getting lately.

It's sister seedling is about to flower for the first time... this one has formed no buds yet. I've emailed Dickson roses to see if they will tell me what the background to 'Wild Rover' is so I can get a better feel for how it will breed in future.

Even so, to have that intense foliage colour just briefly is a bonus hey? And then there is the texture & shape of the leaf (veins & teeth). Wow!

Puts my new "pale" seedling to shame...makes me want to go out right now & end its sad little life! Hahaha.

LOL - I hope you don't... just keep them going and they might surprise you

I will be kind! LOL

BTW "Wild Rover" sounds like fun but I am very iffy about buying any more roses & especially so regarding sight unseen ones (bare-root). I have not seen "Wild Rover" up here at all...

It's developing OP hips atm... I'll send them up to you to play with

Oh really? That would be great Simon...thankyou!

Inspired by you I am preparing to do my first crosses with a species rose in the next few days:

R. setigera X that "Temple Bells" like rose we both have.

I am also about to dig up the chosen sweetbriar seedling for next season.

Happy days...

Setigera is an interesting rose! It's the only rose that has separate male and female plants (handy to know if you are trying to do crosses with it ). Check out [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] for more information.

Also.. don't be disappointed if it fails... most of my species crosses have failed on me already. R. longicuspis is proving to be most uncooperative. R. multiflora has only worked in one cross (multiflora x 'Altissimo' = 'Multissimo' ). Rugosa has proven most successful so far. My bracteata and gigantea aren't big enough yet to flower so they will have to wait...

OMG I had no idea! LOL. Hmmmm...will I bother? Yep of course! I was looking at the R. setigera plant today & it is very interesting. As I am still finding my way every little bit of practical work helps so it's all good & I will take it well if nothing comes of it...the time spent with the plant really is reward enough IMHO & I am pretty sure you would agree?!?.

I think it would be great to work with R. bracteata. I had it years ago but it died in the pot due to neglect. I will begin with R. setigera & R. eglanteria & move onto others when the time comes!

BTW LMAO @ "Multissimo"! Absolutely love it!

Try the setigera cross both ways... that way you cover your bases... if it has ever formed hips it is a female plant and will accept other pollens... if it has never set hips then it could be a male plant so its pollen will work on other things.

I think I might just do that Simon...I cannot recall ever seeing a hip on the plant but I must admit it is in an out of the way spot in the garden that I rarely visit.

Simon, it would be indeed interesting to know the parents of this wild rover. Seems that your seedling has some glauca blood, which is known to produce such colours, e.g. like this one:
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keep us informed

cheers Bernhard

Very interesting!!!!!

Just got an email back from Mr Colin Dickson regarding the parentage of 'Wild Rover' and whilst I am not able to mention it here until he oks it I can say that there is no R. glauca anywhere in it's background and that it goes back to kordesii.