New 2017 Seedlings

I had missed culling for the last 2 or 3 days, so I had my work cut out for me today.  In the before and after photos, about 600 seedlings have been culled.

Here are some of the survivors for now.

Happy Easter Morning!

This seedling bloomed for the very first time on Easter morning, ten years ago.  That morning it was nicknamed "Easter Morning".  I keep very few seedlings for that long, but this one with it's intense sunrise coloration and excellent disease resistance, has stood the test of time. 

Central to Christian belief, Easter morning is all about hope - hope in forgiveness for our sins and hope in life after death, all of this as a result of Jesus' death and resurrection (the full story of Jesus' life, death and resurrection can be found in the short book of John in the Bible).

Roses, and in particular this one, remind me of a bright hope for tomorrow, of joy and happiness, and of all things beautiful.  I hope that the roses that I share give you a bit of joy and happiness, especially today!

First 2017 Seedling Blooms

The new 2017 seedlings are beginning to bloom!  It will be fun to see what this year's crop brings.  Already there have been some worth noting.  Below are a few photos.

'Tigris' Seedling Blooming!

And it has a blotch!

I was very pleased with the blotch on this 'Tigris' seedling.  When I first started breeding with 'Tigris' several years ago, it was fairly common to wait 3 or 4 years and have first blooms showing just a hint of a blotch.  This one clearly has it.  I think I like it!

Though the plant is typical of first generation 'Tigris' seedlings, being gangly and thorny, it has lots of blooms and has been flowering for 3 weeks now, with more blooms coming on.  All of the flowers are from second year wood, so I do not expect a rebloom later in the season.

Below, the petals of this 'Tigris' seedling on the right are compared with a couple of my more modern repeat blooming Hulthemias that also have good blotches.

So of course there is a "next step".  I have crossed this seedling back to 'Tigris'.  I have always wondered if other recessive Hulthemia persica traits (single leaves, no stipules) could be recovered by doing this.  More patience required.....  Stay tuned!