How To Hybridize Roses

Get your gardening geek on!

I don't think I have the wherewithal, knowledge or green thumb to attempt this, but some of you out there might be interested in taking the leap. Imagine creating your very own rose hybrid. (Rosa hortus libri dougwelchii?) I wonder if the DCMA covers copyright infringement on plant species?

How To Hybridize Roses

...Hybridizing begins by artificially pollinating a variety with pollen from a different variety. Selecting these parents is very important. Start your pollinating program when the first blooms appear in the spring, and try to get all your pollinating done during the first cycle of bloom. The seed on some varieties will not mature in the northern states when the second blooming cycle is pollinated...

(Via del.icio.us.)

A little rain...

We got a refreshing bit of rain early this morning. It must have been coming down fairly hard as it woke me at one point. Just a little refresher for the garden before we settle into "the long dry."

Most of my transplants from last week are doing ok, although the miniature rose I had to un-pot, unwind from the passion vine and repot is looking a bit sickly. Probably not enough roots to bring in the water as it was pretty entangled with the vine. Oh well, 2 out of 3 isn't bad. (SMILE)

Lots of yard clenaup to do but not a lot of motivation. Rosanne couldn't stand to look at the leaves on the patio any more so, in fit of nesting, they were swept and sent to the garden bin. Time is a bit of a factor, as well as laziness, but I sense a garden workday coming on. I need to prune the azaleas in the front garden and do some weeding up there as well.