No flower offers greater opportunities for the hybridizer than the Rose. Although cultivated for centuries we are still far distant from the perfect Rose. That is - one that combines the hardiness of the Rugosa and the fragrance of the Damask with the form, color range and everblooming qualities of the Hybrid Tea. Such a Rose is the goal of many hybridizers.
Rose seeds germinate rather slowly and apparently the species from which the parent plant originated is the major factor in controlling time required for germination. Equally capable authorities differ as to time and method of sowing.
Personally I like to gather the seeds as soon as they become ripe, remove them from the hips and plant immediately in flats containing from three to four inches of good soil under the seeds and one-half inch of clean sand above them. These flats are placed in a cold frame or other semi-protected place, mulched, and kept moist until about the first of the year when they are brought into the greenhouse.
Within a short time you may expect the first pair of cotyledons to appear if your seeds contain strains of those species that germinate comparatively rapidly. Polyanthas should be about the first to make their appearance and incidentally they are one of the very few that will bloom the first season from seed.
When plantlets have reached a height of two or three inches they should be carefully removed and potted. Care should be taken not to disturb other seeds in the same flat that may be in the process of germination or that may still be dormant. As all seeds may not have germinated by spring it is best, at that time, to remove the flat to an outdoor location where an even degree of moisture may be retained.
It may be necessary to repeat the foregoing steps for two to three years before all seeds have germinated. Keep in mind that this method applies to flats that contain a mixture of seeds as the average amateur would collect them. A professional hybridizer would plant seeds of each variety in individual flats and would expect more uniform germination.
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