Hybrid Roses: How to Grow Your Very Own

Are you a gardener who is tired of the same old flowers you get from your rose bushes year after year? If you are wanting to add more roses to your garden to add newer and different color flowers, or maybe you want to add more roses with out the extra cost you may want to try hybridizing your own roses. Hybridizing is a gardening term used to simplify what is actually known as sexual propagation. Hybridizing is where pollen from one parent rose is taken to fertilize another seed parent rose. Although roses are capable of self fertilizing, many professionals hybridize roses to make a variety of bigger, better looking plants and unique looking plants. Many at home gardeners have begun propagating and hybridizing roses at their home.

Although hybridizing can be done outdoors, the outdoor elements and bees are the enemy when trying to make your own hybrid, so many rose growing books such as "Roses for dummies" recommended doing this in a greenhouse to avoid any unwanted pollination from bees or even the wind.

The first step to creating your own hybrid roses is to choose the two different roses you would like to see become one. You will also need to decide which one will be the "father" and which one will be the "mother." One thing that I did and I highly suggest you try, is to choose a red rose and combine it with a white rose, this will allow you to see an obvious difference when the new hybrid is "born." Choosing two roses that are of similar color may not give you the results you are expecting.

The second step is to pay close attention to the parent plants. There is a specific time in the life of the actual rose when it is most fertile. When fertile, the male plant with have fairly tall yellow stamens called anthers that produce pollen. The pollen is found on the tips of the anthers. A rose is ready to be pollinated when the flower you chose to be the female has only the first two rows of petals opened but the center petals are closed tight. When you find the flower at its fertile state, gently remove all of the petals including the closed petals.

For the third step you would have to cut the actual male rose off at the stem and remove all of the petals about two days before you take the petals off of the female plant. In the book that helped me get started called "Roses for Dummies" by Lance Walheim, it asks that you remove the actual anthers to harvest the pollen but, I have found that it is not always necessary and is easier to keep them on the rose. You will need to put the pollen in a clean and uncovered shallow container then place the container in a warm and dry place for a couple of days. Pollen needs a few days to actually ripen after it has been harvested, so after a couple of days the pollen will be ready and easy to shake off of the anthers.

The fourth step is going to take some careful hands. First, for the plant you want to be the female you would have to gently bend the rose at the stem and carefully remove the yellow anthers and leaving behind the greenish stamen. While bending the rose be very careful not to let any of the anthers touch the center of the rose because it can and will pollinate itself which will ruin your whole experiment. You should remove the yellow anthers with tweezers or with a clean pair of small scissors. When this step is completed you will have then emasculated your flower "parent."

The fifth step is to simply cover the emasculated parent with a bag and leave it alone for 24 hours. This gives your new solely female plant time to ready herself to accept the pollen from the anthers of the other flower. Once the center of the female plant looks somewhat sticky it is ready for pollination, and you are ready for the next step.

For the sixth step and after the two or three day wait, the pollen should be ready for harvesting. You can harvest the pollen off of the anthers of the plant you previously cut from the stem by using a very small brush like a make up brush or a very small paint brush to gather the pollen and then dab onto the female plant. You can also skip using the brush entirely and just dab the anthers directly onto the center of your female plant. Once the harvested pollen has been placed onto the emasculated or female plant, put the bag back over the rose for a week. If the pollination was a success you will notice that the bottom of the flower or the "hip" is swollen. This means there are now seeds and you will be able to harvest them after six to eight weeks or when the hip changes from green to red or orange.

The seventh step is a very crucial part for growing your own hybrid roses. Once the swollen hip has turned red or orange you are ready to take out the seeds being very careful not to lose them. I suggest cutting the hip off of the stem at this time. Place the hip over a bowl or some kind of container so that if any seeds fall you can easily recover them. With a knife carefully cut open the hip. Do not cut too deep you may damage the seeds inside. Once you have retrieved the seeds place them on a damp paper towel then place them into a plastic bag. The seeds have to be chilled for sixty days before planting so place them in the vegetable crisper of your refrigerator.

After the sixty day wait you are now ready for the eighth step. Now that your seeds have been chilled you will be able to plant them. Place sterile potting soil in a shallow planter and place the seeds one quarter of an inch deep in the soil. Do not plant the small seed to deep, too much soil on the seed will make it difficult for its delicate spear to sprout. Place the container on a sunny windowsill or under lights. Not all of the seeds you planted will sprout but that is normal. Once the seedlings have sprouted you are ready for the ninth step.

Step nine sounds easier than it actually is. For this step you have to keep the seedlings moist at all times but do not over do it. The seedlings do not like to be in soggy ground so it is crucial to pay close attention to the moisture content of the soil. This is an early sign of the so called finicky personality of almost all roses but in my opinion they are well worth the hard work. After about six weeks you should see that the plants have begun to bloom. They will be very small and tender at this point so you may not be able to get a clear idea of what your new creation looks like, but as the plant grows and matures you will be able to get a good idea of what kind of plant you now have.

For the tenth and final steps you will need to be sure to feed the new roses plenty of specialized rose food. Roses require a lot of food and nutrients during their first season of growth. You can find this food at any home and garden store. Once the plants have grown be sure to destroy any sick looking plants that are yellow immediately so that they do not sicken and contaminate all of your new plants. Remove all your healthy plants and transplant them into a larger container. Only transplant the flower after it has bloomed a rose at least once. After the rose has been transplanted into a larger container the rose will get stronger and grow several new stems or "canes," this is when you know the plant is healthy and ready to be planted into your garden.

With time and continuous care your new roses should grow healthy and strong. Remember roses are the most revered flower in all the world so be happy that you were able to create your own flowers and possibly your very own masterpiece. This is not an easy feat for anyone. It may take you a few times to get it right. It took me more times than I can remember but, I think roses and their elegant beauty are well worth the hard work.