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Last Updated: Jan 10, 2007 - 10:15:57 AM |
Gosia Wajchert
Roses are among the most highly hybridized of all flower species. The selective breeding of roses has been going on for many centuries, and today there are rose varieties available to suit every possible taste. Two of the most popular are the Mossy Remontants and Polyantha Roses.
Mossy Remontants
The Mossy Remontant made its debut in the 1830's and 1840's. The first one seen was a sport of the Damask Perpetual known as "Bifera", and it appeared in 1835. The first Mossy Remontants to be intentionally bred was shown by Mauget or Orleans, France in the year 1844. A number of Mossy Remontants were released over the next four decades. Some were quite charming, although many varieties do not have the mossy characteristic or the ability to rebloom that is suggested by the name.
Many varieties are close to the Damask Perpetuals in habit, and they can make very attractive bushes in any garden. Other varieties seem to have a relationship to the hybrid perpetuals. All varieties of Mossy Remotants do better in warm climates than the original Moss varieties. Colors range from white to pink to the deeper shades of red.
Polyantha Roses
The Polyantha roses were created by Guillot fils of Lyon, France, by sowing the seed from the R. multiflora Polyantha variety. The Polyantha was a large shrub which came from Japan in the 1860's, and it featured clusters of single, white blossoms with a pleasant fragrant. From this planting, Guillot fils produced a large crop of various seedlings.
Elsewhere in Lyon, the rose breeder Rambaux had sown a different crop, and produced similar results. Guilot fils obtained seeds for a semi-double, and from this sowing the first Polyanthas were born. The first Polyantha, the "Paquerette" was released in 1875.
In addition to the Polyantha purists, some breeders mixed the Polyanthas with tea roses to get clusters of small, perfectly formed buds. Polyantha roses typically produce dwarf sized, compact bushes which range from one to three feet in height. These small bushes often bear large clusters of small blossoms ranging through the entire color spectrum of the rose world.
Gosia Wajchert is a garden writer from the UK.
Website: Flowers
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