Hi Ninecrow,

What cross did you make? As you already know, I hybridize various strains of home hybrid zinnias.

ZM

I hybridize roses and raspberries, also have worked with clematis, I especially love working with roses and creating selections that can tackle both my climate and what disease pressure exists here.

Hello FrozeBudd,

That is a clever user name. Rhymes with "rose bud" and suggests your cold climate in Canada. Do you have any pictures of your hybridized roses that you can share? I work with zinnias because I can see the results of my hybridizations the same year that I make them. My breeding objectives include new flower forms and modified plant forms (like longer narrower leaves with sharp points). This is a current zinnia flowerform.

And this is an example of narrow pointed zinnia leaves.You can click on those photos to see larger versions. I am also hybridizing with narrow tubular zinnia petals.Zinnias bloom in about six weeks from seed, which means you don't have to wait a long time to see the results of a cross. You can have viable green seeds in three weeks from applying pollen to a stigma. So from pollen application to new bloom opening can be as quick as nine weeks, or twelve weeks (3 months) at a more leisurely piece.

I also grow zinnias indoors during the Winter, which makes this a year round hobby for me. So I can grow four generations a year--two outdoors and two indoors. You could probably speed up your rose breeding by growing them indoors during the Winter. Or you could grow rose hybrids in a greenhouse for an extended rose season. Unfortunately I don't have a greenhouse, so I have to use fluorescent lights.

They say that bright lighting during a gloomy Winter can actually improve your psychological outlook. That works for me.

ZM