With the millennium here, shouldn't we be thinking about new roses to usher in this wonderful era before us?

Hybrid Teas, Floribundas and Grandifloras have all ready found their way into our hearts and gardens. Once you had mastered the modern roses, perhaps your attention turned to the challenges of growing Heritage or Antique roses. Then came the day when you saw your first Miniature at a rose show and a new obsession seized you.

Modern genetics began in 1860 when an Augustinian monk named Gregor Mendel working in Brno in the Czech Republic first discovered the basics of heredity. Since he first observed similar characteristics from parents in their offspring, men have been tinkering with genetics and the manipulation of chromosomes. 

As early as 1870 breeders have been lured with the promise of a blue or black rose. Jamain wrote, entirely on hearsay, that an Arab had talked of a blue rose the color of lapis-lazuli. It was explained that the Arabs managed to obtain blue roses by cutting the bark of the roots very carefully and applied indigo for blue and then tied up the incision tightly and replaced the earth around the roots. This alone is the secret; all the stories relating to blue roses fall in the realm of fantasy. The horticultural department at Cornell University has stated that the 'bluing' of roses in the Arabian way is possible, but would certainly not be permanent and would have to be repeated on a year basis.

Anthocyanins are responsible for the reds in plants, but there are certain exceptions . The red in tomatoes is due to lycopene, a carotenoid with a color range from orange-yellow to red. The commonest carotenoid in plants is the yellow B-carotene, discovered by Mohren in 1831. 

Although no really blue rose exists, there is a certain amount of blue coloration in many roses. It was impossible to eliminate the blue from red pigment, which is unfortunate as the blue does not fade as quickly as the red and yellow. The result is that many pink and red roses, as they fade, turn an ugly shade of violet or magenta.

Chemical research has shown that a component in the blue coloring in flowers, the purple pigment delphinidin, is absent from the genus Rosa. Some modifications of the carmine-red pigment, cyanin, is probably responsible for the pinkish-lilac and purple coloration seen in some roses.

Delphinidin appears in the blue or lilac tones in plants. These colors can arise in various other ways: a)through an admixture of anthocyanin with metallic substances such as iron, aluminum and magnesium; b)as a result of the anthocyanin being swamped with other color agents; or c) as a result of the pH value of the plant sap being lowered.

After more than 15 years of hybridizing, Ralph Moore considered that the lavender colors exhibited in his strain of lavender roses was derived from a combination of magenta and yellow.

Bate-Smith reported that ellagic acid is present in the sub-family Rosoideae to which the genera Rosa, Rubus, Potentilla, etc. belong. Ellagic acid may be converted to delphinidin through gallic acid. Based on his research, formation of delphinidin in Rosoideae is possible.

In 1958 J. Harborne showed that in many garden flowers myricetin and delphinidin were present together. If, therefore, pelargonidin could appear by chance mutation in rose breeding, it is not impossible that delphinidin might do the same, although there is no logical reason for this to happen.

Hybridizers in Australia, India and Japan have been exploring treatment of plant materials by using radioactive isotopes or X-rays with only very minimal effect in changing or modifying the responsible genes in question.

So where will these 'new' roses come from? Consider the work of amateur hybridizers. By crossing the pollen from one cultivar to the receptive stigma of another variety, you have essentially hybridized what may well become a completely new variety.

The exciting part in all this is that at this point in time you don't know what this new rose might look like. What form the flower will have or how many petals. What color the bloom will have or if it will be fragrant. The kind or color of foliage or the type of prickles or lack thereof this new plant may have. Hopefully, it will have repeat bloom and be disease and pest resistant, winter hardy and drought resistant. All these factors are hoped for as you watch in anticipation as the rose hip swells and ripens. As we proceed into the new millennium, we are captivated by all the endless possibilities that lie within our grasp, limited only by our imagination.

Are there any 'secrets' that determine success? Why try to re-invent the wheel when there is a body of information and a group of dedicated rosarian actively engaged in the hobby of breeding new roses?

Since 1969, the Rose Hybridizers Association has been helping folks unlock some of the secrets in this worthwhile activity. Today the RHA membership has reached approximately 300 and has members in about 20 countries.

A membership in RHA brings a quarterly newsletter contains articles written by their members that disseminates information on various hybridizing topics and a "Handbook for Beginners" is available for $5.00 to help get you started with basic hybridizing information.

RHA meets twice a year during the American Rose Society's National Conventions. Membership dues are only $10.00 per year (International dues are $12.00 in U.S. = funds only). If you are interested in more information or a membership application, it can be obtained by contacting: (E-mail: Lpeterso@stny.Lrun.com)