When left to her own devices, Nature has a wonderful lot of surprises for us. This is particularly so when we raise a new rose from seed of the hips in the Garden.
We know what one of the parents is, because we take the hip from that plant, but we have no idea what the other parent is. So we will be in for a surprise when our new plant appears. That is, unless we are in the business of controlled hybridisation. This talk is NOT about that system.
Pick the Hip when the stem is browning off and wait for the hip to change to a mature colour that is, ripen. If it is withered then the potential is that the seed inside is dead. If you are collecting more than one variety of hip, LABEL the hip with the Parent name.
Collect the seed by cutting open the hip with a sharp knife and scraping out the seed(s). Depending on the rose, there may be one seed or as many as twenty seeds inside. Clean off any pulp that is coating the seed, as failure to do so may result in mould. (Experts use a variety of cleansing methods to ensure the seed is free from fungal spores or mould – we do not need to do this). Drop the seeds into a glass of water. Those that drop to the bottom are good, the ones that float are seldom likely to produce a plant.
Stratify your seeds. Your seeds have a greater chance of success if you treat them to a Northern hemisphere autumn, by cooling them off. Place your entire hips inside a sealed plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge for five to six weeks. Alternatively, place your seeds on a moist paper towel and place that inside a sealed plastic bag, then into the crisper drawer for five to six weeks. DO SEAL them as the odours from other items in the fridge can spoil the seeds. Keep the paper towel moist – not wet.
Sow your seeds. You can use open ground or a seed tray, or a plastic cup, or half a toilet roll to contain your seed mix. I recommend a seed raising mix as it is free draining and easy to use. Place the seeds about twelve mms apart on top of the mix, then place a twelve mm layer of mix on top of the seeds. LABEL THEM. Protect the seeds from birds, cats, dogs by hanging wire netting over them. Keep the mix moist, but not wet.
