"GoldDustRhiannon" wrote in message
...
I just bought the Rose Expert book and read with interest the section on
breeding a new rose (by hand pollinating) . I was thinking I might give it a
try just for fun so I could name my own rose ;o) Of course it would be great to
end up with a perfect new rose but I'm sure it would be a learning experience
what ever the result!

Has anyone here ever tried this?

No but I read a lot on the subject when I was working in a rose nursery so I can give you some idea of the odds on
producing worthwhile seedlings. Bear in mind this was around 40 yrs ago so my memory of the figures may be suspect -
just take 'em as very round figures by way of illustration. At the time I was doing my reading in the 1960s a typical
commercial breeder would make around 2000 crosses in a season and from those would get perhaps 20000 seedlings. After
following the progress of those plants over a couple of seasons or so they would have culled it down to a handful worth
propagating and putting in nursery trials, thse in from a good year they might get one or two worth sending out to trial
grounds, perhaps one of those might find its way into commercial catalogues and most of those don't last in the trade
for more than a few years. Having said that, there have been a few distinguished and successful amateur breeders over
the years and their varieties seem to last as long in the trade as those of the commercial breeders, so go for it and
may all your geese be swans.

Rod