Introduction

Hello!

I hybridize roses and daylilies, trying to produce new varieties of a gardener‘s interest.

Here I give an insight into my routine work with plants, mainly with hybridization, nursering young plants, selection process and all my ups and downs during this exciting journey.

I started my hybridization experiments about 10 years ago, and since then I managed to produce some varieties which are still in testing. 

Hybridization of roses and daylilies is done in Vienna, Austria, in my rooftop garden, where I keep my parent plants (mostly, pollen parents, as I can collect pollen elsewhere). It is very important to have them within reach for a swift handling and for statistics. The young seedlings are kept there as well. Hence, the first step of selection is made in my rooftop garden. Those seedlings who performed well, are taken to my test field, which is about 120 km away to the north-west of the country. 

My test field is an untamed area, with a different climate, where only the strongest can survive. It is about 550 m above sea level. It is a very exposed spot. Unfortunately, it has a lot of voles, too. The winters are harsh and windy. These factors, taken together, represent the hardest selection step for my plants. 

On the other hand I am trying to create a small arboretum, which has some patches of roses and perennials, with a few test beds for seedlings. This ‚garden‘ (if it can be called so) is still very young, and the plants (trees and shrubs) are being added constantly.  

More information about myself: I hold a doctorate degree in molecular genetics. My research background is based in molecular biology, cell and tissue culture. Considering an additional experience of working with animals as model organisms, it allows me to use an advanced information to come closer to my breeding goals. A deeper glance into mechanisms underlying the links between genotype and phenotype never stops to fascinate me. We still do not know too much about genetics of plants, as the genes, though already sequenced, are still being annotated, which is a long and demanding process. The usual polyploidy in plants as well as the presence of regulatory elements combined with an orchestrated manner of action allow an unpredictible variation of outcome in phenotypes. This adds not only more complication, but also an excitement for a breeder, and possibly a little sense of a true magic, which is undoubtedly present in nature. 

  Images: my rose seedlings