Hurray!! I purchased Rosa primula and Rosa glutinosa last year and I thought that I had killed my primula. not only was it not killed, but the 8 inch branch is loaded with flowers!! 9 to be exact. I was so excited when I saw them that I actually did a little happy dance in next to it in joy of the occasion.
For years I have been interested in the scented-leaved roses. I don't know if other will be able to appreciate the pleasure that can be derived from walking past a bush of R. rubiginosa after a brief shower with the apple scent wafting by you in light cascades....heavenly is close to a description, but not close enough.
The idea that I could give a friend who is sick a miniature that has scented leaves as a bonus to lovely flowers gives me great joy.

On to breeding!

As my first entry in this e-journal I must warn you who read this that I have a peculiar sense of timing and the use of prose. Partly this is due to my training in ancient history and partly due the fact that I have been found to be hopelessly anachronistic in verbalizing my thoughts...in other words I can be long winded as the above statement suggests. Hopefully this trait will lessen with time and use and maybe I will even use one word answers to questions. (though the last time I did that I got in trouble from my parents.)
What I do at the moment:
I happen to be a graduate student at Fresno State University, California, studying the plant agronomic sciences with an emphasis in plant physiology and test tube growing of plants for hard to propagate species. Presently I am studying the problems of American Chestnut rooting. Which happens to be a tricky bit of work. The hopes are that by overcoming the plants natural tendency to not produce lateral roots at a young age may open new pathways of research and achievement in other species related to chestnuts (oaks, beeches. birches, Hazelnuts) which all have similar problems in propagation.
I have for years been proclaimed a plant "dork" by those closest to me...all of whom I fondly love. This epitaph actually began soon after I discovered Ortho's Rose booklet where it discussed the procedures for breeding roses. The thought in my 9 year old mind was so new and weird that I went to one of my churches best gardeners and started pestering him about the topic. He quickly tried to quash my infantile questing thinking that I was wnating to grow roses that looked more like the parents. Little did he know that I actually wanted to break into genetics and heredity.
Three years later I was introduced to Mr. Moore and Sequoia Nursery in Visalia. I lived not more then a mile from the nursery and I would visit everyday for an hour or so. I loved it! I never held a job at the nursery...I would ask every year, but I was always told too late. So instead I contented my self with taking walks with Mr. Moore around his nursery and chatting with the staff. I learned so much from them all.

-to be coninued