Width & Substance in Miniatures

Graham Fleming wrote:
> Steve/ Brian/ David
> We have been making good progress with petal coverage on our standard miniatures. My own view is that is all a matter of what parents you have to use. We have been using N. asturiensis ssp. vasconicus for both miniaturising and petal coverage. The other more difficult route is via breeding down. Rod Barwick has a nice miniature W-P with lots of petal coverage.
> Kind regards
> Graham

Most certainly do agree “it is all a matter of what parents you have to use”!!!! Graham, it is also interesting that you have gotten nice things out of N. asturiensis. Marilynn Howe’s superb ‘Xana’ (exceptional selection of N. asturiensis) has been an outstanding parent here. Dr. Leone Low’s fine ‘Roundita’ has been (and continues to be!) a choice parent for increased petal width. Below is a very small 02-04-8 which is a Miniature seedling that combines them both. The second photo is of “3 out of 4” with somewhat improved width. The bottom right flower is quite good overall. The ‘Lilliput’ seedling in the upper right has good width and some overlap with OK substance. Truthfully though, it is a weak, uninspiring grower and increaser. So hard to get everything you’d like in one “package”:. As mentioned, I feel there has been some small progress here as far as width in some Miniature seedlings.

Re. – Breeding Down. I have tended to use the smallest Intermediates that I can get into my grubby hands in order to breed down. Sterility/partial sterility shows up often when bred with the Miniature diploid lines here. Photo 3 is of V02-42-4 which is a 1Y-Y Intermediate. It was deemed worthy to win the Best Intermediate Ribbon, the Rose Ribbon and came in 2nd for the Gold Ribbon. When awarded here in Oregon in 2009, it measured 54mm in diameter. It has been a good seed parent but its progeny seem not to be. Again this is when combined with diploids to reduce size.

Photo 4 is of specific results from Breeding Down. This is an Intermediate that is almost Miniature that will be named and released this year. It is from a small pink Intermediate seedling of Sid DuBose times a Miniature white seedling. This clone has partly fertile pollen but is a very reluctant seeder. It is a rabbit as far as increase but has only poor to fair substance. The same rating for substance that I would give its parent and grandparents!

Re. – Substance. I frankly have not seen the same type of even “slight progress” in terms of being able to improve the overall substance in Miniatures. This is certainly true when exclusively using the (mostly) diploid species. A few show things do show some improved substance but nothing at all as far as improvement “across the board”. Again my speculation; might this be because we are lacking “a touch of poeticus” in the Miniatures?

Steve

Steve Vinisky

Sherwood, Oregon USA