Roses colouring

[Lee Oakes]

What is it that actually influences the colour of rose petals. I would have said the acidity of the soil but only thing is then like the rhodendrum u would have blue or red ?

[quattro]

It is years of breeding the original rose must have been a wild rose but selection of different types and breeding by cross pollination have produced the wide variety of types and colours that we have now . I read an article once and it explained that you could produce your own rose types or colours by simply cross pollination of your roses . If say you have a red rose and a yellow rose and you cross pollinate them you could grow half red roses and half yellow roses and maybe one or two orange roses for example . Soil acidity has more of an influence on hydrangeas as you can change the colour by increasing the soil acidity.

[sft42]

Spot on quattro....and don't alter the soil pH to try and change any plant colours other than hydrangea especially rhoddies as the are eracious plants and need and acid soil to thrive.