A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Plants and Flowers Forum The Rose Grower's Forum Why did my rose suddenly produce new type flowers?

My rose gets 5 petaled pink/white flowers twice a year. This Fall the flowers bloomed, and they all look like double petaled roses, certainly not 5 petals anymore! This is not side shoots that sprouted this year, this the same canes i've had for years and cut back each Winter. This is the first time this has happened and i've had this plant for 6 + years of blooming.

The only thing I did different was try to cross pollinate this rose plant with multiflora rose pollen. I am not sure in response to new pollen if that can cause changes in developing flowers?

Anyway the top picture is from the Summer, the bottom if from now.
[img]http://lh6.ggpht.com/BzpSAZNLMJpFeS...DSxuzivWGrKAD0VyuIRwsx-mlZSAo9ANdwXRaQeN[/img]
[img]http://lh6.ggpht.com/b59_XQ4yvM3Sfh...pXMa7mfi7NYMyC7tpFWFSRLYKfxW7-cGb8=s1200[/img]

I guess this is something nobody heard of going by the lack of replies.

I have had many plants alter for unknown reasons. I just did not have an answer for you as to why your rose did. But I actually like the change. I was hoping a more knowledgeable person might answer.

Take your pick
Some reversion in dna to a parent plant.
Also sometimes weather change triggers this(different heat/lighting) conditions.
Spontaneous mutation
Some herbicide type damage also may cause chimera (mutation).
Growth below a graft
radiation spike from the sun/other source

One of my tropical hibiscus blooms double peach color. Every so often it puts out a single darker flower. This part goes back to double later

I took a cutting off the limb with the darker color single flower, rooted it, and it grew into another different looking hibiscus. (A sport)

Just a lot of different reasons. It may or may not revert back to original next year. The 2nd blooming looks nice though.

I was reading, this might be called a Sport, when the plant sends up a shoot and the flowers are different than the originals. This is also how new rise varieties come to be.

How old is the plant? Was it fertilized? Better "nutrition" can also change flowering results as can the age of the plant. The flowers didn't change color, just the number of petals.

They require minimal maintenance. With just a little effort, you can have glorious blooms all season long. You should prune canes once leaf buds appear in the spring to stimulate plant growth. Cut each cane back by half. Use sharp scissors or clippers. Fertilize roses each spring once new growth appears. Use a rose-specific fertilizer and follow label directions carefully. rose fertilizer is available as a liquid concentrate and as pellets. Liquid concentrate is mixed with water and poured at the base of the plant. Pellet form fertilizer is shaken on the soil around the plant. Either application is effective; pellets are applied less often than the liquid concentrate. Work shredded leaves, compost or other organic material into the ground around the rose bush. Do not disturb the plant's roots. Shovel a 1- to 3-inch layer of mulch on top of the soil surrounding the rose; this helps the plant retain moisture and limits weed growth. Avoid laying mulch up against the base of plant as that could cause stem rot.

Water plant once or twice a week, supplementing the natural rainfall. Water deeply and aim for the base of the plant. roses require 4-5 gallons of water per week during the growing season. Shallow watering may cause the development of weak roots. Prune the rose bush as flowers finish blooming. This will stimulate new growth. Once a flower is done blooming, cut back that cane. Perform the cut with sharp scissors or clippers and aim for a spot directly above a leaf bud. New growth will appear just below the cut.