Hi Yes Charles de gaulle has those colourings I have just planted one but I dont
know how it will go in our humid conditions, I will let you know later on.

I also planted seeds, mine from the Hips of Bonica I planted them early April nothing coming
up yet either does anyone know just how long it takes for them to come up. Cheers....MM

Look up find a rose on the web,at Blue Nile,Song of Paris,Lagerfeld,Blue River and Vol de Nuit see what you think,might help,greencroc.

A lot of roses don't set hips, something to do with them being sterile. Side effect of hybridisation I suppose. If you want baby roses you may have to learn how to strike cuttings.
Regarding the flowering, many roses flower in 'flushes'. Heaps of flowers at once and then they recover and get ready for the next lot. Not so many (HT's especially) flower continuously.
Cheers
Judy

Hi I have Blue Moon for about 3 seasons and it blooms regularly thru the season.I have less blooms per flush.
Other ones I have that are "blue" are
Angel Face---a ripper!
Charles de Gaulle--very reliable
Blueberry Hill
Shocking Blue
All of the above except for Blueberry Hill have a knockout perfume.

...but the Blueberry Hill flower is magnificent. This is one of my favourite roses.

If you like hips try royal highness....It's soft pink but white in the heat. Surely every bloom on my very prolificly flowering example sets a hip.
Of course many of the oldies also set hips readily too.

I've tried Ernest's Blue over the last year. Nice flower, deep colour, but not superior to Blue Moon and nowhere near the fragrance.

Love Potion has a magenta colouration much like Shocking Blue but it repeats hard and fast. Perfume will knock ya socks off and hips are produced freely with lots of seed.
Viability of seed? Wouln't have a clue, ask me in a few months and I may know.We live on the Sunshine Coast too (Cooloola Shire, hinterland) and I can assure you that the high number of flushes you've seen on your Blue Moon is normal for this region because of the short and often mild Winters here. A run of tropical or excessively wet weather will eventually spoil your momentum in this area, particularly with hybrid teas but that comes and goes. From what you described, there's little you could do to improve the performance of your Blue Moon. Good luck with the next blue.
Mr Thrip

Hi Thrip

I have a love potion too and wonder if you can tell me when to collect the hips, do they go brown or something and do you have to take any special care with them before you grow them?. I agree that love potion is a beauty and it was the second rose that I ever bought which has flowered.
Jan

Hi Paradisi Yes Blue Moon is very fragrant although I've always found the colour a bit insipid. I much prefer Charles de Gaulle, Shocking Blue, Vol da Nuit and my favourite and the most stunning of all Blue River which also has tons of perfume. I'm trying an Ernest's Blue this year but he is struggling. Incidentaly a really spectacular Blue / Purple rose is Stephen's Big Purple. It really is a purple colour and a real standout in the garden. Bred by Sam McCready I think. My roses a in middle of their big spring flush and look terrific at moment . I have about 90 bushes. Cheers

Hi Jan
I'm only dabbling with hybridising myself but the recommendations for raising roses from seed are fairly similar wherever you go.
Love Potion is beginning to show promise as a seed parent.I have cold treated (fridge for 6 to 10 weeks) all of my seed from LP bar a half dozen which I planted without treating.To my surprise all of them germinated over a four week period beginning about two months after sowing.
Some basic guidelines are:*collect seed in late summer or Autum*cold treatment*sow Mid Autum to Winter*germination takes between 3days and 3years.
Ps hips can be harvested when they begin to show orange colour.
PPS For additional/comprehensive info you can buy a little book (about six dollars) from the Australian Rose Breeders Association. ph.(08)8263 5855.It's called "The Amateur Rose Breeders Guide"by Ron J Bell.

Post us some piccy's when you get a result.
Good luck
Thrip

Thanks Thrip, you might be waiting a while though
Jan

Blue Moon! Now I refuse to plant that rose in my garden! When it was first released I was told that the lady next door had a blue rose. Big excitement! As my favourite colour was, and still is blue, I was fascinated. I imagined a rose with that beautiful french blue colouring! When I saw the rose and realised that it was a pale, wishy washy mauve/grey colour I felt so let down. I can still feel the disappointment nearly forty years later.

However...I think that one may have crept into my garden all by itself... My hedge of 24 Icebergs around the underground tank, produced a bush with fragrant mauve roses half way around the line. I have since moved it to the mauve bed and replaced the Iceberg. As I bought it at Big W, from where I've had quite a few mislabels, I bet it's Blue Moon! They are a very common variety from that shop and I reckon it's come just to haunt me and tell me not to be so silly.