It could be. What you haven't been told is sometimes seeds can take a year or two, sometimes longer, to germinate. Much depends upon the condition of the seed when planted. Yes, you want the containers opened. Think about it. In Nature, the hips fall and rot, exposing the seeds which sit on the ground in the litter mulch. They frequently germinate all by themselves. Or, some critter eats the hip, digesting the pulp and fibers, passing the seeds encapsulated in "guano" where they fall to the ground and germinate. Sometimes, if the conditions have been appropriate and the plant in good shape, they sprout quickly. If the plant has been stressed enough, the seeds dried out long enough and conditions sufficiently unsuitable, they wait. I was sent fresh seed from R. Xanthina two years ago. I planted half last year with no seedlings resulting. I'd transplanted the seedlings surrounding them in the seed table and knew which were neighbors to the Xanthina seed. Suddenly, there were Xanthina seeds germinating in the other seedlings, the second year after planting. This year, I planted the second half of the Xanthina seeds in the tables. There are two seedlings from those seeds right now in the tables. Banksiae seeds are known to usually require two years to germinate. Several years ago, I had one germinate from freshly collected seed after only four months under soil. None of the others germinated before I reused the soil. This year, I planted a large amount of fresh Banksiae seed I collected in the garden. There are three seedlings right now from seed which has been planted only three, nearly four months. Bottom line is, you can set the stage for optimum germination in attempts to stack the deck to get what you want, but they are going to do whatever they decide to do based on a variety of factors. Fortunately, many do as we expect them to. Good luck! Kim

Alternatively, if it's more convenient and you're not too squeamish, you can squash them by running your fingers and thumb (gently) up the stems and buds - makes one's fingers all greenish and interesting-smelling!! Check from time to time to see if any more have appeared, and repeat as necessary. :¬)

You can plant them outdoors but first you have to get them used to sun and the outdoors (hardening off). 15 minutes of sun the first day, then put them in shade. Next day a half hour in sun, and so on for 2 weeks. 50 degrees is not freezing for roses. They are hardy up north. Take them indoors if temps go below 55 for the night. After hardening them off, they can stay outdoors all year.

Thanks for your suggestions! Solero - I don't think so based on pictures I'm finding - mine is lighter, with a more HT habit. Summer Love looks darker, Edith Darling - don't think so. Karl Ploberger - wow, that's the closest so far I've found. But I think mine may have a lesser pedal count, and I see descriptions of moderate to very fragrant. This rose has only a hint of fragrance. I was very much thinking this was a Hybrid Tea, and not a Shrub Rose (but who knows!!) I've looked through all the Weeks Roses, and haven't yet found a match. I too thought about White Licorice, but I have smelled that rose and indeed it's superbly fragrant. At the nursery, this rose was in a section of "odd" roses off to the side. They didn't know what it was. Still searching, with a "could be, but a little skeptical" on Karl Ploberger.