Marianne's Response
Varigation in flower color
What causes variegation in flower color? I have three confederate roses that I am growing in the same area that came from cuttings I received from my sister. The flowers are normally pink, but the last two years, one plant produces a flower that has pink, deep red, and white flowers, sometimes all the colors on the same flower.
Would love to know how to duplicate this plant, as my sister and her friend (from whom she got the cuttings), have never gotten variegated flowers.
Posted by Donna Roller on November 9, 2020
Marianne's Response
First, what a great photo and those bi colored blooms are lovely. The answer to why flowers change color or bloom with two colors is due to both temperature and soil conditions. Sometimes this also happens due to a true genetic change that randomly happens to all living things. In the case of your roses I would guess temperature changes. Taking cuttings of the mother plant is the best way to get a new plant that will be genetically the same as the original but not much you can do about the new environment and the way this will change the color of the blooms. Best to just enjoy the surprise and celebrate that gardening is an adventure. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti
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