Rose Blogs

There are so many varieties of roses that any gardener regardless of his experience will be confused at some point. Here are some facts about the hybrid tea rose that you’ve probably heard so much about. The hybrid tea rose is the result of crossing the Hybrid Perpetual (a European rose) with the Chinese Tea rose.

In simple language, hybrid tea roses are those that you see in the florist’s window in the days before Valentine’s Day. Hybrid tea roses are the traditional image of rose beauty. They have beautifully large blooms (usually 6 inches in diameter), and typically produce only one bloom per stem. It blooms elegantly, with big velvet petals spiraling out from the center in mesmerizing layers. Hybrid tea roses are the gardener’s favorite, especially of those who love to cut long-stemmed flowers to put on display. They are also popular with photographers who love to capture the burst of petals and colors that hybrid tea roses offer. Because they flower continuously, hybrid tea roses are often called ever blooming or monthly roses.

Hybrid tea roses gained immense popularity in the middle of the nineteenth century, when they became “the” rose to have in the garden. The Victorian Era saw a flurry of experimentation with cross pollinization done by plant breeders. This resulted in the culmination of hybridized tea roses. Victorian Era plant breeders wanted to balance elegance and beauty with perpetual flowering, and they achieved this with the propagation of hybrid tea roses. The Tea rose, always admired for its repeated blooms, proved to be the perfect complement for the Hybrid Perpetual.

The ‘La France’ is normally considered to be the first official hybrid tea rose, although breeders of those days did not keep accurate records. A Frenchman ,popularly referred to as Giullot, discovered it in 1867. It is believed that his discovery of the La France was an accident. He was trying to produce a large bright yellow rose, but instead came up with a rose with silvery-pink blooms that turned bright pink at the tip of the petals. The flower was had a nice fragrance and was very large (nearly 5 inches in diameter) for its time. The big bloom and dramatic colors of the La France made it the star of its day.

Hybrid Tea roses grew in popularity. Their long ‘lollipop’ stems allowed clear visibility of the bloom and relatively easy cutting. With their lovely color designs and the elegance of their unfurling buds, they were became much more dramatic than previous roses. Probably the most important fact was that hybrid tea roses produced larger and more frequent blooms.

Now hybrid tea roses are much more common as cut flowers. They are not as prominent in landscape settings as they were in the Victorian Era. However, if you would like to add the classic beauty of the hybrid tea rose to your garden, here are some tips to help you choose the right hybrid tea rose for you.

Do you want large blooms on long stems that you can arrange and put on display? Hybrid tea roses are just the thing for you. But if you’re looking for roses to landscape your home, consider Grandifloras or climbing roses, instead.

If however, you want a rose that emits a strong fragrance, hybrid tea roses may not be for you. Hybrid tea roses usually give off only a faint scent.

Do you want a relatively low-maintenance rose, or are you prepared to water every day in during the hot summer months? In general, hybrid tea roses need a lot of water, especially if the weather is hot. If you’re not inclined to do a lot of watering, hybrid tea roses may be a bad choice. Also, hybrid tea roses do not thrive in the company of weeds, so be prepared to provide proper maintenance.

Can you handle thorns? Hybrid tea roses are famous for their thorns. If you are not sure you’ll have the patience to deal with this thorny issue, you may want to reconsider hybrid tea roses. However, breeders have produced several ‘thornless’ varieties of hybrid tea roses. These ‘thornless’ roses may be a little more expensive and difficult to find, but the problem are more than compensated by their beauty.