Tea roses, or tea-scented China roses, as they were first called, appeared in London about 1810, from a cross between Rosa gigantea and Rosa chinensis. They were called tea-scented because their fragrance seemed reminiscent of a newly-opened chest of tea.
Tea roses were an immediate hit in Europe and quickly spread to the rest of the rose-growing world. Hybridizers from Italy got into the production of tea roses, and a number of tea roses with Italian names are listed in French nursery catalogs from 1825.
Tea roses remained popular until the first World War, but fewer teas were being produced by breeders and the worldwide depression caused many people to rethink how they spent their money.
Over the last several years however, Old Garden Roses have become very popular, and Tea Roses are, once again, darlings of the rose world.
The beauty of Hybrid Tea Roses lies in their exquisitely formed, pointed ‘bud flowers’. Each stem usually holds a single flower with sparse foliage at the base.
Hybrid Teas have a broad colour palette, which includes many bright, vibrant shades. Contrary to what is often believed, some varieties are very fragrant, although others have no fragrance at all.
They do not blend well with other plants in the mixed border, but with their short, upright habit of growth they are excellent for rose beds, formal rose gardens and even narrow borders – particularly borders along a fence or in front of the house.
Hybrid teas traditionally produce the showiest blooms. In fact, most roses at florist shops are hybrid tea varieties. Today’s rose breeding emphasizes fragrance as well as plant vigor. The form of a hybrid tea rose is tall and upright, with sparse foliage toward the base. The blooms develop singly on long stems, and the buds are often as elegant as the open blooms.
Hybrid teas require careful pruning while still dormant in early spring to ensure good air circulation through the plant and development of vigorous, healthy canes. A sunny location with well-drained, fertile soil and rose food applied at least three times a season will guarantee abundant flowers to enjoy in a vase. Protect roses in cold climates with heavy mulching around the base of the plant.
Flowering commences in June and will repeat bloom until the autumn months.Nearly all hybrid tea roses bloom repeatedly throughout the summer. They love their sunshine and will need a minimum of five hours of sunshine to perform well, the more sunshine the better usually.The morning sunshine is the best with partial shading from the hottest afternoon sun being welcome.
The hybrid tea rose is considered a Modern Rose and came about from a cross of the hybrid perpetual rose and the tea rose. The hybrid tea roses hardiness exceeds that of her parents and, thus, has become a very popular rose bush indeed.
Most of the hybrid teas have a wonderful fragrance, that fragrance being mild to powerful. Some favorite hybrid tea roses are: Veterans’ Honor Rose ,Chicago Peace Rose, Gemini Rose ,Liebeszauber Rose and Mister Lincoln Rose.
If you have any information,questions, or feedback you would like to include in this webpage.
Please email momo19@naturekingdoms.com or leave your comments below.