Hybrid teas have everything you look for in a flower: beauty, fragrance and easy care. They are a cross between hybrid perpetuals and old fashioned tea roses and are the most popular rose in the world and perhaps the most popular flower. Hybrid teas generally produce only one blossom at the end of the stem, rather than clusters of flowers. They have an open rather than bushy habit and almost all are repeat bloomers throughout the growing season and offer some degree of fragrance. The flowers on hybrid tea roses may have over 60 petals and be as large as 5 inches across.
Hybrid tea roses usually have long stems and a pretty flower on top, and they should be pruned by trimming off 12 to 18 inches from the top. Choose a variety suited to your climate and zone.
- If your summers are humid, look for mildew resistance.
- Where summers are dry, look for heat tolerance and vigorous root systems.
- If you live where winters are harsh, provide extra protection. Roses with thick petals are hardier in variable weather and last longer as cut flowers.
Planting Hybrid Tea Roses
If your rose plants come bare root, remove the packing around the roots and soak them in a bucket of water for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
- Be sure the soil in the planting area is loose and rich in organic matter.
- Dig a hole large enough to spread out the roots, usually 12-18 inches in diameter.
- Make a cone-shaped mound with soil, in the centre of the hole and spread the roots out over the mound.
- Check the depth of the rose in the hole by placing a shovel handle across the hole.
- The bud union, the visible knob at the base of the plant. In warm climates the bud union should be 1-2 inches above soil level. In colder climates, bury the bud union 1-2 inches below ground level. This union should always be protected in cold winters.
- Fill the hole half way with soil and water well to remove any air pockets.
- Finish filling with soil and water again.
- Once the rose is planted you can prune the top growth.