Hybrid Tea Roses - Developing A Great Understanding

From Teas, Grandifloras, Hybrids, and Floribundas, you'll find that there is a very vast world of roses, and there are so many different types, that even gardeners who are experienced may find it confusing. So, what are hybrid tea roses? Well, basically they are created by crossing the China Tea rose with a Hybrid Perpetual, which is a European rose.

Usually the roses that you see in windows of florist shops right before Valentines Day are hybrid tea roses. These are the images that most people have when they think of classic roses. They usually have rather large blooms, and for each stem, there is only one rose produced. These blooms unfold with large petals that look like velvet and come out in a variety of layers. They are often favorites of people who enjoy cutting long stemmed roses to display in their homes. Also, photographers love to photograph them as well, since there are many colors available and the petals look wonderful. Since they flower on a regular basis, usually hybrid tea roses are known as monthly roses or even ever blooming roses.

Back in the middle of the 19th century, the hybrid tea roses became very popular. In fact, they became the most popular rose to have in the rose garden. During the Victorian era there was a lot of experimentation done with these roses, using cross pollinization and it resulted in hybridized tea roses. The breeders during this time were working to bring perpetual flower roses together with a rose that looked beautiful and elegant, and they definitely achieved their goal when they started propagating hybrid tea roses. Putting the Hybrid Perpetual and Tea rose together was a great combination.

The first official hybrid tea rose was known as the "la France." It was discovered to a Frenchman in 1867, known as Giullot. In fact, they actually think that his discovery of this rose was accidental. He was working to create a yellow rose that was large and bright, but accidentally came up with a rose that was silvery-pink that had bright pink tips. It was a very fragrant and large flower for the time. With the beautiful colors and the huge blooms, the La France was definitely the star of the era.

Through time, hybrid tea roses continued to become more and more popular. With their long stem, it was easy to see the blooms and easy to cut as well. People loved their beautiful, vivid colors and the unfurling buds were so elegant that many people found them so much more beautiful and dramatic than any other roses. Also, the blooms they produced were bigger and they produced more frequently as well, making them quite popular.

Today most of the time hybrid tea roses are grown for the purpose of using them for cut flowers. During the Victorian Era they were prominently used for landscaping, but today they are not so common in this way. However, you can add them to your garden if you want to. If you choose to plant a hybrid tea rose in your rose garden, here are some tips that will help you find the right rose for your garden.

-Tip #1 - Are you looking for a rose that smells wonderful? If so, then these hybrid tea roses may not be the right choice. You'll find that usually they only have a very light scent.

-Tip #2 - If you are looking for a low maintenance rose, this is probably not the right choice. During the hot summer months, hybrid tea roses need to be watered frequently. If you don't have time to water on a regular basis, then these roses may not be for you.

-Tip #3 - Looking for long stemmed huge blooms that you can cut and display? If so, then hybrid tea roses will be just the thing. However, if you are looking for roses for landscaping, you'll probably want to go with climbing roses or perhaps Grandifloras.

-Tip #4 - If you don't want to deal with many thorns, you'll want to pick a different rose. You see, hybrid tea roses are known for their thorns. While there are a few thornless hybrid tea roses out there, they are often quite expensive and can be hard to find.