Guide to Hybrid Tea Roses

Hybrid teas are the most popular type of rose, admired for their spectacular ‘pointed’ blooms and graceful, upright habit. They produce large, shapely flowers which open from high-centred buds on long, straight stems, typically one bloom per stem. They flower in three flushes between June and September against a backdrop of slightly toothed, glossy deep green leaves and stiff, upright stems. Each bloom has many velvety petals arranged in a uniform pattern, ideal for formal gardens, flower beds, narrow borders and the cutting garden. Their long, straight stems make them particularly well suited to incorporating into floral arrangements in a vase indoors.

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What are hybrid tea roses?
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Brief history of hybrid tea roses
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Comparison of hybrid tea, floribunda and polyantha roses
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How to choose a hybrid tea rose
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Where to grow hybrid tea roses
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When to plant a hybrid tea rose
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How to plant a hybrid tea rose
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Growing hybrid tea roses in containers
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Pruning hybrid tea roses
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Caring for hybrid tea roses through the seasons

What are hybrid tea roses?

Hybrid tea refers to the top part of the rose which produces the impressive blooms we all know and love. This top part of the rose is called the scion and is grafted onto a bottom part called the rootstock. Grafting allows the scion rose to perform better and faster than it would on its own roots as it helps impart some of the rootstock’s vigour into the top part of the rose.

Hybrid tea roses can be grafted onto a range of different root stocks including Fortuniana, Manetti, Multiflora, Dr Huey and Odorata. These produce a rose that is vigorous with a balanced framework of rigid branches. The scion variety is the name you’ll see listed by rose growers/retailers on their website and in rose catalogues, such as Rose Double Delight, Rose Lovers Meeting and Rose Red Devil.

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Brief history of hybrid tea roses

Hybrid tea roses were created in France in the mid-1800s as a cross between hybrid perpetual and tea roses. They adopt characteristics from both of their parents, combining the repeat flowering capability of tea roses with the superior hardiness of hybrid perpetuals. They are the oldest class of modern garden roses and also the largest and most popular group of roses.

Comparison of hybrid tea, floribunda and polyantha roses

The main difference between hybrid tea and floribunda roses is that hybrid teas typically produce large flowers individually on long-straight stems, whereas floribundas produce smaller flowers held together in clusters that clothe the entire bush. The upright growth habit of hybrid teas means they don’t blend as well with other plants in the mixed border but they are well suited for rose beds, formal rose gardens and narrow borders. Hybrid teas are particularly effective for narrow borders along a fence or in front of the house. In contrast, floribunda roses are well suited for adding permanence and structure to wider flower beds and mixed borders, combined with other flowering and ornamental plants.

The eventual height and spread of hybrid tea roses varies a lot by variety but they are generally larger than most floribundas and polyantha roses. Blooms of course have the typical hybrid tea shape and are available in an impressive range of colours spanning oranges, yellows, pinks, reds, purples, creamy whites and almost everything else in between. In the table below we’ve tried to demystify the main differences between hybrid tea, floribunda and polyantha roses to help you to understand which might be most suitable for your site and situation.

How to choose a hybrid tea rose

There are a wide range of hybrid tea roses available in an impressive range of colours, so it’s worth considering which is best suited to your site and situation. We recommend checking out our separate article on ‘Ten of the Best Hybrid Tea Roses’ for some ideas and inspiration. Whilst selection is partly a matter of personal taste, give some thought to these points when choosing a hybrid tea rose:

• Flower Colour – hybrid tea roses come in almost every colour of the rainbow. The only colours they do not naturally grow in are blue and black, although through clever breeding, blueish varieties such as Rose ‘Twice in a Blue Moon’ are now available. Think about the broader colour scheme in your garden and how you want your hybrid tea rose flowers to fit in. Cool colours like purples and blues are calming and can make the garden feel more serene. Warm colours like yellows, oranges and reds are energising and make the garden feel vibrant. Avoid using colors that clash, like bright red and bright magenta.

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• Flower Colour (continued…) - one useful tool to help plan colour schemes in your garden is the colour wheel – see below. Colours in adjacent segments on the colour wheel combine together well because they harmonise and blend. Colours on opposite sides of the colour wheel can deliver high impact colour combinations, such as bright red flowers set off against a foil of deep green foliage. Colour triads, referring to combinations of three colours, can also be chosen by drawing an equilateral triangle (with three sides of the same length) connecting colours in the colour wheel. For example: red, yellow and blue… or violet, orange and green…

• Eventual Height and Spread – consider how the eventual height and spread of different hybrid tea roses compares to what you're looking to use them for. Sizes of hybrid tea roses vary by variety from 1-2.5 metres tall. They always have an upright, narrow growth habit, reaching no more than 1-1.3 metres wide.

• Disease Resistance – Hybrid teas can be “fussier” roses to grow than floribundas. We only sell hybrid tea roses with an acceptable level of disease resistance; however, no roses are completely immune. Growing your roses in full sun, keeping them well fed and watered to avoid stress and keeping the branches and especially graft union clear of fallen leaves and other debris are the best ways to help keep your roses healthy. Keeping a watchful eye for blackspot, mildew and rust is part of the course with growing roses. Allium plants, which include garlic and chives, can be especially useful to grow next to roses as they help prevent aphids, black spot and can also enhance the strength of the roses' fragrance.

• Scent – although hybrid tea roses as a group are well known for their rich fragrance, not all varieties are heavily scented. Be sure to check the details on the product page or search on our ‘Fragrant Rose Plants’ page if scent is a key criteria for you.

Where to grow hybrid tea roses

Hybrid tea roses like to be grown in a sunny position that is sheltered from strong winds. They will not succeed in shade or if crowded by other plants. A well-drained soil is preferred as they do not typically cope well with wet ground. If your garden naturally lies wet, incorporate some sand or coarse grid and organic matter when planting to improve drainage.

When to plant a hybrid tea rose

Potted roses can be planted at any time of the year, although from the beginning of autumn to early spring is best as this is when they are dormant. Bare root roses are available to plant during the dormancy period between November and the end of March. Do not plant roses if the ground is frozen or waterlogged. If the conditions are not appropriate, keep containerised plants in an unheated outbuilding and 'heel in' bare root roses by digging a trench in ordinary garden soil and placing the roots inside and covering with loose soil. Provide additional fleece protection if conditions are particularly harsh.

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How to plant a hybrid tea rose

Double-dig the soil before planting to eliminate compaction and ensure it is well aerated. Dig your planting hole wide enough to comfortably accommodate the roots and deep enough so the graft will rest at soil level (to spot the graft point look for a bulge at the base of the shoots).

Remove the entire plant from its pot and gently tease out the roots. Prune any roots that are damaged or broken. Spread the roots across the planting hole and position the rose so the graft union is very slightly above ground level. Backfill using a mix of the dug soil plus plenty of well-rotted organic matter such as garden compost, recycled green waste or manure. Avoid packing the soil too tightly around your new rose.

We also recommend mixing in a generous helping of rose feed as roses are heavy feeders. Firm the soil down and water well. If you want to grow several roses together, plant them 80-100cm (3 foot) apart.

Growing hybrid tea roses in containers

Growing roses in containers is a good option if you have a particularly heavy clay soil that often lies wet. By using a trough, pot or container, you’ll be able to raise it off the ground using pot feet, or simply a stone or piece of wood that’s a couple of inches thick placed in each corner of the pot. Container grown hybrid tea roses are perfect for adding a splash of colour and fragrance to the front of your home or on the patio.

Choose a container that is deep enough to accommodate the hybrid tea’s deep tap root system – ideally at least 60cm (2 feet deep). Use a rich, loam-based potting compost such as John Innes No 3, water well and top-dress with rose fertiliser each April. All other planting steps are the same as for growing roses in the ground (see above) but you'll need to pay special attention to feeding your rose using rose feed or another high potassium fertiliser regularly during the summer flowering period.

Pruning hybrid tea roses

Pruning your hybrid tea rose correctly will ensure it grows vigorously and blooms well year after year. If repeatedly left unpruned, the branches of your rose bush will gradually tangle and start to look a mess. Hybrid teas are best pruned in early March just as they are starting to grow again. Make sure you have the right equipment for the job - a good pair of gardening gloves and sharp pair of secateurs are essential.

First, remove any crossing, dead, diseased or damaged stems - cut back at the base if necessary to eliminate over-crowding and create an open, goblet shape. Ensure the centre of the rose is open to let the sunshine in and allow for good air circulation.

Next, prune the remaining stems back hard to 10-15cm (4-6 inches) above the base. The reason for cutting back hybrid teas so hard is because they bloom off new growth each year. Any less vigorous (older) shoots can be shortened about 5cm further. Finally, clear any fallen leaves and debris from around the base of the plant to keep things tidy and reduce the risk of disease and fertilise using rose feed.

Caring for hybrid tea roses through the seasons

Feeding
Hybrid tea roses have healthy appetites because they are repeat bloomers, so feed them every spring with a powder or granular rose fertiliser, and again in June or July.

Deadheading

Dead-heading hybrid tea roses throughout the summer and autumn encourages your plants to produce a further flush of fresh new blooms. Deadheading is the process of removing flowers from your plant once they are dying or dead. This will help your rose to redirect its energy into making new flowers.

On healthy stems just remove the old flowerheads, but if the flowers are held on a weak, spindly stem, it's worth pruning the whole stem out to encourge fresh, vigorous growth, cutting just before the second or third leaf down. Stop dead-heading at the end of autumn if your climber is still flowering at this point to avoid encouraging new growth that would be vulnerable to frost damage.

Cold Protection
Hybrid tea roses are generally less hardy than other types of rose, e.g. floribundas. If extreme weather conditions are forecast, provide your hybrid teas with some protection. Horticultural fleece, hessian sacks or even fresh straw secured with string and/or bin liners will help ensure your precious plants don’t get frost damaged. Protect the base of your roses, especially by the graft union, by putting extra compost around the stems at the base, being sure to remove it again once the worst of the winter frosts have passed.

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