These delightful roses give you the best of both worlds as most are perpetual bloomers with the structure and floral structure of many of the heritage roses. There are hundreds of hybrids available so there is something for all tastes and garden designs. They are versatile and, with a bit of care and maintenance, easy to look after. They are a delight in any garden and look spectacular when planted in groups.

Hybrid Tea Rose Details

The History of the Hybrid Tea Rose

Hybrid tea roses were one of the first of what we now call modern roses and date back to 1867. This was the year that modern roses were recognized and that was due to the breeding of the “La France” rose. Since then, many hybrid roses have been bred, and a plethora of hybrids and varieties are available. They are a popular choice and available in most areas. What adds to their popularity is the repeat blooming habits with relatively good hardiness. They are the largest group of modern roses with a multitude of colors.  

Hybrid Tea Growth Habit 

The plants grow rapidly and range from around 3 to 8 feet in height.  They tend to grow more upright with less spread than many other similar roses. Most have long stems, often with a singular generous bloom. This makes them ideal for use in a vase. Even the pointed buds look attractive before unfurling.

Hybrid Tea Flower Structure

The blooms have a classic structure that opens slowly into a perfect rose shape. They have a high center and are a decent size. Fantastically, they tend to be larger than most floribundas and similar roses. Given that there are so many hybrids these are general rules and do not apply to all varieties one might encounter.

Hybrid Tea Fragrance

As with many modern hybrids, some have a delightful and noticeable fragrance while others lack a powerful perfume. Breeders often make a compromise between various factors such as flower color and prolific blooming at the expense of fragrance. While the vast majority do not have an exceptional fragrance, many will delight you with an enchanting perfume.

Hybrid Tea Rose Applications 

These roses make exceptional bedding plants, and you are spoilt for color choices. They are also great for parks and landscaping provided that get the preparation and care they need. They also work well in containers if you want to add a splash of color to your outdoor living area. If you are looking for cut flowers for the vase, hybrid teas are one of the leading options.

Hybrid Tea Rose Growing Zones

Again, given the vast number of hybrids and their origins, hardiness can differ between cultivars. Generally, U.S. hardiness zones 5 to 8 are ideal for these roses. Some can, however, handle zones outside of that range. For more information on how Plant Hardiness Zones work follow the link to our feature article and maps.

Planting the Hybrid Tea Rose

Planting instructions are similar to most other roses. They like a well-draining acidic soil with a 6 to 6.5 pH.

You can plant them any time of the year provided the soil is not frozen or waterlogged. Autumn to early spring is the ideal time to allow them to settle before they start their growing adventure. See our feature article on Planing a Rose Garden here. 

Watering Hybrid Tea Roses

The basic principles of watering roses apply but take particular care not to splash the leaves as many hybrids are prone to disease. Water the base deeply at least twice a week in the warmer months and reduce when the cold sets in.

Propagating Hybrid Tea Roses

Remember that many of the hybrid tea roses are protected by patents so it is not legal to propagate them without the appropriate license agreement.

The most common method of propagating these roses is budding or bud grafting. This is done by grafting a desirable bud from a healthy parent plant onto quality rootstock that is disease-resistant. This is best done in spring and the plants will need some nurturing until established, normally a year or so.

One can also grow from cuttings. The process is the same as with any other rose.  

Another way to propagate new hybrid tea roses is from seed. This takes a bit more effort, but the resulting plant is often healthier than grafted plants or those grown from cuttings. One needs to harvest the seeds and chill them for around 8 weeks. Note that not all seeds will germinate so the more you plant the better chance you have of several successful plants.

Fertilizing Hybrid Teas

Some roses need minimal fertilizer if they have nutrient-rich soil, the hybrid tea is not one of them. The right fertilizer applied at the correct time will give you a healthy bush with stunning bountiful blooms. Without it, they might disappoint you.

Your first feed should be at the start of spring and then again after the first and second flush of blooms. An organic fertilizer is easy to apply and eco-friendly but you can use a balanced manufactured fertilizer such as 5-10-5.

Ensure you stop feeding long before frost and cold conditions are imminent. See more on fertilizing in our care section.

Hybrid Tea Pests and Diseases

The one minor downside to these roses is that are not as hardy as some of the other options. Don’t let that put you off. With a bit of care and effort, they will thrive for many years. Another point to note, if you do encounter issues, is that many hybrids are noticeably more resistant than others. The idea is to select accordingly.

• Pests

Pests do not pose a major problem. If the plants are healthy and get enough light and air circulation, this should not be an issue. You might encounter aphids and occasionally spider mites and Japanese beetles. These are simple to deal with provided you spot them before they do too much damage.

• Diseases

Depending on the specific hybrid and conditions, one might encounter rust, powdery mildew, and most commonly black spot. Fortunately, none of these issues will kill your rose bush but they are unsightly and will impede growth and bloom production.

We go into more detail about how to identify, prevent, or treat these issues in our section on Hybrid Tea Rose care. 

Pruning a Hybrid Tea

Effective pruning is important for healthy growth and well-shaped plants. It will encourage vigorous growth and increase blooming. The good news is that hybrid tea roses are one of the easier options to prune correctly.  

We go into more detail in the section on hybrid tea rose care, but the basics are simple.  

The best time to prune is just before or as new growth is about to appear. Remove all dead sections with sharp and sterile secateurs. The other goal is to give the bush an attractive shape. Cut with a slant to reduce the risk of water accumulation as this will lead to disease. Cut just above a node, one of the lower growing nodes.

Hybrid Tea Cultivars

There are so many delightful varieties of hybrid tea roses that it is tricky to select only a few. We have already discussed these classics in our main article on rose varieties:

• Madame Caroline Testout
• Elina
• Double Delight
• Tequila Sunrise
• Mr. Lincoln
• Veterans’ Honor
• Voodoo

Here are a few other beauties:

• Chicago Peace

This sought-after hybrid tea rose has large, cupped flowers that are a spectacular combination of orange, yellow, and pink. It can grow up to 7 feet and has rich green foliage. It prefers the warmer zones. Watch out for the blackspot as the seasons turn cooler.

• Stevens Big Purple

This is a striking specimen with rich mauve petals. The large blooms have 35 to 70 petals. It is also one of the more fragrant roses in this class with a rich luscious aroma, reminiscent of heritage roses.

• Rose Deep Secret

It is no secret that this is an attractive rise, also in deep mauve color with large velvety blooms. This is another example of hybrid tea with a beautiful fragrance.

• Pope John Paul II

Yet another favorite, this classic white rose has an awesome structure and again, has a delightful fragrance. The blooms are large, and the plant has lush foliage. It grows to a decent height and makes a divine cut flower.

• Dawn Chorus

With the typical hybrid tea high center, this remarkable fully double flower has lush orange blooms with a hint of yellow at the petal base. It does not have a significant fragrance.

• Fragrant Cloud

As the name suggests this hybrid also has a pleasing fragrance. It is coral salmon in color.

• Compassion

One of the climbing options, this rose has elegant apricot blooms and a sweet fragrance.

• Freedom

The double blooms are a vibrant yellow. Freedom grows vigorously and is one of the more disease-resistant options.

• Just Joey

This beautiful option has large double blooms with ruffled petals. They are apricot with red veins.

There are hundreds more and we could go on for hours. The above depicts some of the favorites. You need to decide on the best options for your space in terms of color, fragrance, hardiness, and size.

Conclusion

With so many options, it might be hard to decide on which hybrid tea rose to select. The solution is to get a few. They are delightful roses with many benefits. The range of colors is delightful, and they will work well in any sunny spot in the garden.