Hybrid tea rose shines brightly as garden superstar

Long-stemmed roses typically aren't delivered by the box or vase to Jean Hunner's Mission Viejo, Calif., home on Valentine's Day. If she's lucky, they come straight from her front yard.

Hunner grows hybrid tea roses, long-legged beauties that are among the most requested cut flowers at floral shops. For hobbyists like her, growing hybrid tea roses is an outdoor passion that yields blooms for decorating indoors.

"I love to cut them from the garden and put them in a vase," Hunner said. "I also enjoying looking over at my garden and seeing the many [rose] colors." She and her husband began growing roses in 1988 for their ornamental value and now count hybrids as the majority in the 150 or so varieties on their property.

Hybrid tea roses are the supermodels of the rose world. They typically have a long and upright stem that can grow to 5 feet and a centered bud that can open to 4 to 5 inches across. Their leggy appearance and showcase-worthy bud make them not just popular on Feb. 14 but also a year-round favorite at floral shops.

They are resilient roses that are the result of "crossing the ever-blooming tea roses with the hardier Hybrid Perpetuals," according to the Historic Roses Group in Britain. "They were grown in large quantities, with 50 or 100 of the same variety to a bed, as alternatives to bedding plants. They revolutionized garden design and laid the foundation for the great popularity which roses enjoy today."

Since 1867, when French grower Guillot et Fils discovered and introduced La France -- what rose societies all over the world consider the first hybrid tea rose -- countless varieties, including some that have been engineered to be disease-resistant and highly fragrant, have made their way to gardens every year.

Hunner, who buys new roses each year, recently planted a classic -- Meilland's Peace hybrid tea rose, which is known to be hardy and disease-resistant and has pale, watercolorlike yellow and white petals tinted along the edges with pink. It's one of the most popular roses in the world and was flown on one of the planes that left France before the German occupation. It was named for the end of World War II.

For rose novices, spring is the best time to look for one to grow because the selection of varieties is broadest at retailers, according to Leslie Mowers, rosarian and owner of Cottage Gardens/Organic Rose Care, a company that maintains residential and commercial rose gardens in Aliso Viejo, Calif. One recent introduction is Neil Diamond (yes, named for the "Sweet Caroline" singer), a striking, redolent rose that looks as if an artist had randomly brushed its white petals with shades of raspberry paint; this stunner was hybridized by Tom Carruth, curator of the rose collection at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, Calif. Also new is Meilland International's Best Kept Secret, which rose retailers have described as having a citruslike aroma, creamy petals tinged with pale pink on the edges and dark green, glossy leaves.

But don't look for lots of pots with flowers in full bloom at your nearby local nursery or garden center. Typically, retailers sell bare-root plants or roses in containers that may or may not have buds about to bloom in several weeks.

Before buying a plant, choose a spot that receives six to eight hours of full sun and prepare the right soil, Mowers said. These two requirements are critical for the rose to thrive.

"You don't put a $20 rose in a $1 hole," she explained, referring to the importance of healthy soil. Most gardeners will need to amend the soil to make it hospitable to roses and enable water to drain properly. Mowers uses an organic and acidic potting mix designed for roses. She adds perlite or pumice to improve drainage, then uses about equal amounts of that potting mix and the original soil that was removed for the hole in the ground.

She suggests getting a pH test from your nursery or garden center. Roses prefer a slightly acidic soil: 6.0 to 7 pH, according to Mowers. If you find an imbalance in the soil, you can do one of the following, she said: Lower a high pH by adding sulfur or iron sulfate, or raise the pH by adding crushed or pelletized limestone. The best way to stabilize your soil pH is to add organic compost, she said.

When buying a plant, examine it for signs of disease, insects or dead canes, Mowers said. Check if the plant is root-bound, which means that the roots have grown too big for the pot and the plant may not do as well as it should once it's in the ground. If you get a bare-root rose, soak it in a bucket of water with 10 percent bleach for at least a day to kill any bacteria on the plant.

Once you've planted the rose, cover the ground with mulch. Water it by hand regularly -- once every three to five days when the weather is cool, more frequently when the weather is warm to hot. Make sure that the soil doesn't dry out; conversely, check to see if water is draining properly and isn't leaving the soil soggy.

Beginners should keep in mind that roses can't thrive and bloom without regular maintenance. The biggest challenge: preventing diseases, including spots and rust caused by fungi, aphids and mildew. You can't just plant the roses and expect them to automatically yield gorgeous flowers. Remember, supermodels have to take good care of themselves throughout the year to look beautiful and camera-ready.

More advice from Mowers: After you've planted the rose, cover the ground with mulch and check the rose regularly for any damage or infestation. Remove diseased or fallen leaves and throw them in the trash -- do not put them in the compost. Keep the bottom 6 inches of the plant free of leaves.

When you see 2 inches of green growth, start applying organic fertilizer to the soil. In about 45 to 55 days, you should see some blooms.

With consistent care throughout the year, you might just get your rose to blossom several times before the major pruning season, in early spring.

HomeStyle on 02/28/2015

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