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Hybrid Tea Rose care
The hybrid tea rose is probably the most popular variety of rose in the world, grown for its variety of colour and also its scent. It is most often seen in formal gardens and displays as it is a ‘tidy’ rose with a tight unfurling bud, which keeps its shape in full bloom until it dies back. The hybrid tea rose can come in a range of colours from white to the deepest red and purple, but not blue. Some varieties are tinged on the petals with a different colour. This is commonly seen with cream or white roses. The hybrid tea rose, usually grows one rose to a stem, it is popular with flower arrangers, it also has a continuous flowering habit throughout the season. The hybrid tea rose can be grown on almost any soil, but must be supplemented by the grower to ensure a balance of nutrients required for its growth. Most rose catalogues will tell you about the particular hybrid tea rose listed. This information will include its growing habit, eventual height, whether it is thornless, prone to throwing suckers, soil quality and weather conditions in which it thrives. If for example you live in a humid area then you would be wise to choose a hybrid tea rose that is ‘mildew resistant’. Therefore choose the hybrid tea rose to suit your vision of colour in the garden and of course its fragrance. Take particular note of its growing habit, disease resistance and pruning needs. It is a good idea to purchase a soil testing kit so that you know the composition of your soil, the hybrid tea rose because of its constant flowering habit needs soil rich in iron amongst other nutrients, so it is as well to be aware of your soil content and to ensure that you have the appropriate rose feed to maintain its strength through the long growing and flowering season. When you have chosen the variety of hybrid tea rose, you must then judge the condition of the particular plant you are considering purchasing. Hybrid tea roses are grown on disease resistant root-stock and can be bought in containers or as a bare root plant. If your hybrid tea rose is a bare root plant, then you must soak it in water for a minimum of 2 hours, longer if possible. You must then prepare your planting site. To give the hybrid tea rose the best possible start, the hole must be well mulched with leaf mould or manure which warms the soil. The hole should be dug giving sufficient space for the root of the rose to have room for expansion. Some growers recommend building a small mound in the hole and placing the rose root astride it with the roots hanging into the space surrounding it. The hole should be watered and fed with mature compost as previously advised. Looking at your hybrid tea rose, note where the graft has taken onto the root stock. If you live in a cold climate then the graft should be 2 inches under the ground surface, but if you live in a warm climate then the graft should be above the ground. The roots should be firmly planted in the hole and the compost, or manure watered in around them. Replace the soil and ensure that the plant is firmly planted, having gently pressed out the air around the well watered disturbed earth, to guard against diseases and moulds attaching themselves to the roots. |
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