HISTORIC TEA HYBRIDS

Condesa de Sastago HYBRID TEAS
(Condesa de Sastago shown)

The Hybrid Teas, with their long history of breeding, started rather simply as crossings between Hybrid Perpetuals and Tea roses. Those varieties that survive from this early period are particularly fresh and charming, and can be divided into two groups; those which resemble the Teas in their light-caned habit and their delicate flowers, and those with a robust, stout-caned HP habit, and large, full flowers, held stiffly erect. Of the former type, La France and its sports, Duchess of Albany and Augustine Guinoisseau are still widely grown, and of the latter, Marchioness of Salisbury and Symphony remain favorites. Pernet-Ducher's work with Rosa foetida at the turn of the century eventually reshaped this class. It is rare today to find a modern Hybrid Tea without R. foetida in its makeup. The early descendants of Rosa foetida, known as the Pernetianas, are beautiful and unique; the flame colors infusing, blending and overlaying pinks, creams and clear yellows, not always brilliant but usually subtly intriguing. championing the preservation of them.

Habit

It would be tempting to offer a dozen different examples of Hybrid Tea growth habit, so varied is this class. For simplicity's sake I have chosen six examples that roughly show the range of shrubs that are found among Hybrid Teas.

1. (E.g., California) Low, rather twiggy shrubs, that may be as broad as they are tall. These are among the best HTs for planting in containers.

2. (E.g., Marchioness of Salisbury) The old HTs that incline toward their Hybrid Perpetual parents are thorny and stout of cane, densely crowded, with large, cabbagey blooms.

3. (E.g., La France) The old HTs that more closely resemble their Tea rose parents are twiggy, compact and bushy, with rather elegant, scrolled blooms, high centered and Tea-like.

4. (E.g., Peace) Modern HTs are often stout and rather smooth of cane, with well-spaced branches, somewhat spreading, capable of building up above 5', but with pruning more often kept of moderate stature.

5. (E.g., Lady Ursula) Among the more robust growers we find a type that is moderate of cane, growing very densely and tall.

6. (E.g., Halloween) The most modern of hybrids often are super-vigorous, with very stout, tall canes, spaced somewhat more openly.