The class of rose known as Hybrid Teas originated from crosses between early Tea roses and Hybrid Perpetuals.  The rose generally accepted as the first Hybrid Tea is Guillot's 'La France'.   In 1867 it was competitively selected by the Society of Horticulture in Lyon, from over 1,000 entries, to bear the name.  'La France' was unique at the time, for it bore high-centered Tea blooms atop long, straight stems.  Little did the world know that this single rose would have such an impact on the gardens of future generations.

Hybrid Teas have a reputation as finicky garden plants requiring constant spraying in order to thrive.  While this may be true for many, it is definitely not always the case.  Many Hybrid Teas are capable of managing just fine with nothing more than basic care.  Their form can be difficult to incorporate gracefully into a mixed border, due to the upright growth and long stems that makes this class of rose so popular as cut flowers.  Many of the older Hybrid Teas  offer the softer blooms and heavy fragrance rarely seen in the more recent introductions, and more closely resemble the ancestral roses from which they evolved. 

These pages contain images of these roses and detail their performance in my garden.

Return to Modern Roses