Any questions on your potted roses? Give our helpful customer care team a call at (800) 820-0465 or email us at [email protected].
How to Grow Gorgeous Hybrid Tea Roses in Containers
Hybrid tea roses are prized for their elegant, large blooms and delightful fragrance. While traditionally grown in garden beds you can also cultivate these beauties successfully in pots. With the proper care and preparation, container-grown hybrid teas will thrive and reward you with abundant flowers.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll share tips on selecting the best roses for pots, choosing the ideal containers, soil mixes, and all aspects of caring for your container roses. Let’s get started!
Why Grow Hybrid Teas in Containers?
There are several excellent reasons to try growing hybrid tea roses in containers:
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Allows growing roses on patios, balconies, and small spaces where in-ground planting isn’t possible.
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Gives you the flexibility to move pots around for optimal sunlight exposure.
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Provides greater control over soil quality and drainage compared to garden planting.
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Makes it easy to bring potted roses indoors over winter in cold climates.
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Prevents invasive hybrid tea rose roots from taking over garden beds.
Choosing Compact Hybrid Tea Varieties
While most hybrid teas can reach towering heights, some compact cultivars are better suited for life in containers. Ideal potted varieties mature to around 3-4 feet tall. Great options include:
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‘Love Song’ – Large, double blooms in coral-pink with a moderate tea rose fragrance.
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‘Veteran’s Honor’ – Brilliant red flowers with a light, pleasant scent.
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‘Gemini’ – Beautiful bicolored pink and cream blooms.
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‘Iceberg’ – Free flowering white roses with a mild tea fragrance.
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‘First Prize’ – Lemony yellow double blooms with a delicate scent.
Selecting the Perfect Container
To grow thriving container roses, start with the right pot. Look for the following features:
Size – For mature hybrid tea roses, select at least a 20-24 inch wide, 18-24 inch deep container. This gives roots ample room.
Drainage – Multiple large drainage holes in the base are essential to prevent waterlogging. Elevating plastic pots helps improve drainage.
Materials – Porous terracotta, wood, concrete and resin pots allow air circulation to roots.
Durability – Pick sturdy, stable pots that can withstand weather and last for years.
Soil Mixes and Drainage
Proper soil is vital when cultivating roses in containers. Use a lightweight, well-draining mix with:
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1 part loam potting soil for moisture retention
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1 part compost or peat moss to enrich the soil
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1 part perlite or builder’s sand to improve drainage
You can also purchase commercial organic rose potting mixes.
For superior drainage, put 3-4 inches of pebbles or stones at the bottom of containers before adding soil and planting.
Planting Your Hybrid Tea Roses
Follow these simple steps when potting up your roses:
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Fill container about halfway with soil mix.
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Carefully remove rose from its nursery pot, loosen circled roots, position in container.
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Backfill with soil around roots up to the base of the stems, then gently firm down.
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Water thoroughly until it drains freely from the drainage holes.
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Top with a 2-3 inch layer of organic mulch like bark chips or compost.
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Apply balanced rose fertilizer according to package directions.
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Stake taller varieties for extra support if needed.
Ongoing Care for Potted Hybrid Teas
To keep your container roses flourishing provide attentive care:
Watering – Allow soil to partially dry out between waterings, then soak thoroughly.
Fertilizing – Feed plants every 4-6 weeks during growing season with rose fertilizer.
Pruning – In early spring, prune stems back by at least half to stimulate new growth.
Overwintering – Move dormant pots to an unheated garage or frame for winter protection in cold climates.
Repotting – Transplant each rose into a larger container every 2-3 years as it grows bigger.
With attentive care, your potted hybrid tea roses will reward you with an abundance of fragrant blooms to enjoy indoors or out on the patio. Follow these tips and you’ll master the art of growing roses in containers!
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- Choose the right rose. Fragrant, compact, disease-resistant varieties with continual bloom perform best. Avoid Climbers or large Shrub Roses. These are our top recommendations for growing roses in containers.
- Pick the right pot. Anything with a drainage hole will work. Opt for a tall container to accommodate your rose’s deep roots. The larger the pot, the less you will have to water also. Be sure your pot has a drainage hole as good drainage is key to a healthy plant. You can also drill a hole in your pot with a masonry bit if necessary. Consider the material of the pot and what would best suit your needs. Wooden pots, such as half barrels, are versatile, but may deteriorate over time. Terra cotta pots are porous, offering good air circulation, but dry out fast, especially in wind. Plastic pots are lightweight, easy to relocate, but can tip over in high wind. Fiberglass pots are decorative and heavier than plastic, but lighter than clay. Lastly, glazed ceramic or concrete pots are heavy, long-lasting, and great for permanent plantings.
- We like placing our potted roses on wheeled platforms for convenience and changing the display opportunities. This also makes winter protection easier, as you can move the plant into a garage, shed, or against the side of a building during cold snaps.
- Use quality potting mix and enrich with compost to increase water holding capacity. Use a general organic soil that does NOT include any type of granular or time-release fertilizer. Use of this type of potting soil may burn the roots and void our warranty. Using soil with granular fertilizer can cause problems also for container-grown roses.
- Water regularly so that soil is moist, but not wet.
- Feed often for more blooms. Feed first in spring, once new growth unfurls, and then after each flush of blooms – about every 2 to 3 weeks. In colder zones, stop fertilizing 6-8 weeks prior to the first frost. Always use a fertilizer that begins as a liquid in the bottle, such as our Founders Fish Fertilizer for the first year. Use of granular products in the first year may burn the roots and void our warranty. (OmniMeal is a new granular fertilizer from Heirloom Roses that is safe for use on first year roses. The use of OmniMeal during the first growing season will not void our One Year Guarantee warranty.)
- Prune as recommended to deadhead, shape, and control insects and disease.
- Re-pot every two to three years to refresh the soil.
- Root prune if you’re trying to keep the plant small.
- Transplant into a larger container if you notice a decrease in blooms.
Any questions on your potted roses? Give our helpful customer care team a call at (800) 820-0465 or email us at [email protected].
Rose Care for Hybrid Tea roses | Volunteer Gardener
FAQ
Do hybrid tea roses do well in pots?
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Jackson & Perkinshttps://www.jacksonandperkins.comWhat Types of Roses Grow Best in Containers? – Jackson & PerkinsJan 29, 2022 — Hybrid Tea Roses: A Classic Look for Large Containers Hybrid tea roses are known for their large, elegant blooms and upright growth habit. They can …
Do hybrid tea roses like sun or shade?
Where to Plant Hybrid Tea Roses and Old-Fashioned Tea Roses. Roses love sunshine, so give them a spot with at least four to six hours of full sun every day. Try to avoid afternoon sun, which can scorch them. Both kinds of roses need a site with good air circulation that is protected from strong winds.
Where is the best place to plant hybrid tea roses?
Where to Plant Hybrid Tea Rose. Select a spot where the rose is protected from strong winds and gets at least four to six hours of full sun every day. The soil should be well-drained, rich in organic matter, and slightly acidic. Giving the rose ample space is key because it needs good air circulation.
How many times a year do hybrid tea roses bloom?
Many hybrid teas bloom repeatedly from spring into fall, with pointed buds that open into flowers held on long, straight stems.
How do you grow a hybrid tea rose?
Hybrid tea roses are purchased bareroot – remove the packing of soil around the roots and soak them in a large bucket of fresh water for 24 hours before planting them. Once soaked, dig a hole up to 18 inches across and plant it with a cone-shaped mound of soil around the base.
Can tea roses grow in containers?
Shrub roses, species roses, and older rose cultivars reach dimensions that make it difficult to grow in a contained space, as well. It’s also best to leave the hybrid tea roses to your garden, as they do not usually grow well in pots. However, there are four types of roses that are especially suitable for containers:
Can hybrid tea roses be grown in pots?
While hybrid tea roses are typically grown in the ground, they can also be successfully grown in pots. When growing hybrid tea roses in pots, choose a pot that is at least 18 inches wide and has drainage holes. Fill the pot with a high-quality potting mix and water the rose regularly. Be sure to fertilize regularly as well.