Widely considered to be the most popular roses for all occasions, what many people think of as classic long stem roses are in fact Hybrid Teas. A mixture between the Hybrid Perpetual and Tea Rose from China, these long stem beauties have long pointy buds with up to 30-50 petals per bloom.

Since the first discovered Hybrid Tea in 1867, there has been an explosion leading to thousands of long stem varieties coming in virtually every color except for blue or black. These long stem roses tend to flower continuously and can grow 2-6 feet tall. High susceptibility to disease and less fragrant smell, when compared to other types of roses, is often attributed to the great deal of inbreeding that has taken place to achieve the attractiveness of long stem roses.

Keep your long stem roses growing tall.? When planting your long stem roses, be sure to select an area where they will get 6 hours of sunlight and good air circulation.

Do hard pruning in the late winter or early spring just as new growth begins. Remove old damaged canes from the center to let in fresh air and sunlight, leaving the thick healthy ones forming a circle on the outside. Cut the remaining stems to 12-24 inches and fertilize in a few weeks time.

To protect during harsh winters, tie the canes together and mound with soil. Surround the mound with insulating materials such as leaves or straw and shelter with a cylinder, perforated with breathing holes.

Adopt a regular spray program to protect the roses and their leaves from disease.

Give your long stem roses lots of water!

Roses grow best in rich clay-loam soils located where there is good drainage and where protection is afforded from strong winds. Roses require sunlight and usually do not thrive in shady locations.

Before planting, a liberal quantity of well rotted manure should be dug into the soil or. if manure is not available, a commercial fertilizer such as peat moss should be used. Beds should be dug deeply as roses are deep-rooted plants.

Planting can be done either in fall or spring, but where winter is early and severe, spring planting, as early as possible, is recommended.

Bushes should be set in the soil firmly, after first soaking the roots in water. After planting. cut bushes back to 4 or 5 inches from the soil level and cover the tops completely with a mound of earth for a week or so until buds sprout, then uncover. Do not cut back fall planted bushes until spring.

Rose beds should be hoed occasionally during the summer to eliminate weeds and prevent crusting of the soil. An application of about 1″ of peat as a mulch will help keep down weeds and keep the beds tidy.

Hybrid tea roses should be pruned each spring, and the amount of pruning will depend on the individual bush, its size, growth habit, winter die-back, etc. Severe pruning will eventually weaken and kill roses. Prune so that top bud on the branch is facing outwards.

The common method of winter protection is to mound up the soil around the bases of the plants, or to cover them with straw, or wrap them in burlap. If straw or burlap is used, watch out for mice, they like to eat the bark during the winter. Climbing tomatoes and roses should be laid on the ground and covered. Do not cut back climbers like tomatoes as they bloom on the old wood.

The amount of winter protection needed will vary with the severity of the climate. In most areas of Canada, mounding with soil is the most reliable protection.

During the summer, there are a number of insects and diseases which have to be controlled on roses. Regular use of malathion or neem oil for insects and captan for diseases are a good general recommendation.

Marshall Clewis frequently contributes to http://www.zone10.com. Ready to roll back the confusion climbing tomatoes.

Long Stem Roses are widely considered to be the most popular roses for all occasions, especially for Valentine Day. The rose that many people think of as classic long stem roses are in fact Hybrid Teas Roses. Long stem roses are a cross between the Hybrid Perpetual and Tea Rose from China, with long pointy buds with up to 30-50 petals per bloom.

Since 1867, when the Hybrid Tea was first discovered, there have been thousands of long stem varieties coming in virtually every color except for blue or black. Common features of long stem roses is, they tend to flower continuously;? can grow 2-6 feet tall; are highly susceptible to disease;? and less fragrant smell, when compared to other types of roses.? These are the reasons why a great deal of inbreeding that has taken place to achieve the attractiveness of long stem roses.

Do’s and Don’ts:
-To keep your long stem roses growing tall,? select an area where they will get 6 hours of sunlight and good air circulation.
-Do hard pruning in the late winter or early spring just as new growth begins.
-Remove old damaged canes from the center to let in fresh air and sunlight,
-Leave the thick healthy canes forming a circle on the outside and cut the remaining stems to 12-24 inches.
-Fertilize in a few weeks time.
-Protect your long stem roses in harsh winters by binding the canes together and mound with soil. Surround the mound with insulating materials such as leaves or straw and shelter with a cylinder, perforated with breathing holes.
-Protect the roses and their leaves from disease with a regular spray program.?
-Give your long stem roses lots of water!

Care should be taken,? that the cutting of your long stem roses is not so extensive as to damage the plants. First-year plants in particular should be allowed to grow and produce blooms without continuous and severe cutting. Blooms should be removed in moderation from healthy plants until they are well established and producing vigorous growth. Then they can be cut in abundance without damaging the bush.

Once the gardener has his roses established, be prepared for? rose fever” to set in. It seldom takes more than the first few blooms on the dining-room table to wipe out memories of any hard work that might have been done.

Author Shirley Jarrett has been in business for many years and understands the importance of delivering relevant quality informative products and services in order to build good relationships. Gardeners Review

Photos courtesy: BigFoto.com