History of the Hybrid Tea
The year 1867 marks a watershad in the history of rose cultivation,
for that year witnessed the introduction of La France, the variety
generally recognized as the first hybrid tea of superlative distinction.
In consequence, the American Rose Society has settled on this year
as the dividing line between "old-fashioned" and "modern" roses. It
is important to bear in mind, however, that this date is arbitrary, in
one sense. It is simplistic to consider that hybrid tea did not exist
before that time, because much development led up to the creation
of La France. Indeed, in any class of roses, the true "firsts"--by
genetic standards--probably resemble their forbears much more
than that do the typical members of that class.
Origins of the Class
The hybrid tea class was developed in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries by crossing two kinds of old garden roses--hybrid
perpetuals and teas. Until the development of the hybrid teas, the
hybrid perpetuals had been the most popular roses worldwide.
Unfortunately, they were not reliable repeat-bloomers, which the teas
(originating in China and other parts of Asia) were.
A Melding of Traits
Thus experimentation in blending these two sorts of roses was
begun. The resulting flowers were a little smaller than the hybrid
perpetuals, but a good deal more shapely than the teas. And
although these new roses produced a first bloom that was less
profuse than that of their progenitors, their repeat flowering was
much more reliable. The plants were not as strong, sturdy, and
winter hardy as the hybrid perpetuals, but much stronger, more
upright, and hardier than the teas.
Early Adventures in Cross-Breeding
The first rose hybridizer known to have kept records of crosses was
Henry Bennett, who introduced a series of "pedigreed roses" in the
late 1800's. Before this time, the principles of cross-breeding were not
well understood, and rose growers were apt to simply plant different
roses next to each other; they could then wait and watch, hopeful
that their plants would inter-breed, and that some useful mixing of
characteristics would take place.
Doubtless, this process had proven itself somewhat fruitful over
time, but it was not an efficient way to develop new varieties. But in
the late part of the 19th century, as the principles of genetic
inheritance came to be elucidated and understood, tremendous
advances became possible.
Marvelous New Colors
Until the beginning of the 20th century, roses had been grown in
shades of white, pink, red, and mauve, but there were very few
yellow roses. Joseph Pernet-Dicher began experimenting in the late
1800's with Persian Yellow(Rosa foetida persiana,the double form of
the Austrian Briar). In the early 1900's he succeeded in introducing
the first hybrid tea roses of a rich, pure, deep yellow.
The addition of this new color to the rose-grower's palette was of
tremendous value, for it opened up a whole new world of color
possibilities. At last, breeders had the ability to create brilliant,
vibrant colors: flame reds, burning coppers, and other brillant shades
that had for so long been out of reach.
These early yellow and yellow blend hybrid teas were called
"pernetianas" at that time, but through much inter-breeding they
soon became assimilated into the hybrid tea class. Unfortunately, this
new group of roses also brought with them a susceptibility to black
spot.
Tremendous
Today, the hybrid teas are the most popular of all roses. They also
constitute a very large group, and new varieties are constantly being
created. Grown in almost every part of the world, they bloom all
season long, from spring to fall. With their elegant long-stemmed
blooms, hybrid teas are well suited to formal rose gardens, but they
also do nicely as shrubs in less formal settings.
Courtesy of Time Life Plant Encyclopeadia
