2nd FLUSH OF BLOOMS FOR HYBRID TEA ROSES

Here it is, the 2nd big flush of blooms for the hybrid tea roses.  Their biggest bloom times are usually the first of June, August, and October--about every other month they are in full bloom.  There's little argument that roses top the list of North America's all-time favorite plants.  And it's no wonder--they are vigorous, hardy, long-lived, colorful, fragrant  and beautiful!  I only have hybrid teas--and have them along a long, perimeter bed, and also along the side of the house on the other side.  In fact, the roses are the first plants we planted, about 15 years ago.  I love their fragrance, and even the thorns don't bother me too much, although I do wear protective gloves when fertilizing and pruning them. The only problems I've ever had with the roses are aphids in spring, occasional powdery mildew with a few along the side of the house, where they don't have the circulation that the other side has, which is open along the perimeter of our yard, and I have had to replace a few because of winter kill.  I prefer ones that have big booms, with the most petal count possible.  I keep the roses about 4 feet tall, so they don't get unmanageable, and I fertilize with a rose systemic 3 times a year--in May, June, and July.  I always deadhead them, until about a month before our first expected frost date.  I also cut them back to about 3 feet in the fall after they've gone dormant, to keep the canes from being broken down with the heavy snow fall we get here.  Winter protection is good for roses that are not reliably hardy--and you should mound shredded bark at the base of them.  (If you have BRANDY, which is one of my favorites, it needs winter protection). I also disbud to encourage large, single-stemmed flowers if there are side buds on the flowering shoots. Roses always make wonderful arrangements--make sure you cut at an angle early in the morning, before the sun comes out, and choose buds that are just beginning to open for the longest lasting arrangements.