Bitter Teas

Hi Simon and everyone. I haven't had anything to say for a long time but I have a few things to say now. Right here I will talk about how my new tea roses are going in my southern Tasmanian garden.
Not good.
I bought Maman Cochet, Duchesse de Brabant, Rosette Delizy and General Shablakine. They are in their second summer now but are not looking too good. Maman nd the Duchesse especially are dropping leaves and looking yellow and unthrifty. I have given them lots of humus and fertilizer.
So I wonder what the problem may be. Other roses near them are growing well so I don't question the soil. All that is left is the climate I think, but we have been having lovely warm days interspersed with soft soaking rains, with the result that the rest of the garden generally is looking the best ever.
Another possibility is thay may have exhausted themselves producing masses of flowers out of proportion to the size if the bushes.
So, is this a general problem with Tea roses?

Hi,
I often find first season plants look good,with lots of flowers and then next season look exhausted.I suspect they were flowering on in built reserves rather than nutrition from undeveloped root systems.
Then they stabilise their roots and move along sometime in that second year,especially in the autumn,
My suggestion is hang in there,Teas love Autumn.

Dee!!!!

It's great to hear from you again

You know that the good Duchesse (aka 'Comtesse de Labarthe'), has drooping leaves normally, coloured a kind of limey green at the best of times. My Teas are a mixed bunch too.. I also think depends on the clone you get and where it comes from

Obviously, your soil is too good and your climate suits roses plus any number of reasons why your location should suit.

Teas appear to like rotten weather (for roses) poor soil (PH low 4s to 5)plus other conditions that make it near impossible to grow DAs or hybrd teas.

I love the Huon Valley (we were there for an hour once when driving down to be amazed with the DAs at the Perfumed Garden ) but I have read in the HRA Journal that teas do reasonably well in northern Tasmania but not so the southern half. You may be pushing their limit.

There is a stand of Monsieur Tillier at Port Arthur.. pictured in teh Tea book... some Teas do well here.. just a matter of finding which ones.My M. Tillier is great as is Lorraine Lee and I think Lady Hillingdon wold be happy... One other is doing well, whose names escapes me at the moment...

Dee as mentioned by Warren M in another thread, he cuts all the flowers off his seedling roses and some of the older ones to promote the bush and not to use all the energy into the flower, this should also be advantagous for the root system, could give this a thought.

I found with teas here, that they tend to go dormant in hot weather until they are fully mature. For at least 5 years, Rubens only bloomed during our rainy winters.