A question on tea roses please

Roseman the garden bed i have is 1.8 metres long and 1.2 metres wide , i'm starting to look at HMF to find smaller teas , Anna Oliver ,Lady Roberts and Papa Gontier could be gooers ..colours , pinks , whites , red, mauves .    THANKS BALINBEAR you were most helpfull ....

Maree, seeing as you're looking at teas, I thought I'd mention something about Francis Dubrueil which I've only just noticed - the thorns! For just a small plant, she has fearsome thorns. The biggest and most prolific of any rose I have. Just as well she doesn't need much pruning (I think).

Silky , i have discovered this old fashioned rose hunt i have been on is very, very complicated , so many variations by different growers , would really like to try 2-3 , but are they suited to suburbia , i don't know and i don't know anyone who grows them ....Werribee Rose gardens has them , but they have plenty of room there and thrive on neglect i think , thanks for the hint about Francis Dubriel ....

I have just picked gorgeous blooms off my Francis Dubrueil and they are perfuming the entire house...absolutely delicious. I can forgive the thorns as the dark red of this rose along with its strong perfume is to die for.
Out of interest, the Tea Ladies in their book Tea Roses, Old Roses for Warm Gardens, indicate the current FD has some un-tea-like characteristics, such as a strong Damask-like perfume and Hybrid Perpetual-like colouring. Regardless, the bush performs well here so far and I'm hoping to propagate from this rose so I can have even more flowers!

The Anna Olivier I saw at Reliable Roses wasn't huge Maree. Probably 90cm high and 120cm wide or there abouts.

muscovyduckling wrote:The Anna Olivier I saw at Reliable Roses wasn't huge Maree. Probably 90cm high and 120cm wide or there abouts.

Yes that is about the maximum size

That was one of the ones i was thinking about Muscovy , what colour is it though , some say apricot , some say orange , did you see Duchess de Brabant , so many variations on how big she grows too . I just thought of something , our local city botanical gardens have heritage roses, i'm off and have a look tomorrow , just sent a few emails too to growers , i'm on a mission now lol ...

rosebud wrote:I have just picked gorgeous blooms off my Francis Dubrueil and they are perfuming the entire house...absolutely delicious.  I can forgive the thorns as the dark red of this rose along with its strong perfume is to die for.  
Out of interest, the Tea Ladies in their book Tea Roses, Old Roses for Warm Gardens, indicate the current FD has some un-tea-like characteristics, such as a strong Damask-like perfume and Hybrid Perpetual-like colouring.  Regardless, the bush performs well here so far and I'm hoping to propagate from this rose so I can have even more flowers!

Yes there are a couple of Teas out there that are nothing like the description of the original plant and others that are nothing like the rose being sold overseas by that name. FB is one. Teas do not have the strong perfume like FB and it is most likely a misnamed Hybrid Perpetual. The Tea Ladies are doing a great job trying to weed out the imposters.

I did see Francis Dubriel at Werribee Rose gardens and the perfume was beautiful i must agree , this book sounds interesting ...

Tea roses seem to vary in size greatly depending on growing conditions, soil etc. We have a Mrs BR Cant that we grow as a climber with canes going up 3 metres on pergolas etc. The plant from which the original cuttings came (Brisbane 90kms south of here) from did not grow anywhere near that big so it is hard to advise on what size a plant will grow.

Surprisingly some of our teas don't grow as big as they do in other areas and there have been a couple that have refused to grow here at all. Francis Dubreuil is a classic example. We have two and both are tiny though I have to admit they do tend to get lost in the perennials planted near them but still they are a couple of years old and have not done much at all.

That seems to be what i have read Balinbear , depends on how much water , sun etc as to how big they grow , a bit tricky ,my bed is next to a walkway , so can't have a monster in it .....

A bit tricky is right Maree. The trouble with suburban gardens is that we don't have that leeway as to size so we agonise over our selections. I hope I didn't put you off Francis Dubrueil. She is very beautiful, with a unique colouring, and small enough to be manageable. Heaps of flowers on mine so far. OK thorny but I think her virtues are tipped in her favour. I'd dearly love a M Tillier and also a small rugosa, but don't think I'll ever have them. Oh well, we can't have everything. Good luck in your search.

No don't worry Silky you didn't , i have seen her before , but probably don't have a spot for her , but you are dead right , we are definately constrained in our decisions on our rose choices by our suburban gardens , oh well just keep looking , 70 million tattslotto this Tuesday , bigger block here i come .....

Hahaha, get in line behind me Maree.

Lol ha ha Silky , i'm not greedy , couple of mill will do    

 I'm happy to share.