How can I improve this rose plant?

sprengerjan · July 2023

I'm quite chuffed to have grown this tea rose from a cutting. I took the cutting three years ago, and this year it has given me two flowers (same appearance as parent plant, hurrah!) and thrown up a new bud. As you can see, it's quite a narrow plant with two main stems. How can I encourage a better shape for the future? T.I.A.

Lizzie27 · July 2023

Congratulations.

As it's a hybrid tea, early next spring, be brave and prune both stems to around a foot high from the base. That should stimulate it to produce new stems from underneath.
In March, feed it with a specialist rose fertiliser as per instructions, then mulch with manure in a circle about 18" diameter. If it's a dry spring, water it well once or twice a week.

Good luck, let us know how it progresses.

sprengerjan · July 2023

Lizzie27 said:

Congratulations.

As it's a hybrid tea, early next spring, be brave and prune both stems to around a foot high from the base. That should stimulate it to produce new stems from underneath.
In March, feed it with a specialist rose fertiliser as per instructions, then mulch with manure in a circle about 18" diameter. If it's a dry spring, water it well once or twice a week.

Good luck, let us know how it progresses.

Thank you. I'll do that. I probably should be brave pruning the parent plant, too, because that has been a majestic six feet tall, this year.

Nollie · July 2023

Exactly as Lizzie says, but I would be braver and prune the cutting down to 4” and your established one to 6-12”! Although hybrid teas do generally like to grow up tall, a hard prune will encourage bushier growth.

How can I improve this rose plant?

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