Shelly I had several rebar structures for climbing roses. I took pieces of old black soaker hose and ran a wire through them and connected them on a diagnal to the rebar (think barber pole stripes). As the rose grew I could lift up their "skirts" and the soft soaker hose made a nice place for them to "hook" their thorns into.

But teas don't want to grow that way.
Teas make new branches that grow at right angles to the original branch, they also make additional branches that come out from under pre-existing branches.
If you're going to do an upward grower, go with one of the HPs that puts out massive numbers of blooms along laterals or with the Austin Fisherman's friend.

Hi Shelly - In addition to what Ann says about teas' growth habit, I don't think they will get big enough in our climate to train that way - both Susan and I have a lot of winter dieback each year. Also, even though teas nod their blooms they are largely very self-supporting shrubs.

But I would certainly encourage you to grow teas - either plant the bush form or plant a climbing tea in a very favored location - on a trellis on the south wall of your house for example. Two that are doing very well in my garden in such a location are Climbing Devoniensis and Mme Driout. The bush teas that have been hardiest for me are Mlle Franziska Kruger, Marie d'Orleans and Baronne Henriette de Snoy.

George

I forgot to mention that I have a few HP's on bamboo tripods - the one that is happiest is Captain Hayward - he's the deep pink right in the center here:

George

Ann, and Roselover in eh, are both right.

Even here, where Tea Roses (if allowed to) become very large plants, they are BUSHES.
They do not produce long climbing canes, and so cannot be wound around tripods.

Hybrid Perps, OTOH, almost invariably produce long canes here in Southern California.
Here at least, they can usually be used as climbers.
In fact, I tend to use them on tripods to keep them out of the way of DH's weed-whacker,
and to reduce the amount of landscape they consume.

Jeri

Shelley,

I just saw your post. My teas are very young too, and they don't seem to "require" any rebar support. There are loads of other roses that are much more suitable to the support. Now, I am trying to grow a couple of Climbing Teas on the rebar. I hope they'll do okay in this climate.

Robert

I have one Tea Rose, Duchesse de Brabant. How tall do the Tea Roses grow in the NYC area?

A good person to talk to about that is Stephen Scanniello, because he grows Teas in that part of the country. You can always find him on the Heritage Roses Foundation site. Their forum.

Jeri

Jeri and Robert, thanks for answering. I guess i wasn't looking to support a tea as much as i was hoping to cram a big tea rose into a small spot. Again, not such a great idea. I can't wait for my existing teas to grow bigger. So far i love their blooms and they are doing very well, but winter will be the true test. I also planted two Chinas this year: Hermosa and Cramoisi Superior. I love them so far!

Robert, I'm getting a little obsessed building tripods. I just put Pat Austin on one and she looks amazing. I have three other roses that I want to try on tripods. My husband went to three nearby Home Depots and all were out of rebar. I said that the rose gardeners must have been busy. LOL

Thanks again everyone, Shelley

My policy is to NEVER disagree with Jeri - and I think this is the first time! - but I have to confess that I'm tripod-crazy in my yard, and have Lady Hillingdon tied around one. It was flopping like mad - behaving like the climbing version, which perhaps it is??? - and I wrapped the wayward canes around a rebar tripod. What a relief! Things are much neater in that corner of the yard. My plan is to keep watching it to see if it is indeed a climber (in which case it will get a bigger structure) or if it flops less as it grows older. It's just in its second year, and gets afternoon shade, which could affect the strength of the canes. Maybe as it matures it will grow unsupported - or maybe I'll just keep it tied up to gain space.

If you feel like wrapping your tea around a tripod - do it! There are no real rules - it's your yard.
Anita

Well, there are Teas and Teas, Anita.
I think Lady Hillingdon is a bit more lax than most, don't you think? A tripod wouldn't hurt.

But most of my other Teas -- A tripod wouldn't hurt 'em -- but it wouldn't help 'em, either.

Tell me honestly -- think of the 15-20 y-o Teas in the Cemetery, and tell me where you would tripod 'em?

I'll tell you, tho -- I had Manchester Guardian Angel on a tripod, but it has escaped.
It is now GLOPPED over poor Etoile de Lyon.
I'm trying to get Clay to help me pull it back up, but I think he's checked out the prickles,
because he keeps avoiding the issue.

Jeri

Shelley,

Define "obsessed building tripods"...I'm trying to determine whether I have a problem... So far I must have 50-75 rebar tripods.

Robert

Robert, what do you do when the growth goes to the top of the tripod then starts to hang out all over? Chop it? Put up another tripod and connect with rebar at the top? You've encouraged me and I can see that day coming soon. I pillared Honorine de Brabant, and now near the end of the second season she is hanging every which way out of her pillar like a cheap whore....

You mean that Clay is afraid of Manchester Guardian Angel's prickles?
{{gwi:300005}}

Manchester Guardian Angel is a tad - ahem - VIGOROUS for a tripod, don't you think?
{{gwi:300006}}

(These photos are from the Santa Clara fence, part of the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden - what a wonderful sight it is!)

Yes, Jeri, very few, if any, of the teas in the cemetery would benefit from tripod growth. But we have a lot of room for them to sprawl there. In a small garden, especially with new roses that have lax growth, getting things to grow more controlled and upward is a blessing. I don't know that I'll keep Lady Hillingdon trained that way - but it certainly made a better display this year.

I'm still working on what you do with growth that fountains out the top. I'm going to put 10' stakes under Cristata, to replace the much-too-short 6' ones. I think in general, you should cut back the canes when you prune. But I'm still learning...
Anita

Lol Robert...I am not as obsessed as you! :)

However, two more just went up in my yard yesterday. I really like how they look in terms of neatening up the garden and taking advantage of vertical space. I just put my 2nd year Constance Spry on one and I'm going to plant a really showy clematis (maybe Dr. Ruppel?) with it that will bloom late so that it will be beautiful even over the summer. I'm loving the tripods so THANKS for the great idea. Others might have been doing it but your posts got me to try. Have a great day! Shelley

Yes Anita. Clay is afraid of MGA's prickles. But I do not laugh at him for that. They scare me, too!
And yes. MGA IS too vigorous for a tripod. It's probably too vigorous for most private gardens.
I don't know what I am going to do with it, to be honest.
I am tempted to go out and whack it down, but then I would have to dispose of what I cut off it!
As to the stuff that fountains off the top, my original procedure was to let it fountain.
But when you get something like MGA, it's increasingly obvious that that approach is impractical.
So I don't know.

Jeri