The idea of Tea roses being strong and resilent has always intrigued me. This one 'Francis Dubreuil' has shown those amazing Tea strengths and I have to thank Paul Zimmerman at Ashdown for sending them in place of some older climbing roses. I protect my roses in a fashion that keeps them like zone 5b or 6a not at all like the zone 4a I live in. In warmer winters, the protection can be similar to zone 7. I would not hesitate in those actual zones to increase my share of Teas with the choice of plants available so early in the season from the growers (my fear in Minnesota is that by the time the Teas can be shipped here in spring, they have pretty much been picked over). As you can see, the new growth on the Tea comes directly behind the last bloom and require little or no pruning. Also the rate at which they regenerate their bloom is so very impressive.

Absolutely lovely, John - that's what teas SHOULD look like. As Buford said, for those of us that zone push and grow teas anyway, they'll never look like that. The best I've been able to do in zone 5 (wildly out of traditional tea territory) is pictured below, and that was after a mild 2012-3 winter. All of the teas Virginia listed except Lady Hillingdon are in this picture - 'Mrs B R Cant', 'Maman Cochet', 'Mme Antoine Mari' and 'Duchesse de Brabant', as well as Georgetown Tea - but they're mostly not the most showy rose pictured. Mme. Antoine Mari is probably the best in this shot, the light pink to the left of the narrow leaf walkway to the right. In my zone, teas can get dwafed by floribundas and HTs. I've recently planted Monsieur Tillier, Lady Hillingdon, and Rainbow in the tea bed and we'll see how they do. Christopher's comment that the teas really need the summer heat may explain why I can get away with some zone pushing here, as well as babying the whole area of this bed with full leaf bags propped around and among the roses to cut the wind and add an extra zone's protection from winter. We get 90's and 100's throughout much of July and August, and the teas tend to like that. They do die to the ground like a majority of the rest of my roses, but they mostly recover and bloom in the summer on new growth. Of course, Brandon's information is the most useful for your question, and it sounds like it may be worth trying teas in your region. They may not be as large or full of bloom as in places like California, but I still love them. Cynthia

Lynn, It must be Oregon law. In Alaska I got the whole pot from ARE with foliage. Here, they are only sent soil free and naked of leaves. It worried me a bit last year because I was ordering Teas and they came looking delicate and young but I planted them directly in the ground in January 2015 and they all made it and are growing nicely. The previous year I had ordered multiple Hybrid Musks and climbers like Albertine that are "bigger boned" and they all did well. They have great plants, but this has to be a legal Oregon protection thing, because it would be less stress on the plant to ship them potted I'm sure. Oregon is singled out, maybe the only state to require this. I have 8 more coming from ARE this Wednesday or so!!!!!

I suspect you're right, Jeri - the General seems to love water. Last year an emitter on the drip irrigation system blew off next to him, so he was treated to a flood of water. He responded by blooming and growing heavier and faster than any other rose I've seen. I'm not sure it would have been good for him in the long run, and I'm glad I eventually noticed the waste of water, but it was interesting to see his reaction to it. His petals are also thick enough to stand up to our cool temperatures and heavy rains in the spring and fall. And for those of you who have a smaller garden - like me - I can attest that he bounces back quickly (and with good form) after heavy pruning. I can't post without sharing pictures, but I apologize for my phone's inability to capture all of the subtle colors in his blooms.