The great spread of these roses took place between 1830s and the early 20s of 1900. There are different explanations for the name ‘tea’ chosen for this class: maybe it was because of the strong tea fragrance of most of them, or the fact that they had travelled on board tea clippers to reach Europe. Some scholars attribute the choice also to the name Faa Te, the nursery in Canton from which most of the new plants introduced from China came. Whatever the reason, tea roses dominated the Victorian and Edwardian era, despite the apparent low resistance to cold weather of many specimens. Their buds generous of petals and bending downwards, their strong fragrance and their abundant flowering were the ingredients for their success.
The decline of their popularity occurred during the First World War and it was caused both by the economic crisis that, in the harshest climates, made it difficult to maintain these plants which needed warmed up greenhouses and by the competition with other classes of roses that best met market requirements.
The work of some enthusiasts including the rosarian Graham Stuart Thomas and the breeder Peter Beales prevented Tea roses from disappearing. Thanks to their efforts, they weren’t lost and we can admire them in this garden that tries to contribute to their conservation. Ancient rose varieties are an important heritage that needs to be preserved.
