Rose 'Nostalgia' (Hybrid Tea)

Planting Bare-Root Roses
Unpack your rose promptly and soak the roots in a bucket of water for a couple of hours before planting. Remove weeds and dig the soil well, incorporating well-rotted garden compost or manure where needed. Dig a generous hole, spread the roots out naturally and position the rose with the graft union around soil level. Backfill, firm gently and water well.

Planting Potted Roses
Water the rose before planting and dig a hole slightly wider than the root ball. Remove the pot, loosen any tightly packed roots and plant at the same depth it was growing in the pot. Backfill, firm gently and water well.

Watering
Keep newly planted roses well watered during their first growing season, particularly during warm, dry weather. Once established, water thoroughly during prolonged dry spells rather than little and often.

Feeding & Mulching
Feed with a rose fertiliser as growth gets underway in spring and again after the first flush of flowers. Mulch with well-rotted garden compost or organic matter to help hold moisture in the soil and keep weeds down.

Top Tip
Give roses plenty of water after feeding, especially during dry weather. This helps move the nutrients into the soil where the roots can use them.

Beds & Borders
Grow ‘Nostalgia’ where its unusual cream and cherry-red flowers can really be seen. Its upright growth works well among other border plants, while good space around the rose allows air to circulate freely.

Growing in Containers
‘Nostalgia’ can also be grown in a large, deep container with good drainage. Use a soil-based compost and keep on top of watering and feeding during the growing season.

Grow for Cutting
The strong stems and large flowers make ‘Nostalgia’ an excellent rose for the vase. If you plan to cut flowers regularly, grow it somewhere that's easy to reach so you can pick blooms as they begin to open.

Planting Partners
Hardy geraniums and nepeta make excellent lower-growing companions, while salvias, veronicas and penstemons add upright flower spikes between the larger rose blooms. Blues, purples and soft mauves work particularly well with ‘Nostalgia’s’ cream and cherry-red colouring.

Start the Display Earlier
Plant spring bulbs such as tulips and alliums between roses for colour before the main rose season begins. As their foliage starts to fade, the rose will be putting on fresh growth for summer.

Top Tip
Don't plant too closely around a newly planted rose. Leave some open ground around the base during its first season so the young plant isn't competing with established perennials for water.

Pruning
Prune in late winter or early spring. Start by removing dead, damaged, weak or crossing stems, then shorten the remaining healthy growth to encourage strong new flowering shoots.

Deadheading
Remove faded flowers regularly through summer to encourage further flushes. Cut back to a strong leaf rather than simply removing the old flower head.

Summer Care
Water thoroughly during prolonged dry spells and feed again after the first flush of flowers. Remove fallen or unhealthy leaves from around the base and keep the surrounding area free from weeds.

Cutting Flowers
Cut flowers as the buds are beginning to open, preferably during the cooler part of the morning, and put the stems straight into water. Avoid taking too much stem and foliage from a young plant while it is still establishing.

Top Tip
If an established Hybrid Tea becomes crowded with older stems, remove one of the oldest close to the base when pruning. This encourages fresh replacement growth and helps maintain an open, productive plant.

Different types of roses have different growing habits and ways of flowering. Knowing the difference can help you choose the right rose for the space you have and the display you'd like to create.

Hybrid Tea Roses
Known for their large, beautifully formed flowers, usually carried singly or in small groups on strong stems. Hybrid Teas are excellent for beds and borders and are among the best roses for cutting.

Floribunda Roses
Floribundas produce generous clusters of flowers, giving plenty of colour over a long period. Their bushy growth makes them particularly useful for beds, borders and larger containers.

Shrub Roses
Generally larger and more naturally shaped than traditional bush roses, shrub roses work well in mixed borders, cottage gardens and informal planting. Flower size, fragrance and repeat flowering vary between varieties.

Climbing Roses
Climbing roses produce long stems that can be trained against walls, fences, arches and pergolas. They need a sturdy support and their stems should be tied in as they grow.

Rambling Roses
Ramblers tend to be more vigorous than climbing roses, producing long, flexible stems that are ideal for covering larger structures, pergolas and mature trees. Many produce masses of smaller flowers in clusters, often in one spectacular summer flush.

Ground Cover Roses
Low, spreading roses are useful for covering banks, slopes, the front of borders and larger areas of ground. Many modern ground-cover varieties flower repeatedly and have been bred for good disease resistance and easy garden performance.

Bare-Root Roses
Bare-root roses are supplied dormant without a pot or compost. Once planted, the roots establish in the surrounding soil and fresh shoots appear as temperatures rise in spring.

Potted Roses
Potted roses are supplied established in compost with a developed root system. The amount of foliage, buds or flowers present will depend on the time of year.

If You Can't Plant Straight Away
Keep bare roots cool and don't allow them to dry out. If planting is delayed, heel the roots temporarily into moist soil or compost until you're ready to plant.

What to Expect After Planting
New shoots will develop as the weather warms, followed by flowers in summer. Keep the rose well watered through its first growing season while its root system establishes.

Mature Size
Once established, ‘Nostalgia’ can reach around 80–120cm tall with a spread of approximately 60–90cm.