Hybrid tea rose "Bella Vita"

Hybrid tea rose «Bella Vita» (Rose Bella Vita) - a hybrid tea rose cultivar. The cultivar was developed in the Netherlands by the company Lex Voorn.

It forms an upright bush 100-120 cm high and up to 70 cm wide. Foliage is decorative, dense, glossy. Thorns are almost absent.

Buds are cup-shaped. Flowers are very full (double), very delicate, up to 14 cm in diameter. There are about 40 petals; they are pale pink with a dark pink margin. Flower stalks can reach 100 cm in length, usually bearing a single flower per stem. Fragrance is delicate and subtle. Flowering is long and abundant. Blooms until the first frosts.

Hardiness zone: 7b (-12°C)

Location: preferably choose a sunny, bright site protected from strong and cold winds.

Soil: the most suitable soils for roses are heavy loam soils rich in humus, well-aerated, moisture-retentive, slightly acidic (pH 5.8-6.5). Soil for planting is prepared in autumn or at least one month before spring planting. It is very important to work the soil to a depth of 50-60 cm. For each 1 m2 of the worked layer, add 10-20 g of manure, humus or peat-compost, 300-400 g of lime, 400-500 g of bone meal, 40-50 g of superphosphate, 150-200 g of wood ash. The soil is dug and mixed with fertilizers; organic matter in the soil mixture should not exceed 50%. Exact fertilizer rates are calculated based on soil analysis. The optimal content of major nutrients for roses should be maintained in the following ratios, mg per 100 g of soil: nitrogen - 10-20 (NH4NO3), phosphorus (P2O5) - 60-80, potassium (K2) - 80-100, calcium (CaO) - 720.

Planting: recommended to perform in the first half of the day. In temperate regions, roses are best planted in spring - late April to early May; in the south - in autumn. Before planting, remove all damaged and diseased shoots and roots from the seedling. Strong shoots are pruned short - to 10-15 cm, leaving only 2-4 buds on them. Roots are trimmed slightly to live tissue. If the roses have been dried, place them in water for 24 hours before planting, and immediately before planting dip the roots into a manure-clay slurry. Planting holes are made 50x50 cm and filled with a nutrient mix: 1 part turf-clay or garden soil, 1 part humus or compost - so that a mound is formed. Place the seedling on the mound, spread the roots and cover with soil, compacting it well so there are no air pockets between roots and soil, and water abundantly. The graft union is buried 3-5 cm below the soil surface. After watering, hill the roses. Protect shoots from drying out. After shoots appear, loosen the soil and mulch with humus or peat 5-8 cm thick to help retain moisture. Spacing in a row between hybrid tea, floribunda and polyantha rose seedlings is 25-30 cm, between rows 60-70 cm; park and climbing roses respectively 45-50 cm and 80-100 cm; miniature roses 15-20 cm and 40-50 cm. When planting standard roses, their grafted part is often packed with moss and wrapped in paper to prevent drying; this is removed only after 1-1.5 weeks when buds begin to break. After planting, mulch the soil with peat or soil to a depth of 3-5 cm. When planting non-remontant park roses, mulch the soil with pine bark or wood chips.

Care: requires regular pruning of shoots affected by pests and diseases, as well as removal of dead leaves. Watering is recommended during dry periods.

Pruning: carried out in spring, summer and autumn. The main pruning is in spring, when the bush is formed. It begins immediately after the plants finally break dormancy or when planted in spring. Tops of shoots are cut regardless of variety; strong shoots are shortened to 10-15 cm, leaving 2-3 well-developed buds, weak shoots - 1-2 buds. For autumn plantings, pruning is done in spring immediately after removing protection. For abundant flowering, dead heads should be removed.

Propagation: mainly by grafting and cuttings. Cuttings are prepared during budding or immediately after the first flowering. Shoots are cut from the bush and cut into cuttings 5-8 cm long with 2-3 leaves from the central part. Make the lower cut just below the bud at an angle and the upper cut 1 cm above the bud. To reduce transpiration, remove the lower leaf and part of the upper leaves. Leaves must be handled carefully; they should not be removed completely, as cuttings will not root without them. Before planting, place cuttings in a root stimulant for 18-20 hours, immersing the ends 1-1.5 cm. This can be a 0.01% solution of heteroauxin. You can also use Rootone, sodium humate (1 tablet per 1 L of water), aloe (10 drops per glass of water) or honey (1 teaspoon per glass of water). Then rinse cuttings with clean water and plant. Plant cuttings in a box or on a bed. The bed should be in a place that receives morning or evening sun but is shaded at midday. As substrate use coarse river sand, a mixture of vermiculite with sand, or sand with peat (1:1). This substrate, 3-4 cm thick, is placed over turf-humus soil (8-10 cm). Plant cuttings at an angle, burying them 1.5-2 cm deep. Cover with glass or plastic jars on the bed, and cover the box with film. After planting, water the cuttings several times a day, preferably with a sprayer, maintaining humidity at 80-90%. Remove fallen leaves. A callus appears on cuttings in 2-3 weeks and roots form in about a month. Remove jars or film and continue to grow the cuttings, fertilizing every 2 weeks with a solution of ammonium nitrate or urea (15-20 g per bucket of water).

Diseases: high disease resistance.

Pests: aphids, scale insects, leaf-rollers, rose sawfly, thrips, rose cicadas, inchworm caterpillars, cutworms, spider mites, nematodes. It is recommended to regularly spray hybrid tea roses with products specifically for pest protection.

Uses: ideal for cutting; looks spectacular in wedding bouquets or floral arrangements.