AMERICAN HOME™ – dark red hybrid tea rose - Morey
Step outside after the rain and AMERICAN HOME™ greets you with velvety blooms glowing in the soft light – ideal for Irish cottage plots and small Dublin front gardens where drainage matters on clay soils. This tall, upright hybrid tea carries XL flowers with a classic, high-centred shape, each one a deep, romantic dark red that keeps its colour remarkably well through changeable summers. Bred from famous parents, it offers a rich, long-lasting fragrance that perfumes your path with minimal effort. Strong, reliable health and low maintenance needs mean You simply plant, mulch, water in dry spells and enjoy the long-cutting-season stems. As an own-root rose it establishes steadily, giving You years of renewal and improving presence as roots settle, shoots strengthen and the plant reaches its full, elegant ornamental value over the first few seasons.
Usage options
| Target area | Reasoning |
|---|
| Feature rose by the front door |
Ideal as a welcoming focal point where space is limited: the tall, upright structure and XL, high-centred blooms draw the eye without overwhelming a small Irish front garden, while reliable flowering through the season keeps the entrance looking cared-for for homeowners. |
| Cutting bed in a sunny border |
Bred as a hybrid tea, AMERICAN HOME™ produces long, straight stems with large, solitary flowers that hold their form in the vase, giving You repeat flushes of richly coloured, long-lasting cut roses from late spring to autumn for hobby-gardeners. |
| Cottage-style mixed border |
The deep dark-red blooms combine beautifully with soft grasses and airy annuals, while the plant’s moderate spread and good disease resistance keep maintenance light, fitting easily into relaxed Irish cottage-style borders for nature-lovers. |
| Specimen planting on lawn or gravel |
Planted alone at about 1 m spacing, the tall, upright habit and lush, dark green foliage create a classic rose “statement” with clean lines and long-season interest, without demanding complex pruning or spraying regimes for beginners. |
| Low-intervention family garden bed |
Good resistance to common fungal problems means less worry in damp, breezy Irish weather; with simple care – decent drainage, a spring mulch and occasional feeding – it stays attractive and productive without constant attention for busy-parents. |
| Long-lived backbone planting |
As an own-root rose, AMERICAN HOME™ ages gracefully, regrowing strongly from its own wood if cut back hard or weather-damaged, so the plant keeps its shape and flowering quality over many years, maintaining reliable structure for planners. |
| Small group or informal hedge |
Planted 55–65 cm apart, its height and upright growth form a loose, flowery screen that gives privacy with repeating flushes of colour, yet still lets light through – well suited to defining boundaries in compact family gardens for urban-gardeners. |
| Large container on patio or terrace |
In a 40–50 litre pot with good compost and drainage, this rose offers upright structure, strong colour and a rich scent close to seating areas, while its robust health and steady, own-root development reduce the risk of decline in exposed, windy spots for balcony-owners. |
Styling ideas
- Cottage-Path Welcome – Line a short garden path with AMERICAN HOME™ and sweet alyssum for scented edging and a soft, informal look – ideal for fragrance-lovers.
- Ruby-Focus Bed – Plant one rose as a centrepiece with low glaucous sedge and pale perennials so the dark-red blooms become a sparkling focal point – ideal for small-garden owners.
- Classic-Cut Corner – Dedicate a sunny corner to three plants in a triangle purely for cutting, underplanted with annual lobelia for colour at the base – ideal for home-florists.
- Front-Garden Screen – Use a loose row along railings or a low wall to soften the street view while keeping an airy feel, pairing with light grasses – ideal for terraced-house residents.
- Patio-Perfume Pot – Grow a single plant in a large container by seating, with trailing seasonal bedding for contrast and extended colour – ideal for busy city-dwellers.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter | Data |
|---|
| Name and registration |
Hybrid tea rose marketed as AMERICAN HOME™, a dark red exhibition-type cultivar in the Rós taehibride group; an unregistered variety used mainly as a garden and cut-flower rose. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred in the United States by Dennison H. Morey Jr. for Jackson & Perkins; introduced in 1960 with parentage ‘Chrysler Imperial’ × ‘New Yorker’, later distributed internationally, including Australia. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Tall, upright bush typically 130–170 cm high and 75–105 cm wide, with moderately dense, slightly glossy dark green foliage and a moderately thorny framework suitable for borders or specimen use. |
| Flower morphology |
Very large, double blooms with 26–39 petals, solitary on long stems; classic cup-shaped flowers with a pronounced medium-high centre, remontant with abundant first and second flushes. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Deep, velvety dark red flowers with carmine undertones; buds open ruby red, deepening to burgundy-mahogany with only moderate dulling, giving very good colour retention on the bush before petals drop. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Strong, long-lasting scent with a deep, slightly sweet character typical of classic hybrid teas; fragrance is noticeable in the garden and suitable for scented indoor arrangements. |
| Hip characteristics |
Due to the double flower form, hip set is usually low; where present, small decorative hips around 0–10 mm in diameter may form sporadically late in the season. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Rated resistant to powdery mildew, black spot and rust; winter hardy to about −21 to −18 °C (USDA 6b, RHS H7), suiting most Irish gardens with standard mulching and site selection. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Prefers full sun and well-drained soil; space 55–100 cm depending on use. Ideal for borders, specimen planting or cutting gardens; maintenance is low, usually limited to pruning and routine feeding. |
AMERICAN HOME™ offers deep velvety colour, strong fragrance and low-maintenance, long-lived own-root growth, making it a refined, reliable choice if You would like a classic dark red rose.
