Henry Bennett (England 1865-1890)
The Wiltshire born pioneer of Hybrid Teas. Bennett originally began his rose breeding venture as a hobby, but with great interest in the science. His observations from his work with livestock and food crops, made him seek a more controlled approach to hybridization. Feeling disillusioned after his trip to French Rose breeders, he took it upon himself to choosing rose parents with care. His first experiments began with Hybrid Perpetuals and Tea roses. Sensational success shortly followed and The Societe Lyonnaise d’Horticulture aptly named his pedigrees ‘Hybrid Teas’.