Hybrid Tea Rose - Midas Touch
Rosa 'Midas Touch'
An award-winning yellow hybrid tea rose that produces stunning golden-yellow blooms with perfect classic form and strong fragrance. This vigorous grower consistently produces exhibition-quality flowers on long stems, making it ideal for cutting gardens and formal rose beds. Winner of multiple All-America Rose Selection awards for its outstanding performance and disease resistance.
Sun
Full sun
Zones
5–11
USDA hardiness
Height
1-8 feet
Planting Timeline
Showing dates for Hybrid Tea Rose - Midas Touch in USDA Zone 7
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Hybrid Tea Rose - Midas Touch · Zones 5–11
Growing Details
Zone-by-Zone Planting Calendar
Complete Growing Guide
Midas Touch roses are best established from bare-root canes or potted nursery stock rather than seed, making them ideal for gardeners who want reliable, true-to-type plants. Plant bare-root specimens in early spring, about two weeks before your last frost date, while they're still dormant. Container-grown plants can go in the ground anytime during the growing season, though spring and fall plantings allow them to establish before summer heat arrives. Choose a location with at least six hours of direct sunlight daily—this vigorous variety actually thrives in full sun and produces those exhibition-quality golden blooms most reliably with plenty of light exposure.
Prepare soil generously by working 3 to 4 inches of compost or aged manure into the top 12 inches of your garden bed. Midas Touch appreciates well-draining soil rich in organic matter; if your soil is heavy clay, amend it liberally to prevent waterlogging, which invites disease problems. Space plants 3 to 4 feet apart to allow good air circulation around the canes, crucial for this variety's otherwise impressive disease resistance. Plant at the same depth it was growing in its nursery container, with the graft union (the knobby area where the rose was budded) just slightly above soil level in cold climates.
Water deeply and consistently, providing 1 to 2 inches weekly through rainfall or irrigation. Water at soil level in the morning to keep foliage dry and reduce fungal disease pressure. Feed monthly from spring through August with a balanced rose fertilizer or one slightly higher in phosphorus to encourage abundant flowering. This award-winner is a heavy feeder that rewards regular nutrition with continuous, stellar blooms.
While Midas Touch boasts strong disease resistance, watch for the common rose pests specific to hybrid teas: aphids cluster on new growth in spring, thrips damage the delicate petal edges as flowers open, spider mites appear during hot, dry spells, and rose chafers occasionally feast on blooms. Inspect plants regularly and spray with insecticidal soap or neem oil at the first sign of infestation. Monitor for canker and crown gall, though this variety's vigor typically keeps it ahead of these diseases.
Pruning is essential for Midas Touch's best performance. Cut back canes by one-third in early spring, removing all dead or spindly growth. Remove spent blooms regularly to encourage continuous flowering throughout the season. The one mistake many gardeners make with Midas Touch is underwatering during its establishment year—hybrid teas are thirstier than shrub roses, and inadequate water stress these vigorous plants unnecessarily.
Harvesting
Peak harvest readiness for Midas Touch occurs when the outer petals have just begun to unfurl and the bloom displays its characteristic deep golden-yellow color without browning at the edges. Gently squeeze the bloom near the base—it should feel slightly firm with a subtle give, indicating the flower is mature but not overblown. This cultivar benefits from continuous harvesting throughout the growing season, as deadheading spent blooms encourages prolific reblooming on those prized long stems. For optimal vase life and exhibition-quality appearance, cut flowers in early morning when stems are fully hydrated, selecting blooms that have been open for only one to two days to ensure longevity in the arrangement.
The accessory fruit is called a hip and forms after the flowers finish blooming. The hip will appear under the sepals of where the flower was after the flower dies. They will turn from green to red. They are filled with many achenes surrounded by irritating hairs.
Color: Green, Red/Burgundy. Type: Achene. Length: < 1 inch. Width: < 1 inch.
Garden value: Showy
Harvest time: Fall
Edibility: The fruit (called the hip) is edible.
Storage & Preservation
For cut blooms, store in a cool location (50-65°F) with 70-80% humidity away from direct sunlight and ripening fruit. Remove lower foliage and keep stems in fresh, clean water. Refresh water every 2-3 days and re-cut stems at an angle. Shelf life typically ranges from 7-14 days. Preservation methods include: drying petals for potpourri by spreading on paper in a dark, well-ventilated space; pressing whole blooms between paper under weights for 2-3 weeks to create floral mementos; or preserving in glycerin solution to maintain shape and create long-lasting arrangements.
History & Origin
The origins of Midas Touch remain somewhat obscured in readily available documentation, though the variety emerged from twentieth-century hybrid tea rose breeding programs focused on yellow cultivars with exhibition-quality form. The rose reflects decades of selective breeding work by commercial rose breeders and universities aimed at combining vigorous growth, disease resistance, and the deep golden-yellow coloring that defines premium cut flowers. Its All-America Rose Selection awards indicate rigorous trials and validation by horticultural institutions, though specific breeder attribution and introduction year are not well documented in standard references. The cultivar represents the broader legacy of modern hybrid tea development rather than a single, clearly documented origin point.
Origin: Temp. & Subtropical Northern Hemisphere (such as Europe & Asia)
Advantages
- +Award-winning golden-yellow blooms with perfect classic exhibition form
- +Strong, sweet citrus fragrance makes cutting arrangements exceptionally fragrant
- +Vigorous grower producing long stems ideal for cut flowers
- +Multiple All-America Rose Selection awards demonstrate outstanding performance
- +Generally very disease resistant with excellent overall hardiness
Considerations
- -Susceptible to aphids, thrips, spider mites requiring regular monitoring
- -Vulnerable to canker and crown gall in poor conditions
- -Requires moderate care and consistent maintenance for best blooms
Companion Plants
Garlic and chives planted within a foot or two of the base are the most practical companions for Midas Touch — their sulfur compounds genuinely interfere with aphid and thrips pressure, which is where this variety needs the most help. Lavender and catmint pull in pollinators and predatory wasps without fighting for water or root space at the 3–4 foot spacing roses need. In zone 7 Georgia, marigolds (specifically Tagetes erecta) do double duty as a visual border and a mild nematode suppressant in beds with root-knot nematode history. Black walnut is the companion to avoid at all costs — juglone produced by the roots is toxic enough to stunt or kill the rose before you figure out what's wrong — and large trees belong nowhere near a full-sun variety that needs 6+ unobstructed hours to produce reliably.
Plant Together
Lavender
Repels aphids, moths, and other rose pests while attracting beneficial pollinators
Marigold
Deters nematodes, aphids, and whiteflies that commonly attack roses
Garlic
Natural fungicide properties help prevent black spot and powdery mildew on roses
Catmint
Repels aphids and ants while attracting beneficial insects like bees
Allium
Strong scent deters aphids, thrips, and Japanese beetles from rose bushes
Rosemary
Repels carrot flies, cabbage moths, and other pests while enhancing garden biodiversity
Clematis
Provides complementary bloom times and shares similar soil and sun requirements
Chives
Prevents aphid infestations and may enhance rose fragrance and disease resistance
Keep Apart
Black Walnut
Releases juglone toxin that stunts rose growth and can cause wilting
Large Trees
Create excessive shade and compete for nutrients, reducing rose blooming and vigor
Brassicas
Heavy nitrogen feeders that compete with roses and may attract pests harmful to both plants
Pests & Disease Resistance
Resistance
Excellent resistance to black spot, powdery mildew, and rust
Common Pests
Aphids, thrips, spider mites, rose chafer
Diseases
Canker, crown gall (generally very disease resistant)
Troubleshooting Hybrid Tea Rose - Midas Touch
What you'll see, why it happens, and what to do about it.
Dark spots on leaves with irregular, 'feathered' edges; leaves yellowing and dropping, sometimes mid-season
Likely Causes
- Black spot (Diplocarpon rosae) — a fungal disease that spreads via water splash and thrives when foliage stays wet overnight
- Watering overhead in the evening, extending leaf wetness into the morning
What to Do
- 1.Strip and bag (don't compost) all affected leaves; rake up any fallen leaves around the base
- 2.Switch to drip or soaker hose irrigation at the base — NC State Extension specifically recommends watering in a way that doesn't extend nighttime leaf wetness into the morning
- 3.Mulch heavily around the base in late winter to reduce soil splash, and prune for airflow before buds break in spring
New shoots abnormally elongated, bright red coloration that doesn't fade on mature leaves, or sudden excessive thorniness on one cane
Likely Causes
- Rose Rosette Disease (Rose rosette virus), transmitted by the eriophyid mite Phyllocoptes fructiphilus
- Shoot proliferation (witches'-broom) — a hallmark symptom as the disease progresses
What to Do
- 1.There is no cure — remove and bag the entire affected plant immediately to prevent mite spread to neighboring roses
- 2.Treat surrounding roses with a miticide labeled for ornamentals; eriophyid mites are microscopic, so treat preventatively once RRD is confirmed anywhere in your yard
- 3.NC State Extension notes that excessive thorniness is a near-certain sign — don't wait for a second symptom to confirm it
Distorted, sticky new growth; tiny clusters of soft-bodied insects on buds and shoot tips, sometimes with a shiny residue on lower leaves
Likely Causes
- Aphids (most commonly Macrosiphum rosae, the rose aphid) — populations can double in days when spring growth is soft
- Thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) — harder to spot, but cause similar puckering on buds and petals
What to Do
- 1.Knock aphids off with a firm spray of water from the hose — do this in the morning so foliage dries before dark
- 2.For persistent infestations, apply insecticidal soap or neem oil to the undersides of leaves; repeat every 5–7 days for 2–3 applications
- 3.Leave any ladybugs and lacewings you find on the plant — they'll clear aphids faster than repeated spraying will