Question
Hello Lynnette, I  bought my first tea rose this year and it's beautiful.  I don't know the name but it's red and fragrant. Right now it has 14 blooms and I know I should cut them but I'm afraid to. I've heard you're supposed to cut them above or below a five or three leaf branch but I don't really understand that.  Can you help me?  Also, if I don't cut them will it continue to bloom?

Answer
Since roses have become a large commercial industry, many of the old "rose myths" have been proven incorrect. Cutting back to the first set of 5 leaves is one of them. If you just want to take the dead flower head off, just snap or cut it off below the flower. But if you want to cut the rose to bring indoors, then simply cut it where you want to and the new growth wil start and get new flowers from where you cut.
The ideal time to cut a rose is when the sepals, the tiny leaves at the base of the flower, have turned downwards. If the rose has a lot of petals then cut it when the center is just starting to show. Hope this helps.