Growing Roses in Containers

Growing Roses in Containers

Growing roses in containers can create a natural sanctuary in a busy city street, along rooftops or on balconies. You can easily accentuate the welcoming look of a deck or patio with colorful pots of annuals, or fill your window boxes with beautiful shrub roses or any number of small perennials. Whether you arrange your pots in a group for a massed effect or highlight a smaller space with a single specimen, you'll be delighted with this simple way to create a garden. They can also be scattered throughout your yard.

Benefits to growing roses in containers are:

Your roses can be easily moved to a different location.

Can be taken with you should you move.

Pots or containers are much easier for gardeners with physical limitations.

Fragrant roses add beauty both indoors and outdoors.

Container gardening enables you to easily vary your color scheme, and as each plant finishes flowering, it can be replaced with another. Whether you choose to harmonize or contrast your colors, make sure there is variety in the height of each plant. Think also of the shape and texture of the leaves. Tall strap-like leaves will give a good vertical background to low-growing, wide-leaved plants. Choose plants with a long flowering season, or have others of a different type ready to replace them as they finish blooming.

Deciding which varieties to plant takes planning. Make a drawing as to where you want to place your roses and note the size of the space you have for each. This will be necessary for the size of container and the right size of rose.

Experiment with creative containers. You might have an old porcelain bowl or copper urn you can use, or perhaps you'd rather make something really modern with timber or tiles. If you decide to buy your containers ready-made, terracotta pots look wonderful, but tend to absorb water and your roses will require frequent watering. Make sure your container has drainage holes. If the ones you purchased have no drainage holes, use a small drill to make holes. Containers made of wood or ceramic stay cooler than plastic or metal.

The container needs to be large enough to accommodate the rose’s roots. More room in the container means more blooms on the plant. For roses that grow less than four feet tall choose containers that are at least 14 to 16 inches in diameter and the same tall. Roses that are 5 feet or taller will need containers 18 inches in diameter and depth. Roses do best in larger containers so a little bigger is fine. When the container is too small the roses become root bound which creates problems. It is better to have your containers for several years rather than having to replace them each year.

When purchasing your pots also purchase the matching saucers. This will save cement floors getting stained, or timber floors rotting. Empty the water regularly so that your roots do not rot. In the inside of the container cover the holes with something that is porous, such as a small piece of screen, so that you do not lose your soil.

Always use a good quality potting mix in your containers. This will ensure the best performance possible from your plants. Nurseries and garden centers have soil mixes that are produced for growing roses in containers. Gently remove the rose and untangle the roots. Add your soil to nearly the top of the container. Make a hole in the middle. Moisten the roots and your soil and place your rose. The container should not be overfilled with soil or it will wash out. After planting your rose cover the top soil with good quality mulch.

Growing roses in containers such as:

Floribunda: Bushy with deep green leaves. They have cluster of flowers in red, pink, white, lavender, yellow and shades of orange. You can choose the color you prefer. A few varieties are Sweet Inspiration, Royal William, French Lace and Amber Queen.

Miniature Roses: Dainty roses and smaller foliage. These will grow both indoors and outdoors. A few varieties are Snowbride which is white, Pierrine which is pink. One’s with different colors are Little Artist, Party Girl and Minnie Pearl.

Patio Roses: these are smaller and excellent for containers. They grow about two to three feet in height. They have colorful flowers and bloom from summer to fall. A few varieties are Amoretti, Yellow Jacket and Pink Pollyanna.

Water your roses daily and add fertilizer regularly. Use a slow-release rose fertilizer by following the instructions.

If you have steps leading up to your front door, an attractive pot plant on each one will delight your visitors. Indoors, pots of plants or flowers help to create a cozy and welcoming atmosphere.

If you have plenty of space at your front door, a group of potted plants off to one side will be more visually appealing than two similar plants placed each side. Unless they are spectacular, they will look rather boring.

Group the pots in odd numbers rather than even, and vary the height and type. To tie the group together, add large rocks that are similar in appearance and just slightly different in size. Three or five pots of the same type and color, but in different sizes also look affective.

With a creative mind and some determination, you will soon be growing roses in containers that will be the envy of friends and strangers alike.