Roses

[Rhyd6]

Can anyobe recommend roses that they have successfully grown in a container? I've looked at the David Austin site and am still recovering from the shock of the prices. If I'm going to fork out that kind of money I'd like to have some idea whether it's worth it or not.

R6

[Nimrod103]

Can anyobe recommend roses that they have successfully grown in a container? I've looked at the David Austin site and am still recovering from the shock of the prices. If I'm going to fork out that kind of money I'd like to have some idea whether it's worth it or not.

R6

I have never tried to grow roses in containers. However, I doubt any rose will be happy in a container, except perhaps a dwarf variety. Roses tend to have deep roots, and also won't be happy with the wind-rock which you get in a pot on a patio.

[unperplex]

Sorry, I only just saw this post.I have a small garden and decided to try roses in pots.They can be moved around if desired and the containers can be attractive too. I bought from David Austin (online) and indeed they are not cheap, but if you buy the bare rooted ones (which I think are delivered in November) they are cheaper than those delivered in plastic pots.
Austin recommend certain roses for growing in containers and I chose “Grace” - a peachy coloured one, and “Princess Anne” a reddish- pink one - your choice, however.... I would not say they were “dwarf” varieties.The rose size is quite large and both are scented too. The growth is quite compact however (Princess Anne is slightly more compact than Grace).
I think it is important to have a large container. I chose an Apta Mekong Cone Lattice 49cm diameter terracotta pot (because it looked nice).It was again not cheap - £30.This is very much a matter of taste.Decent looking plastic pots are available in that size if you wish(and, ecause lighter, would be easier to move).
With terracotta pots I would always put a plastic liner in to minimise transpiration.An old compost bag with holes in the bottom is great.(NB: with terracotta containers it is a good idea to put them on pot feet during the winter months to avoid cracking, even though Apta say the Mekong Cone Lattice is “frost-resistant”).

If you want a good display, Roses are demanding, and even more so if in a container. I possibly went overboard a bit, buying special rose compost to pot them in and even a bag of rose root fungus (from Austin) which is alleged to stimulate root growth.....
However I am very happy with the results.I have one on each side of the back door into the garden.

I bought them in plastic pots relatively early last summer and potted them up in the 2 containers.
They produced a good display last July/ August with a second flush late August /September ( I fed them with feeding granules from time to time as well).Regular deadheading is useful too.

I cut them back quite a bit in early Spring this year, mulched them thickly with my own compost, fed again with granules and sprayed them a couple of times with Rose Clear to keep off the aphids and black spot.
The VERY HOT Summer this year prompted me to take Austin’s advice and give each rose a canfull of water (10 litres) more or less every day.It seemed to work and the display has been even better this year despite the hot weather.

Roses can be grown successfully in containers.
They do best though with a lot of care.

Hope the above is useful.

Unperplex.