The Creative Beauty of Container Roses

Close-up of pink fairy rose blossom on the tree.

“Portable rose plantings are not only a decorative addition to any part of the outdoor living area, they are also a perfect way to change the look of the landscape from month to month or year to year.” ~

Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M System

 

Growing your roses in containers provides you with several distinct advantages that are not available to earth-planted roses. When grown in containers, your roses can be moved to places that best suit your outdoor living area. Roses can thrive on patios, balconies and terraces when properly rooted in terra cotta pots or whiskey barrels, or plastic tubs. Your roses need a lot of sun to bloom to their full potential—six hours of full sun every day is best for most varieties. With your roses in containers you can position them in areas where the sun is best for them and move them to new locations at any time of the year. Container roses are great for novice gardeners because they’re easy to plant and they establish themselves quickly. At the same time, the techniques for growing roses in containers are not necessarily the same as those for growing roses in the ground.

Roses are the single most popular flowering plant in Texas. There are over 150 different species of roses and thousands of hybrids in every imaginable color and shape for you to choose from.  Not all of them are suitable for container gardening. When picking out roses for your container you should avoid big shrub roses that are likely to outgrow the pot, as well as climbers and old roses. The size of your container matters. Smaller roses, such as miniatures, will thrive in containers that are twelve to fourteen inches wide at the mouth. Larger roses, such as hybrid teas and floribundas will require pots with a much larger diameter.

Varieties that are specifically recommended by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M System include:

New Year, Showbiz, Impatient, Intrigue, Sun Flare, Mon Cheri, Marina, Charisma, First Edition, Cathedral, Bahia, Electron, Redgold, Gene Boerner, Angel Face, Europeana, Garden Party, Sarabande, and Ivory Fashion. (You can find more suggestions listed on their website: aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu.)

For added interest plant colorful geraniums, sweet alyssum, or other annuals at the base of your container. It will fill in the gaps at the base, soften the lines, and create two levels of interest.

If you want roses flowing from a hanging basket use miniature roses such as The Fairy White (red or pink) or Bridal Sunblaze (cream colored). Miniature roses are hardier and more versatile than their larger cousins. Hanging baskets are easily moved indoors for the winter.

Containers can be any shape or material. Roses will grow well in pots made of plastic, clay, terra cotta, ceramic, metal or wood as long at they have good drainage through the bottom. You can add drainage to your container by punching or drilling a hole in the bottom or adding a thick layer of gravel so the roots do not become waterlogged.

Roses in containers will need more water than the same roses in the ground. Not only are all sides of the container subject to drying sun and winds, there is also no ground water to draw from. Watch your planters carefully and water whenever the growing medium starts to dry out. Water your container roses until moisture runs from the bottom. A layer of mulch on top of the planter will help keep the roots of the roses moist and cool.

Do not use indoor potting mix for containerized roses. Potting mix is too porous for use outside. The roots will dry out and your roses will die. Most commercial rose soils work well for containerized roses, as they have a blend of ingredients that keeps roses from becoming too dry or too wet.

Nature’s Way Rose Soil Blend was formulated by the Houston Rose Society and contains MicroLife to provide needed nutrients for containerized roses for the first year of the plant’s development.

Container rose gardening is a stylish way to brighten up outdoor spaces. Potted roses can create a new focal point in a garden or add bold color and fragrance to decks, patios, and entranceways. Containers allow you to move your plant and control the growing conditions of the plant, which is a big benefit in our hot South Texas climate.

MARC HESS is an author whose latest novel, “The Gillespie County Fair,” is available on Amazon. It’s a riveting story about the gentrification of rural Texas. He is also the editor of Milberger’s Gardening South Texas newsletter, a monthly (except January) publication covering the challenges and solutions of gardening in South Central Texas’s unique growing zone. It’s available on-line at no charge at https://www.milbergernursery.com/newsletter-archive/