‘Graham Thomas’ grows happily in a container. Small climbers such as this one will do well if given a support for their longer canes.
I’m extremely cautious about expending actual gardening advice here because I am fully aware I am anything but an expert. However, I’ve been getting asked a lot recently for tips on growing roses in containers and to save time decided it’s best to break my own rule a little bit and talk about what I do in an official post. Just promise me that you’ll understand this is just my technique and there are lots of others that I’m sure work just as well, if not better! I don’t want an angry mob situation on my hands with enraged gardeners showing up at my door waving pruners and shovels. 
So you’re thinking about growing some roses in containers this summer? It’s actually quite simple but there are some things to consider first before you get started. (Rose shown above is ‘Abraham Darby’.)
3 important factors to keep in mind:
1.) A container rose is completely dependent on you to provide all of it’s water and nutrients, and it will need a lot during the growing season.
2.) Are you able to provide winter protection if necessary?
3.) All roses require basic regular maintenance, some more so than others.
The majority of the roses I purchase are rooted cuttings, or “bands” that are still in their first year of growth. This is a more affordable way to build up a rose collection, not to mention there is an bigger variety to choose from. It takes about 1-2 years before they begin blooming. But once they take off, look out! I purchase the majority of my banded roses from: Vintage Gardens, Heirloom Roses and Rogue Valley Roses.
And now some things to ask yourself:
1.) What kinds of roses do you like? The long-stemmed florist variety with blossoms tall and pointed like urns?
2.) The lush, romantic roses that have strong scents and full blossoms?
3.) An easy-care, no fuss, no muss rose?
From left – right: ‘Mme Hardy’, ‘Mme Ernest Calvat’ and ‘Grüss an Aachen’ planted in 3 gallon containers. This was at the beginning of summer, 2011. By the end of summer, they were all transplanted again to 10 gallon* containers and their size tripled!
For me, I grow roses in containers because I have to. When my husband finishes his time at university, we may stay or we may move and that uncertainty has determined that I want my collection to be portable if necessary. Also, it allows me the time to nurture my rooted cuttings (or “banded” roses–see above), since it generally takes them a few years before they really take off. However, I’ve discovered that having a rose garden in containers has been an unexpected joy. You can underplant them with cascading annuals, move them around to showcase certain ones in bloom, and as the blooms are raised up, it makes them easier to enjoy. I currently have about 60 or so in a container of some kind but you don’t have to do that, of course, because even I can recognize that that’s just crazy.
A view of the container garden. Behind the bench are some of those roses I mentioned earlier which were transplanted into 10 gallon* nursery containers. The middle rose is ‘Mme Ernest Calvat’ which reached heights of 5 feet or so last summer and needs support for her long, arching canes. Black plastic nursery pots are not the most attractive thing in the world, but they are affordable and can be disguised with trailing plants.
Some suggestions for getting started:
1.) Find a large, plastic or wood container with adequate drainage holes. I do not like to use ceramic or terracotta because it dries out too quickly. Most of my containers are nursery pots made of plastic, some are wood that my husband recently started building for me. The wood looks nicer, obviously, but I was able to find some faux stone plastic containers at Big Lots that look pretty good. Important: They should be around the 5-10 gallon* mark as far as size goes!
My husband built this container with attached trellis for ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’ to have a happy home. Now if only I can convince him to make about 60 more of these.
2.) Use a good quality, organic potting mix or blend your own as I like to do. I start with regular potting soil (without the slow-release fertilizer) and mix it with a generous amount of composted cow manure and handfuls of the following: bone meal, blood meal, gypsum, cottonseed meal, fish meal and epsom salts. Last spring I was a bit willy-nilly with how I mixed my container mix, kind of a “little of this, little of that” situation. This spring I want to follow a more exacting recipe such as the one detailed in Right Rose, Right Place by Peter Schneider. If you can hang tight, I’ll share my recipe this spring when I put it together. By the way, the reason I do not use time-released chemical fertilizers in my container mix is because it inhibits the growth of Mycorrhizal Fungi which helps a rose fight off disease as well as it’s ability to intake nutrients. Chemical fertilizers are also harmful to young roses just developing their root systems.
3.) Drip irrigation is best, but I water my roses the old-fashioned way–with a hose. It’s best to water your roses in the morning so the leaves have time to dry off. Container roses need a lot of watering. Sometimes a few times a day if it’s really hot out! I have the luxury of working from home, so when I need a break from my desk, I go out and water my garden. However, you may consider adding water absorbing crystals (I’ve even heard some gardeners place a clean diaper at the bottom of their containers) into your soil mix. About once/week, during the growing season, I water my roses with compost tea. You can make your own if you have a compost bin, but my roses especially like the tea I purchase from Haven.
4.) Be vigilant with inspecting for pests and diseases (this is another post I think I’d better write). Deadhead as necessary.
Underplanting container roses with trailing annuals is a great way to keep the show going even when the roses are in a period of rest. It also shades the roots from extreme temperatures and disguises less-than-ideal containers. These flowers are Calibrachoa which also attract pollinating insects.
And now the good stuff! Some suggestions for good container roses:
I especially want to stress that the following is absolutely my opinion only and based on my experience. Take it with a grain of salt!
1.) If you live in a colder climate (zones 6 and below), I recommend staying away from Hybrid Tea roses. In point of fact, they are my least favorite class of roses, but I understand that some people love them and I apologize if I’ve offended anyone. To me, they are incredibly susceptible to disease and winter dieback, and if that wasn’t bad enough, towards the end of summer they start to look leggy and weird. However, I accidentally purchased a HT last spring and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. ‘Sedona’ is making a nice container rose. You can find ‘Sedona’ and other Hybrid Tea roses from Jackson & Perkins.
With the larger of the containers pushed to the back, and the smaller raised up on makeshift benches, I’ve found a way to store the more tender of our container-planted roses in our garage for winter.
2.) If you’re like me and love the Old Garden roses, then a good place to start with those is actually with some modern hybrids bred to have the OGR charm but with the added benefit of repeat bloom. There are lots of hybridizers introducing wonderful achievements in this regard, but it’s no secret that I am a big fan of David Austin’s collection and most are suitable for containers. Admittedly, some of his roses can be susceptible to disease. Before I purchase any, I look them up on the HMF database and see what other gardeners have to say about them. My favorite David Austin rose so far has to be ‘Abraham Darby’ (see 2nd photo down from top) which blooms and blooms all summer and looks lovely in a container (better so than in the ground!) For help with rose selections, David Austin has compiled a helpful reference.
3.) Miniatures, Floribundas, Polyanthas, these are also good choices for containers. I particularly love ‘Grüss an Aachen’ (a floribunda) which bloomed all summer and maintains a tidy size. Are you interested in trying your hand at some Old Garden Roses? I adore Gallicas, such as ‘Rosa Mundi’, but keep in mind they only bloom once. All of my Gallicas are in containers, and you can find my complete list HERE. Hybrid Perpetuals, Portlands, Damasks, Albas, Noisettes, can also be grown in containers, but you have to check their mature size as some can get incredibly large. We’re going to have our hands full in a couple of years when my OGR’s outgrow their homes! On that note, it’s best to stick with a rose that doesn’t get much larger than 4 feet if you’re planning on keeping it in a container.
4.) Roses that are kept in containers can live happily there for several years if their needs are provided for. Top off regularly with compost and move them to a protected location in the winter if you live in a cold climate. After a few years, you may need to remove the rose from the container and do some root pruning, or move to the garden into a permanent location.
What started out as a necessity, the rose container garden is now my favorite place!
* EDIT: I just realized I had a typo in the original post which stated “5 gallon” where I meant to say “10 gallon.” I apologize for the mistake. It has since been corrected! 
