Can roses be grown in pots?

Growing roses at home has become incredibly popular. Thanks to the introduction of some great new rose varieties and types, roses are now high up on the list of top 10 garden plants. And why not? They flower for months on end – mainly throughout summer, but also well into autumn and even during winter – and many have unbeatable, knockout fragrances too.

Some people believe that pruning them is difficult and complicated – which it isn’t, and no more so than pruning other shrubs – and that they always fall foul of pests and diseases – which they don’t; lots of varieties have good resistance to the three common fungal diseases.

One question we’re often asked here at Richard Jackson Garden is can roses be grown in containers? The simple answer is – yes! The solution to growing great roses in containers is to choose suitable varieties for the container size in mind, use a good potting compost and give them the care and attention they deserve. There are even miniature roses and patio roses, bred specifically to be small and compact and designed for container growing.

Roses for small containers

The obvious roses for container growing are patio or miniature types, which have shallower roots and compact growth. Choose a minimum container size of 15cm diameter for true miniatures and 30cm diameter for others. Here are some varieties to try:

‘Anna Ford’

This is a delightful, spreading, bushy, patio rose growing up to 60cm high. It bears clusters of semi-double, orange-red flowers that are 4cm in diameter, opening flat to reveal yellow stamens. These are set off by lovely dark green leaves.

‘Raspberry Royale’

This compact, bushy, patio rose reaches 50cm high. It is clothed in clusters of small, lightly fragrant, deep reddish-pink flowers, set off by dark green leaves.

‘Sweet Dream’

Another brilliant patio rose that is covered in clusters of lightly fragrant, cup-shaped, fully double, peach-apricot flowers, produced on stiff stems and complimented by shiny, dark green leaves. It grows to 50cm high.

Roses for larger containers

If you want to grow larger bush and shrub roses in a container, you’ll need a larger planter – 45cm up to 60cm in diameter. Here are some varieties to try:

‘Champagne Moment’

This fabulous floribunda rose produces masses of pink-tinged flower buds that open into shapely, fully double, cream-coloured blooms with a hint of apricot in the centre. They have a deliciously sweet, medium fragrance. They are set off against slightly toothed, glossy, deep green leaves. It has excellent disease resistance and was winner of the Rose of the Year Award in 2006, Grows to 1.2m high.

‘Hot Chocolate’

Another lovely floribunda rose (see main image) producing profuse clusters of soft, maroon-red flowers that emerge from attractive, rusty-orange flower buds. The blooms have a strong, rich fragrance and are set off by slightly toothed, glossy, deep green leaves. It has a tidy, compact habit, reaching about 1m high and has a healthy constitution to help keep diseases at bay.

‘Lady of Shalott’

An English shrub rose producing rich, orange-red flower buds that open to chalice-shaped blooms, loosely filled with orange petals, and producing a warm fragrance. The outer petals are salmon-pink with contrasting golden-yellow undersides. It forms a bushy plant with slightly arching stems and mid-green leaves; these are lightly bronze when young. Grows to 1.2m high.

But don’t let us restrict which roses you grow. There are lots, lots more to choose from, including those with different growth habits – climbing, ground cover and standard roses.

Planting your potted roses

Make sure your container has drainage holes.

As they are long-term, long-lived plants, pot them up using John Innes No3 Compost. This will ensure the roots won’t dry out too quickly, the loam it contains holds nutrients well and it keeps an open structure, providing the roots with the air they need to breathe.

Place a flat stone, piece of broken terracotta pot or similar over each draining hole in the container to prevent them clogging up with compost.

To encourage strong root growth and get your roses off to the best possible start in life, mix in some Flower Power Premium Root Booster with the compost.

Plant with the graft union (or “knuckle”, where the rose variety has been grafted onto the rootstock) just below compost level.

Raise containers up from the ground using pot feet, bricks or similar, so excess water can drain away easily.

Watch our video guide below:

Looking after your potted roses

The roses will be more-or-less completely dependent on you for their water supply. So, keep on top of watering, especially during summer and warm days in spring and autumn. The compost should be moist, but not saturated.

They will be totally dependent on you for all the nutrients they need, and roses are hungry plants, needing a regular supply of nutrients to keep them strong and healthy and promote lots and lots of flowers.

Either feed every week or so through spring, summer and early autumn with a liquid feed like Flower Power Premium Plant Food or add Flower Power Easy Feed to the compost every spring, applying a monthly feed of Flower Power Premium Plant Food in July, August and September.

Keep an eye out for aphids, as roses in containers can be more vulnerable to pest attack. Either squash them with your fingers, wipe them off with a damp sponge or spray them with Richard’s organic Pest Control Concentrate.

Keep an eye out too for diseases starting on the leaves. If it’s only a few leaves attacked, carefully remove them and dispose of them. If disease attacks are more widespread, spray with a suitable fungicide as early as possible in the year.

Repot every two to three years into a slightly bigger planter, than the one previously used, and fill with fresh compost.

When repotting becomes difficult or impossible, top-dress the container every spring by removing the top 2.5-5cm of compost and replacing it with fresh compost, and mix in some Flower Power Easy Feed.