Roses in pots

debs64

Hi all hope you don’t mind if this has been asked before please bear with me. I want recommendations for DA roses that grow well in pots and any advice on keeping them healthy. Highly scented please. Not had much luck with roses though I seem ok with other plants in tubs so what are your tips? I know there are some real experts on here so hope you can help 
thanks , apologies again if this had been asked recently and I missed it 

JoeX

I’m just about to move some into containers - I think you’re looking for depth and drainage.

im not sure about feed though.

Marlorena

@debs64

There are many to choose from depending on which colour you prefer, but here are 3 I would personally recommend to you, based on health [no sprays required], compact growth for pots, and scent..

'Desdemona'  [white]
'Munstead Wood' [purple]
'Boscobel' [salmon pink]

Plant in as large a container as you can manage yourself, but a minimum 45cm x 45cm... 50 x 50 is better..

Use a mixture of John Innes no. 3 and Multi Purpose compost... half and half.
Do not bother with gravel in the base of pot, and you don't need mycorrhizal fungi.. just cover drainage hole with piece of plastic from an old pot, or a crock of broken terracotta or somesuch…   

Sprinkle some fertilizer over the top of compost when finished and water in..

Bare roots are best, but you haven't much time left for these.. best of luck..

debs64

Thanks marlorena I am running out of space and really want more roses I will definitely try those. And follow your advice excellent as always! 

debs64

That said how many roses would you put into an 8foot by 4foot bed? And what, if anything, would you plant with them? I know it would depend on size of individual bushes but just wondered if putting them too close together would cause major problems? 
Would you put a bit of well rotted manure in the pots? Would plastic be acceptable or glazed pots? And s minimum depth? Thanks again. 

AnniD

@Marlorena (and debs, sorry to hijack your thread), l have posted a query about Rose "Hot Chocolate" on another thread, but wondered if you know anything about growing that one in a pot please? 

Marlorena

@AnniD
Hi Anni, I've answered you on your other thread...

@debs64
Regarding your 8x4 foot bed, it depends on whether this is an island bed or backed by a fence..   and I presume it's 8 foot long by 4 foot deep?.. 
if against a fence, I would put 2 taller wider ones at the back and 3 smaller ones towards the front..

As an example you might put 2 x 'Desdemona' roses [4 x 3 foot] at the back, and 3 x 'Munstead Wood' roses [3 x 3 foot] at the front.. these are complementing colours..

..and for companion planting, this is personal too, but one of my favourites is Astrantia 'Roma'.. 

As for your pots, yes a couple of scoopfuls of composted manure is good, I use that... and for depth of pots you're wanting 18 inches depth really, about 45cm I think that is..

I'll post some photos in a moment...

Marlorena

I should add that I'm not a garden designer and so I plant for myself, which means it can look quite chaotic, but that's how I like it.. others might enjoy seeing lots of gaps.. my main concern is cramming in as many roses as I possibly can.. which will be more than I would recommend to someone else...  I would recommend though not to plant too many perennials in the first season.. allow your roses to develop and establish a bit, before adding too many... add more in the 2nd season..

..this photo is from May.. white roses are 'Desdemona' against fence.. this stretch is about 10 foot long by 4 foot wide... so I have 4 x 'Desdemona'...


..same view in June.. I also have other roses in this photo... I plant quite densely, but I would recommend perhaps a little less than what I have... 


 'Munstead Wood' 


Astrantia 'Roma' at bottom of photo.. I just think it goes so well with roses of all kinds..

debs64

Your garden is absolutely beautiful. The bed I use is open on both sides at the front of the allotment. It’s s clay soil and after only one year my roses look really happy but I do hanker after roses in my own garden. It’s a rented house with a lot of paving no grass and beds with established shrubs I can’t do much with, just a few annuals. I have tried roses in pots before but they didn’t do well I think I was using the wrong soil mix and the pots were too small I am looking to get some half barrels about 60cms diameter really hoping they will be happy there. 
Last year my daughter got her own house and my Mother in law moved into a flat so we spent a wet day in November digging up her DA roses that had been in situ for 35 years we planted them in a specific rose bed we had prepared and every one of them has new growth! 
Daughter and I go to David Austin several times every summer and always buy roses, she is now thinking of a whole new bed against a 20 foot long wall planted up with climbers including roses! So exciting. I am forwarding those photos to my daughter to inspire her! 
Thanks again for all your advice, we need a category for roses I think, we could call it ask Marlorena

Marlorena

lol.. well,...  we must have a rose thread sometime in May and show off all our hard work..

60cms half barrel is excellent for roses... I didn't want to suggest something that big in case it wasn't manageable, I struggle with very large pots, but if you can I think they look nice in those pots..

Delighted to hear those roses you transplanted are doing so well... they're easier than a lot of people seem to think..  and how lucky to go to Austins every so often.. of course I see you are in West Midlands, so fairly local to you.... best wishes for a great summer..

debs64

Thanks that’s brilliant I will sort out those barrels, luckily I have a husband and son who can easily manage even large pots and once they are in situ they should be fine. The centre of the garden is a 12-14 foot paved square where there used to be pond apparently. It gets a lot of sun and is fairly sheltered by the surrounding beds and other gardens. I intend to put the barrels there and look forward to planting them up with the roses you recommended and maybe a few others I can’t resist! 
I have considered planting a few dwarf lavenders in with the roses as I heard somewhere that they discourage aphids? Not sure if that is true.