How to grow a rose in a pot

A rose can make a wonderful subject for a pot if you remember to apply the same growing conditions to your container as a rose likes in the open ground.

My Learning with Experts' colleague Michael Marriott was the Head Rosearian at David Austin Roses for many years, and now teaches an online Roses course - so I strongly recommend his course to learn how to create a rose garden.

Roses like a heavy soil, therefore a loam based compost is ideal. Roses hate competition, so just give your rose a pot to itself.

Roses need plenty of food and water for healthy growth and plenty of flowers. So choose a large pot which holds plenty of growing medium and remember to water regularly and feed with a rose fertiliser.

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Of course your choice of rose is important: compact varieties which repeat flower are the ones to go for. As gardens get smaller the demand for repeat flowering roses, which do not grow too large, is greater. Also strong healthy growers that are resistant to disease.

Most roses sold bare root in the winter months will find their way into beds and borders. Potted plants already in bud and bloom are a popular way to buy plants from late spring through summer.

This is a great time to choose your rose; when you can see the flower and judge the fragrance. When you get your plant home water it thoroughly in the pot before you consider planting it. If the compost is very dry immerse the pot in a bucket of water.

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Choose a nice big pot that is deeper and wider than the container the rose is growing in when you buy it. Traditional flowerpot shapes are best: they are easier to water and much easier if you need to repot the rose at a later date. Place a layer of large broken crocks over the drainage hole.

Their function is to keep the drainage hole open to avoid waterlogging. Do not use too many as this will reduce the amount of compost in the pot.

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Using a good quality loam based compost (U.K. John Innes No.3) partially fill the pot. Judge this according to the depth of the rootball of the rose.

Do not use garden soil, even if it is good. This contains weed seeds and organisms that are beneficial in the open ground but can become harmful when confined in a pot.

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Carefully take the rose out of its pot. Roses have a wiry root system that does not make a very stable rootball. Do not panic if some of the compost falls away, but hopefully if sufficiently moist it will hold together and you can carefully position it in the pot intact.

The bud union, just above the roots where the branches start, should be just below the surface of the growing medium when the rose is potted.

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Now fill with compost, firming it in around the rootball with your fingertips. Do not force it down too firmly but make sure there are no gaps. You can add a handful of rose fertiliser to the compost when the pot is half full, or mix it into the compost surface afterwards.Water thoroughly.

Aftercare

Position your rose in a nice sunny position and remember to water regularly.

Add a handful of rose fertiliser to the compost surface every spring and midsummer as the first flush of flowers starts to fade.

Remove flowerheads as they fade, cutting back to just above a healthy leaf.

Prune in winter to remove weak and damaged shoots and to shorten the stems by one third to a half. Cut to just above outward facing buds.

Alt textA few good rose varieties for pots

‘Blue for You’ (pictured) – Mauve-blue floribunda

‘Desdemona’ – Blush white English shrub rose

‘Lucky’ – Pink, semi-double floribunda

‘Princess Alexandra of Kent’ - Bright pink English shrub rose

‘Grace’ – Apricot English shrub rose

‘Lady of Shallot’ – Orange English shrub rose