Climbing / Rambling roses in pots

KCMM09 · August 2020

Hi all,

I have x2 50x50cm square terracotta pots which I was planning to use to put climbing or rambling roses in, either side of a trellis arbour. I’m aware ideally you’re meant to use 60x60 minimum but I was wondering if anyone has used 50x50 to grow these types of roses please ?

Or do you think tall shrub roses would look best? Many thanks !

Lizzie27 · August 2020

I think tall shrub roses would do better than the others as they prefer to be in the ground. You might want to research whether it's now possible to get short climbing roses however.

poppyfield64 · August 2020

I have 6 climbing roses in pots but can't speak of long term as most are fairly new. 2 of them I've had for a few years but all are short climbers.

Busy-Lizzie on here shared a photo of her climbing rose in a pot and it looked amazing.

There are details of it on this thread.
https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1045220/suitable-roses-to-grow-in-pots-to-climb-up-a-trellis/p1

Busy-Lizzie · August 2020

Thanks @poppyfield64 The pot was 60cm tall, 50cm wide. The rose needed a lot of feeding and watering to keep it healthy. It was 8 years old then I dug it up and gave it to my daughter last winter, its roots filled the pot and it is feeling happy in her ground.

I have grown Malvern Hills, Phyllis Bide, Shropshire Lad (not many flowers), Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Gertrude Jekyll, Falstaff, Lady of Shallott, Lady Emma Hamilton, Summer Song, the Eden rose and Rosa Complicata in pots. The deer ate the roses in the lower part of the garden and much of the bit around the house is terraced with stone paving. There wasn't enough room in the top part of the garden which OH had deer fenced. I am selling my house so last winter I gave most of them to my daughter. I think they are happier in the ground but they did pretty well in the pots all the same. All my pots were 60 cm deep except one which was 50cm.

KCMM09 · August 2020

Thank you so much @poppyfield64 and @Busy-Lizzie for your replies. You have given me such a better insight and it sounds like I could plant some
shorter climbers in the pots. This is the arbour ( please excuse the poor finish of the garden 🙈 ) and as you can see the pots are to go either side...
I’m very new to gardening but my goal was to put two pink rose climbers over this as the ground is full of cement...

Any further advice much appreciated

K67 · August 2020

Looks very nice.
The only comments I would make is either to paint or treat the wood now if that's what you intended to do.
Also as its a seating area don't get a rose,with too many thorns. Gertrude Jekyll is very thorny smells divine.

Busy-Lizzie · August 2020

Your garden doesn't look poorly finished.
What about a rose and a clematis?

Here are some pink roses from Peter Beales Classic roses that may help you to choose. You can type in which sort you want on the left, eg colour, scent. https://www.classicroses.co.uk/roses.html?pbr_flowering_period_string=588&pbr_rose_colour=13_14&pbr_rose_group=91&pbr_rose_thorniness_value=596_597

Here are some from David Austin https://eu.davidaustinroses.com/pages/search-results?q=climber&productFilter=filter_rose_category%3AClimbing%20%26%20Rambling%20Roses%3B%3Bfilter_colour%3ADeep%20Pink%3B%3Bfilter_colour%3ALight%20Pink%3B%3Bfilter_colour%3AMid%20Pink%3B%3Bfilter_size%3AShort%20Climber%2FRambler%202.5-3m

Have a look at the Taylors Clematis site.

KCMM09 · August 2020

K67 said:

Looks very nice.
The only comments I would make is either to paint or treat the wood now if that's what you intended to do.
Also as its a seating area don't get a rose,with too many thorns. Gertrude Jekyll is very thorny smells divine.

Thanks lovely, it’s hard to tell but I’ve already painted it with a paint and treatment . It’s a green colour.

Yes good point!

KCMM09 · August 2020

Busy-Lizzie said:

Your garden doesn't look poorly finished.
What about a rose and a clematis?

Here are some pink roses from Peter Beales Classic roses that may help you to choose. You can type in which sort you want on the left, eg colour, scent. https://www.classicroses.co.uk/roses.html?pbr_flowering_period_string=588&pbr_rose_colour=13_14&pbr_rose_group=91&pbr_rose_thorniness_value=596_597

Here are some from David Austin https://eu.davidaustinroses.com/pages/search-results?q=climber&productFilter=filter_rose_category%3AClimbing%20%26%20Rambling%20Roses%3B%3Bfilter_colour%3ADeep%20Pink%3B%3Bfilter_colour%3ALight%20Pink%3B%3Bfilter_colour%3AMid%20Pink%3B%3Bfilter_size%3AShort%20Climber%2FRambler%202.5-3m

Have a look at the Taylors Clematis site.

Thank you that’s great!

I contacted DA previously and found it disappointing that out of all their climbers, they only stayed two ramblers suitable for growing over an arbour. They dismissed all other ideas and point blank wouldn’t entertain growing the roses in a 50x50... But as I’ve got a DA shrub in a sleeper which is much shallower , this is what has made me consider shrubs or short climbers

I was also considering a clematis, maybe for the back of it ?

poppyfield64 · August 2020

That's a lovely seating area @kathleen_cardwell23 I have a smaller arbour that I am growing Kiss Me Kate on. Only in her first year so has a way to go yet but is classed as very fragrant and good disease resistance. Gets to around 8ft. Also doing well in it's first season is Dixieland Linda. My newest is Storm Cloud also in a pot.

As said by others a clematis would also look really nice.

KCMM09 · August 2020

poppyfield64 said:

That's a lovely seating area @kathleen_cardwell23 I have a smaller arbour that I am growing Kiss Me Kate on. Only in her first year so has a way to go yet but is classed as very fragrant and good disease resistance. Gets to around 8ft. Also doing well in it's first season is Dixieland Linda. My newest is Storm Cloud also in a pot.

As said by others a clematis would also look really nice.

Oh this all sounds good! What size pots ? Do you have photos please ? Many thanks

Climbing / Rambling roses in pots

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