This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Littler Rambler Rose still in pot...
Hi Everyone,
I know hardly anything about gardening but in August a friend bought me a David Austin Little Rambler rose. We struggled to see where we could put it where it would be against a wall and to cut a long story short it is still outside in the pot it was bought in. We plan to reorganise the garden next year but will it be ok out there till then or do I need to do something special to it?
0
Posts
Potted roses can be left for the winter in the pot. I'd put in in a sheltered position if you have nowhere to plant it for the moment. If you have a position for it then it can go in. If it gets really cold a little shelter will be of benefit, but otherwise it will need no special precautions.
The little rambler rose is a patio rose or container rose. It works well in a large patio container with lower plants planted around the bottom of it in the container. If your rose is in a small container and is root bond then you should place it in a protected area outside. Do not place it where it will get a heavy snow load or in a windy location. Try to put leaves or straw around the pot to help protect it.
If you can still dig your soil loose place the rose in the ground and transplant it in the spring. By placing it in the ground it will help keep the root system moist and will prevent the rose from drying out and give your rose a better chance at surviving the winter. You can use this rose as a fence rose or trellis rose if you like. This will give you more planting options. If you do place it in a protected area near your house make sure when spring temperatures start warming up that you give your plant water, even if the ground is still cold.
Happy gardening!
If you can get it in the ground, now is the time, the roots will develop while the canes are dormant. The suggestion above to sink the pot into the ground temporarily is also a good one. However, if your ground is frozen, or you still can't think where to put it, I personally would pot it on into a bigger pot. Use John Innes no3 or another loam based, not multi pupose compost. The pots they come in from the nurseries are far too small long term, roses need space for their roots. Plus the drainage in them isn't always the best.
You don't say where you are - most places in the UK, this rose shouldn't need winter protection, but in a pot, especially a small pot the plant is more at the mercy of the weather than if it were in the ground. Main dangers are wind rock damaging the roots, inadequate drainage/standing water in the pot exposing the roots to freeze/thaw cycles, cold wind dessication causing cane damage, and should your area get down to sub -10 and lower temps for prolonged periods, cane/graft die back. If you must keep in in the nursery pot, the suggestion to put it in a sheltered area near the house is a good one. You could also put the pot inside a larger one and pack the gap with insulating material to give it more root protection.