Driveways are notorious as "hell strips" because they're so hot and may not be a great place for 90-degree-plus afternoon storage of your pots. Is there somewhere cooler you can keep the roses while they wait for their homes? As for keeping them in their pots, you can do that for as long as their roots aren't finding their way through the pot bottom, and if/when that occurs you can move them into a larger pot. Hope that helps. Sounds like you've got a lovely, lovely group of roses that you'll be planting! Good luck and post pictures when you can.

Sue

There are these things called baby pools. Very, very useful for keeping potted plants during hot, dry weather. You load all the pots into the pool, put in an inch or two of water, then ignore them for a couple of days. When the water has evaporated, or the roses start looking drought stressed, whichever comes first, put in another inch or two of water. The idea is to refill is about twice a week.

It's the only way I can keep a lot of potted plants alive. It also works for tomato and pepper plants, though with those you have to watch for waterlogging. The only plants I've had in pots that are more tolerant of extreme periods of water than roses are true swamp plants.

If the driveway is the only choice - beg or borrow some wooden pallets (our recycling center often has them over on the burn pile...) or create a similar elevated platform with concrete blocks/bricks and a few boards. Use the shadiest part of the driveway, if there is one. If you do this, you might keep the roots from baking, but you will need to water at least once a day.

"The only plants I've had in pots that are more tolerant of extreme periods of water than roses are true swamp plants."

Whoa, there goes some conventional wisdom out the window.

Thanks!! The driveway isn't the only choice, so I'll look for other locations. They are next to a shade garden, under a large hemlock, but as I said, they get morning sun & our days are starting to get hotter. I think I can probably move them up closer to the base of the hemlock where I can still reach them with the hose but have them out of the sun. I'll see if we have a tub or if I can find a cheap baby pool - I like that idea.

Michael, do you remember about ten years ago when severe flooding in Oregon put Edmunds growing fields under water for about 2 weeks? At the time there was a lot of discussion about how it would negatively affect their shipping that year. However, after everything dried out, Edmunds people showed up to say that everything was fine. The orders did ship as usual the next spring. I got the distinct impression that their losses from the flooding were extremely minimal.

M_G, I wonder, if roses really need good drainage as people commonly say, how roses could survive a rainy month in New Orleans. I have beds with pretty poor drainage and a bed with fast drainage, and they seem to grow about the same. I did on one occasion have waterlogging symptoms on two plants during a month of constant rain. These were in planting holes, contrary to my usual practice.

However, there would be a difference between stagnant water underground and aereated water such as the Edmunds floods, your baby pool, and luxrosa's roses growing in a temporary stream bed.

Many ares of the New Orleans metro area are reclaimed swamp land- dig two feet and you hit "water", that along with lots of afternoon showers especially in spring seems to cause many plants to grow to mutant sizes. So drainage can be a problem so much water in the saturated ground. I am often surpised to see plants here in Texas that at first I don't recognize- they just don't get as big. But Black Spot is a very bad problem there.
Another odd thing, during Katrina parts of Metairei and Kenner were flooded by salt Water from Lake Ponchatrain backing up thru the pumps ( no back flow preventers )-around my former house thewater reached two or three feet and subside within a few days. When I went back to see my house( which was destroyed)-my roses were growing like mad and my Blood Orange Tree ahd nemerous large oranges on it. I imagine the salt water cleansed away some of the things that harm plants?