Oh now, aimeekitty (shaking my head knowledgeably), you KNOW what we've done: we succumbed and bought the extra rose we didn't have room for. Like every collector of every sort of item (from husbands to fancy dresses to CDs to books to new lipstick colors to high-heeled shoes to cute puppies), we just can't resist.

Carol

Well, Aimee, the bottom line is that we all order too many. The other bottom line is that some won't please us. So extras are always handy. You really never know which one is actually the RIGHT rose - the one you plant or the one you save in the ghetto. It all works out in the end though. Hopefully, your "pleased" rate is better than mine.

Sherry

Yes, I have done it, and I have no excuse - the San Jose Heritage Garden is only 15 minutes away:-)

Masha

Haven't even close to running out of room yet....so I don't know. I am definitely at the place where I don't NEED another rose; but can't resist any new shrub or OGR.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Musings

"Just to see"--Hee, hee. That sounds exactly like something I would do.

I've ordered 12 roses that I don't need and don't really have the room for (except perhaps three or four). What made me do it? I think it's the desire for roses that are better than some of those I have. (Oh gosh, I pray campanula is not reading this!) Given my difficult climate (it was 105.4 degrees today) I suppose there is some justification. I remember writing a thread where I said I was just going to sit back and enjoy what I had and not buy any more. I'm afraid I was fooling myself even if no one else believed me. There are many keepers and I hope to have more and more, but what's the harm in getting just a few really enticing new ones, and one must support the nurseries, etc. etc.......

Ingrid

If you look at pictures of the most beautiful AR member gardens , you know that people fit an awful lot of roses in some awfully limited spaces, and the result can be beautiful.

There are limits. You don't want so much crowding that you set up conditions for disease; and you don't want so much crowding that you are constantly mutilating roses to make them fit where they simply cannot. But I don't think you need to feel bad about one too many roses, even if it is big. In all likelihood, one of your other roses will disappoint you in some way and you will miraculously find the space after all.

Rosefolly

Thankfully, I have not graduated from doing that with irises to doing it with roses.
But I have ten more irises coming with no spot in mind at all.

Renee

My garden is chock full of good roses that are mostly mature plants. But I order three new ones every couple of years "just to see," because I would lose interest if the garden were static for a few years. So I learn about the new roses, and if they seem very promising, I kick somebody out or just squeeze the newcomer in.

I do this all the time. I think a good up and growing pot ghetto is part of keeping the garden going. If something in the garden dies or doesn't work out then I've got something bigger than a band to replace it with. It's certainly a great excuse for picking up an interesting rose.

"An up and growning Pot Ghetto"? Are you sure you're growing roses Mendicino? :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Musings

Whaaat there are roses suitable to grow in containers, rrright? :D

But yes, I buy more plants than I should, also I know perfectly well that some plants will get too large. Then again, I have been removing mature plants from the garden before, because they do not perform well, get sick, or generally my taste changes with years. Also, some plants stay favorites for years and some you get over with pretty quickly. There were times when I was in love with magnolias, wisterias, alliums, but then after you see them for the rest of the year being quite plain, you decide to skip them in the next garden project.

I'm fully supportive of Mendocino Rose's views on pot ghettos. This year, I decided to feature my ghetto prominently. Heretofore, that 45-ft deck of mine was woefully under-utilized space. Not anymore. The ghetto denizens love it there, and now I'm able to keep a much closer watch on them. No more out of sight, out of mind catastophes. How does it look? Well . . .

Are you sure you're growing roses Mendicino? :)

No, that's her neighbor down the road. You could ask Cindy from Texas all about that some time! She had a bit of an adventure one time she came to visit.

I did order three roses from the Vintage sale. But I made sure I had a spot for each and every one of them before placing the order. And I have a couple of spots reserved for roses I have in mind, should I ever come across them.

My small pot ghetto tends to be roses I am rooting, or back ups of roses that might need to be replaced. For example, I began to see some cane dieback on Old Port, a favorite of mine and one I would have trouble replacing. Cutting out bad canes didn't seem to help, Eventually I dug up the plant, cut off healthy rooted parts, and replanted the best part in another location, where I am happy to report it thrives. The other parts went into pots to grow a bit before being planted in other locations. A pot ghetto is sort of like a small home nursery. I use mine the way someone in a cold climate might use a greenhouse.

Speaking of reserved places for roses, I was looking at Jon of Wessex's pictures demonstrating 'layering' in the garden, and I think I have a spot where I can do some of that. Now I'm in the market for a couple of big ramblers. I have two big white monsters so I'll want colors. I'll be thinking about that. But that is for another thread.

Rosefolly

Sherry, I'm not sure what my pleased rate really will be until maybe next year or later...! Though I must miserly-ly admit that I have my eye on one that's bloomed once and looked a bit toasty the rest of the year while ALL the others have attempted to bloom more and are lovely and green. (*cough* Mortimer Sackler *cough*)

Masha, but you can see all those roses, so that is an excuse because it -must- tempt you to add them to your garden!

The ones that I really really want are not at Descanso or Huntington (which are kinda-sorta near me). I saw a very sad almost-dead stick of Archduke Charles. It was almost comical because the one I wanted at the top of my list, they denied me seeing in action!

"and one must support the nurseries, etc. etc......." Ingrid, hehe. :)
I know what you're saying about finding more suitable varieties, though. I feel like I don't really know yet which ones will be winners. This summer (except for this past week) has been unseasonably NOT HOT, so... my roses are doing really well, mostly, but I feel like it's not really a good test. Next summer I bet will have a whole month or two of 100+ temps.

rosefolly- I'd love to see more pictures of "whole gardens" with roses of members. :)

Renee- you can almost always find a spot for an iris, though, right? and maybe one of them will rot. ;)

OK THEN... I appreciate all the thoughtful advice, you guys. I'll get my Bermuda's Kathleen and I'll keep my up and growing pot ghetto with a feeling of slightly less guilt. ;) I actually think my pots look kinda cute. I have alyssum growing around the base of the pots like crazy. They love the little bit of extra water that seeps out of the rose pots.

Aimee Kitty, make sure that long-term pots don't sit directly on soil. I've had roots grow out of the hole at the bottom into the soil, and the rose die when I moved it and the taproot snapped off. I do like my pots to be in a soil area. What I do is raise them up a bit, with old bricks or old pieces of wood under them so that the pots are not resting directly on the soil. This is a good thing to do if they are on a concrete surface too, because it prevents the potting soil from staining the concrete when you water.

I like "whole garden" pictures, too. From time to time members do post them.

Rosefolly

We all do "just to see". That's why we all know the term "pot ghetto" isn't talking about an illegal plant.

It is hotter and drier here than Rosefolly in Sunset 16. I put my pots on ground so that the roots do grow into the soil, because it keeps them healthier. I dig a big hole to get the root system out and cut the pot off when I finally have a spot for the rose.

HoovB, I had not thought of that technique. I see your point.

Rosefolly

Thanks you guys, I didn't know that at all. I do have one rose (it's one of my free ones that's not a color I wanted) that has a long root coming out the bottom. it was just kinda on the surface,... but I'll keep that in mind.

I worry too about things getting rootbound, but I guess I should just repot it into something slightly larger if it goes for a year or two and gets a lot bigger?

You can get the roses that grow through the pot into the ground to survive quite easily actually -- when you notice the plant has grown through, begin to cut the individual roots that attach it to the ground one at a time, a couple of weeks apart. The idea is to sever the in-ground roots slowly, so the rose has time to regenerate feeder roots inside the pot.

Roses adapt if you give them a chance to.