I have a lot of experience with planting roses in pots. Consider why you want to use pots instead of planting your roses in the ground. If you want to keep your roses in pots for a long time I would consider a larger pot (10gal+) such as: I got this one at Costco ($20) a few years back. Now, if you want to pot up your roses temporarily for the purpose of giving your roses a head start, which is what I did this past year, I would recommend using cheaper nursery pots (the big box stores don't sell these, I buy mine from Diamond Fertilizer for around $1 each). I go all out and create my own potting mix by mixing top soil with compost, Perilite, granular fertilizer, and peat moss (1 bag + 1 bag + ten cups + 3 cups + 5 cups). It's an inexpensive way to pot up several dozen roses, but is very labor intensive. I used to mix in the crystals for hydration, but I didn't see much of a difference so I cut out the expense. I have found that the Miracle Gro Rose Soil is good, but I get the same outcome using the competitions garden soil (it costs around $6 a bag). I did cover my garden beds in professional grade ground cover to stem off the weeds and prevent the roses from rooting down in the ground, as this sets them back a bit when you have to relocate the pot and tear up the roots in the process. I only have a problem with needing to raise the roses off of the ground during the extreme wet months, and even then there's no predicting what will happen. I have planted several roses on Dr. Huey directly into the ground and the average life span runs between three and five years with very good care. The ones that survive past five years are those that set off on their own roots and tend to be very hardy (Don Juan, Sonia, Mister Lincoln, Queen Elizabeth, etc.). You will have to keep to a regular spray program in order to achieve success with these roses. I've found that planting these roses close to a house tends to increase their success. Unfortunately, I've had limited success with those bagged roses once placed in the ground. They are extremely difficult to start to begin with. Once you DO get them started, they tend to be less healthy than potted roses you'd find in the garden center (my experience). Try posting pictures of your situation for better feedback. Good Luck! -Adrian.

The plant is definitely a clusia guttifera (a small leaf clusia which is related to the larger leaf clusia rosea). Another common name for this is a pitch apple. I have one in my garden in Sarasota florida which is about 100 miles north of naples.

I have these growing in SW Florida, Cape Coral. They have done quite well and I wish I had bought more of them when I saw them the first time. (need to try some propagation!) I live on brackish water. The plant on the left is when I first bought it. On the right is the same plant a couple of years later. Flowers are not very exciting.

Purpose? ...for shade? ....screening? ....architectural enhancement? ....streetscaping? ....?