Do you want to do this yourself because the process sounds fun to you, or do you just want a tree rose? There is an own-root, ungrafted tree rose for sale that is extremely hardy in the north called Polar Joy. Other roses grafted onto standard form are available mostly through mail order, but in our climate need to be brought indoors in the winter or else the graft(s) will freeze. If you want to do this yourself, I would try it with a very hardy/vigorous/thick-stemmed rose. William Baffin comes to mind. I bet eventually he could be pruned to a standard. And he is vigorous enough that you could probably get a nice thick standard form within 3 years or so. You need to start from the begining and train the rose to a single leader like any standard topiary. It will take a while, esp. in the north.

I would suggest 3 things to do that should change the plant's vitality for the better. Repot into an appropriate sized container. If it is a two to three year old, I would put it in a 12" plastic pot. I personally drill many 20-30 3/16" (or so) sized holes in the sides and bottom for aeration within the container. In one of the bottom drainage holes, I would put a wick, a 1/8" thin 100% cotton rope with a double knot tied to help keep it inside the container. When I take plant out after soaking and letting it drain, I put it on a stand for a day with a drip cup under the wick to catch the remainer or water still dripping out. 2- In this container use a mix of small bark (from dime to quarter size), perlite and Turface MVP. Turface MVP can be bought by local distributor, google turface MVP, or on ebay- delivered at a premium price if your time is short. I put 4 to 5 parts bark- to 1 part perlite- to 1 part Turface MVP. Make sure that the items are screened for fines, small particles that need to be taken out. Insect screening securely nailed to a small frame should do. 3- Don't water this particular plant (espcially Meyers but to a lesser extent all citrus in general) until the pot, when you lift it, it quite light. Some sites and people advocate using a water meter and various other methods, but the easist is to feel the weight of the pot. Additionally, check the leaves. When they seem like they are getting slightly wilty, this is the time to water. I use bathtub drenchings, so the plant really soaks it up. If you wait until slight wilt and then drench (the soil mix above drains quickly) the plant (at least my plant/s) almost always puts out new growth or blossoms right after. Also my plant room is quite dry, I would imagine that if you have a more humid environment, that it would take even longer for the soil to dry out. As far as feeding, I use Foliage Pro with epsom salts (1tsp) and vinegar (1 TBSP). I use recommended concentration and use a spray bottle to spray a good bit on the top of the soil mix (aprx 1/4 cup). Spray I thnk is better because it moves through the soil slower than just just straight watering it in. I think it soaks in more. This I do maybe once every ten days or so. Meyer lemon trees are notorious for failing to thrive, despite my/our best intentions. They seem to dislike extra attention. Mine have only really flourished since I have figured out this system (with the help of this forum)and pretty much let it go on autopilot. Little lemons dropping on a 2 or 3 year old tree is a early notice that something is going on that the plant does not like, rather than it being to young to bear fruit. I would suggest changing sooner rather than later. I imagine that after a transitional pause following replanting, your plant will take off. Best of luck! Laura

Okay, I'll try this again. Here in Calif. if planted in the ground we don't water at all. The rain takes care of it. They flower profusely in December. We do cut them back in October, because they flower on new growth. They like to be crowded and stressed to flower. We have very sandy light loam, and even if potted they will flower with no special attention given. When you fertilize use a 0-10-10 formula, start to fertilize in Sept. after each watering. This works for me. Crassula ovata ('Jade' Crasulady

you can absolutely do the layering in containers just as you would in a boxed off regular garden. People even get those big 50 gal round plastic trash cans cut in half and grow potatoes in straw...clean potatoes! i'd imagine a kiddie pool could be useful...all amended with appropriate drainage holes, I would think. have you ever read any of Patricia Lanza's lasagna gardening books? There's one specifically for container gardening. I love her!