It turns out that, contrary to what the commercial industry will tell you, not all roses do well in all climates. As a matter of fact, roses very much like or dislike various climates. So, the first thing I would do is join your local rose society, and talk to people about which roses grow well near you.

If you let us know which part of So California you live in, I am sure there will be folks on here nearby who can advise you, tell you about good roses for your area (per the requirements you listed above), etc. The climate near the coast is one thing, foothills another, dry inland another, etc, etc. The good news is that this forum has rose growers everywhere!

Jackie

Thanks Jackie for the comment! I am from North Orange County (Fullerton). You bring up a great point about local climates. The arboretum is pretty close to me and they have a small nursery, I should probably check that out this weekend too.

Jackie's advise is great. If you can talk to local people about what roses do best for your area that will be very helpful. Once you've picked your roses out then you can ask more specific questions about what you should do.

I've grown Reine des Violettes, Rose de Rescht, Honorine de Brabant and Graham Thomas in containers and they all did just fine. They were in them for at least 5 years before they were planted. However, I am in Michigan and my season is way shorter than yours. The best advice I can give you is get the biggest pots you can find and then look for bigger ones! The thing with potted roses is that eventually that pot fills up with roots and you have to go bigger or root prune. In your longer growing season that's going to happen quicker than it does for me. I root prune about every fifth year but you may have to at 3 years or less.

^Thanks Seil for your advice! I already have a glazed planter waiting for a plant to go in it, I did look for a large pot at Home Depot earlier in the week, but I still haven't looked at a plant. I was going over the varieties they had at Home depot buy I knew I could probably find something more special elsewhere.

Regarding root growth I am *hoping* that we could buy a house with a yard in a few years, if not, re-doing the patio is in the plans for the future. I have lots of neighbors with very healthy trees in their patios because they took out some of their patio stones.

I guess at this point I really just need to try something! :) I am very excited!

The DA rose, English Garden is a great rose for container gardening.

Hi Rusti, I know your area of so cal well. I used to live in that area. A lot of the DA roses will do well in pots. However, due to where you live, you will probably have to water them daily. With water restrictions, you may want to keep a 5 gallon pail in your shower and use the water that runs when you are waiting for hot water for your shower/bath.

Princess Alexandra of Kent will get HUGE! Not a good one for a container. Oh, BTW, use a good size container. Something at least 24 inches in diameter and at least 14 inches deep. Use good potting soil, not garden soil. Weight will be an issue if you live in an apartment upstairs.

DA roses I have grown in containers include, Sharifa Asma (she will do well in one and is gorgeous to boot), Emily (no longer sold in the US), Peach Blossom (a climber), Jude the Obscure (not good for a container), Evelyn (not good for a container), Brother Cadfael (also gets big), Heritage (doesn't really like heat that much) and some that I am probably forgetting.

I would recommend Sharifa Asma, Darcy Bussell, Mary Rose, Eglantyne, Tamora, Ambridge would all do well.

I'm talking BIG pots!

I got this one at Costco and it's almost 3 feet high and wide. I know ceramic pots are so pretty but they are not practical and some times not very good for roses. They're so heavy even empty and then you fill it with wet soil and a full grown rose and we're talking TONAGE. They usually only have one center drainage hole and that's not enough. Trying to drill more holes in them can cause them to crack. Even if it's not a dark glaze it will absorb heat and could cause the roots to burn. Depending on what it's made of some of them will absorb the water and withhold it from the rose.

I much prefer the light weight plastic or resin/foam ones. They weigh nothing on their own so they don't add extra weight and you can drill all the holes you need, as big as you want, in them with out worrying about them cracking. For the most part they seem to be light colors so they stay cooler. And they hold water well and don't keep it from the rose.

What ever you use put those wheeled pot trolleys under them, not the tray ones that hold water though. Even if you think you'll never have to move them, you will eventually. The trolley keeps the pot up off the surface so it can drain properly and the wheels make them so much easier to move.

I'm in zone 11 and am growing Tamora, Prospero, Wife of Bath, Mary Magdalene, Alnwick, Fair Bianca, The Prince, Pretty Jessica, Miss Alice, Lilac Rose, Chaucer and Grace in large pots at the moment, all doing very well. Will move some of them but some seem happy enough to leave them in there for a while. My picks would probably be Tamora, Wife of Bath, Prospero or Pretty Jessica - they don't seem to get huge even with our long growing season.

Im also in zone 11 and reccomend Pretty Jessica and Prospero as compact potted plants.

Mustbnuts- You're absolutely right about the water restrictions! :( I heard theyre going to do tiered pricing too (where the price goes up the more water you consume). I so appreciate the cold-water-in-the-shower tip! I looked up the roses you mentioned, Sharifa Asma would be so perfect for me! I love the color!
When you say potting soil, is that the one that is pretty "light"?

Seil- That's a nice planter! I checked my planter for size and it was just 18x15.. It seemed so much bigger when I was at Home Depot, probably because I had a hard time lifting it to my cart, lol. I will have to look into getting those plastic ones at Costco, do you mind saying how much it was?

Adam, Prospero is so pretty too! It's great to hear you're from the area! Do you have any local sources? Im planning on hitting up an Armstrong garden center later in the day, I heard they still have some David Austins left.

Sorry, I'm in Australia. Similar climate though.

1. Potting soils should say potting soil on the bag. Don't get the garden soil in the bag. Potting soils do come with (whatever it is) that will help to retain water. Look for those. OSH, Lowe's, Home Depot or any of those stores should carry them. If you want to take a trip to Roger's Gardens in Corona Del Mar, their potting soil is great.
2. OK computer, why are you now numbering things???? Geesh! I think I need a new keyboard!

Forgot to mention that Prospero had one of the best fragrances of all the roses I grow. Like raspberry licorice. It also has nice, red tinted foliage.

Thanks Mustbenuts! I went to a nursery close to me (Laguna Hills nursery in Santa Ana) and i got their Acid Mix (this was their recommendation). Hope my rose doesn't die out on me! :)

I went to an Armstrong branch and they didn't have any Austins left save for this one over here (Eglantyne, was already on sale too for $27). I realized when I took it home that it might be too big for a container. It's already in a 5 gallon pot when I bought it! I can't seem to make my pic attach correctly :/

I bought those gray pots a few years ago and I'm not sure about the price but I know it was under $30. We got some this year there that are just as big but a darker brown, the ones next to the gray in the picture, and those were $29.99. We did put more drainage holes in the bottom of all of them and as you can see added rope handles to make them easier to lift. The sides were so smooth you couldn't get a grip on them. I thought the brown ones would be easier to grip because of the ridges but they're not so Al will be putting handles on them too.

mustbenuts, we don't have OSH here. Could you post a picture of your trolleys so I can see what they look like? They sound great!

Seil, how do you put the rope handles in? What materials do you use? I bought a plastic pot from Lowes that I think was 15" - 20" wide. Unfortunately, I've already put in my bareroot rose.

Roses on a patio sound lovely! I've grown some Austins in pots, though mine rapidly outgrew a half barrel within 2 seasons in N. California - it probably depends on which rose you get. I had Lady Emma Hamilton and Charles Darwin in half barrels and they got very large, very fast with giant octopus arms. Currently I have Sharifa Asma in the ground and after two years, it's still very compact which makes me think it would be a good container rose (no octopus arms so far). I second the advice about getting the largest container that you can! Home Depot sells some nice acrylic half barrels that I'm currently using for tomatoes. Drill some holes and yes, get the nice sturdy plastic trolleys! Mine set me back about $30 apiece for the trolleys (more than the pots), but they have lasted and are amazingly strong. Happy planting :)

Seil that brown pot doesn't even look like resin! I will be checking out Costco soon. I saw some at Target too for around the same price as yours but it looked smaller.

DO tell us about how you put those rope handles! It's so useful but it also added to the look!

Msdorkgirl that robins egg blue planter is lovely.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/The-Plant-Stand-20-in-Black-Down-Under-Plant-Caddie-20410/205656213?MERCH=REC--PIPHorizontal1_rr--205143604--205656213--N

Hopefully this link will work. It is called the plant caddie and Home Depot also carries them. They are great! Pricey but great! Comes in different sizes.

Mustbnuts, yep, those are the ones I bought too! Totally agree - pricey but well worth it! ;)

Ouch, I have most of my roses in black pots (10 and 15 gallon) ... I will deal with manual labor and pushing because $30 x 30 is not going to fit my budget.

The pot is actually more green than blue, but thanks. Roots on that plant spread out and not down so it was the only one wide enough for it.

Yowza those plant caddies are pricey! :) I really should look into getting one though. For now I am using this cheap mover's dolly that's been sitting in my garage but I'm worried the planter will tip over.

http://www.harborfreight.com/movers-dolly-93888.html