You don't say where you're located, and this will affect what kind of rose will do well for you in a container. Generally, the Damasks get very big, and bloom for just a few weeks every year. Look at Portlands, which are (generally) highly-scented repeat blooming roses that are descended from Damasks, and they don't get quite as big. You may want to look at 'Rose de Rescht', 'Comte de Chambord', 'Jacques Cartier' aka 'Marchesa Boccella', and others of that mold. They're not tiny, but they are smaller than typical Damaks -- and in a big enough container, should be ok. But I'm thinking of something about two feet in diameter.

There are other nurseries out there. Long Ago Roses and Burlington Roses are small operations offering great plants at lower prices. Angel Gardens and Rose Petals Nursery are both in Florida, specializing in roses that do well in warmer climates but also carrying a few others. High Country Roses goes the other way, selling roses that do well in a colder climate. Roses Unlimited has a large selection, and sends big 1gal plants. Rogue Valley Roses has an even larger selection, pretty much running the gamut from species to old European OGRs to warm-climate roses to old and relatively new moderns. I mention these because I've purchased from them. Any not mentioned aren't necessarily bad -- I just have no experience with others.

:-)

~Christopher

Thank you for the speedy and detailed response! I'm in Northwest Arkansas, so the weather here is a little on the bipolar side.

Rose Oil may be totally out of the realm of possible for you. The quantity of roses that are pressed to make a tiny amount of oil exceeds the bloom production of a single rose.

If you can access a library with old issues of the American Rose, there's an article about eastern European production of rose products that shows the bushels of blooms that go to a single pressing.

Instead, how about a fragrant red rose whose petals you can use as a garnish? Or that you can turn into sugar coated rose petals for a off season garnish?

Making rose jam would be an easier project.

I have heard of cooking with rose water and think it might be easier to make that than extract much rose oil. I have seen food grade rose water on Amazon and ebay for about $5. There's a cake I want to try called Persian Love Cake that has rosewater in it, cardamom, and has rose petals on top. I once had some iced tea in an Egyptian restaurant which had rosewater and pine nuts in it. It was really good.

Ah. Well, I may still be purchasing my rose oil, but how well do roses do steeped? I know for some recipes requiring lavender, I just make lavender water. Would that be a viable option with the rose petals? I will definitely have to look into Rose jam! Maybe jam tarts wth a candied rose petal on top?

Oh, well Erasmus answered the rose water question! Thank you!

adrummon, I haven't tried to make rosewater and don't know which varieties would make the best rosewater, but I would think that a fragrant one would taste better. Off the top of my head I think Clotilde Soupert might be good for you, because it's very fragrant, can be grown without chemicals, and blooms often and profusely. I have several big plants in the ground but also have one in a med/lg pot on my front porch. It does ok in the pot. You could just use whatever blooms you get and see if you can make a satisfactory rose water from that. It is fun to make your own stuff even if it is available for sale. I used to make my own soap, and once collected a huge amount of bayberries to make a bayberry candle. ( one) Used to be intrigued with natural dyes for yarn. So you can buy yarn. It is still nice to do if that appeals to you. Even if you don't end up with good rosewater you'd still have a pretty rose plant. Rose hips are good for vitamin c and tea, and jam as mentioned. Clotilde Soupert doesn't set hips though.

The traditional rose in herb gardens was the Apothecary Rose, Rosa gallica officinalis. It is indeed a very nice rose, but only blooms for 3-4 weeks at most, so not the best rose for display if you can only have one. I have heard that the best roses for rosewater are the gallicas, damasks, and centifolias, and they are all once bloomers, alas. There are recipes online. There was also a book called "Cooking with Roses" that is out of print, but available through used book vendors. I have not seen it myself, but it might be a good source of information.

While the once bloomers are the usual herbal roses, they hate pots. I'd lean more towards a small China, but those are out of my area of expertise. Don't count on enough flowers to do much beyond candied petals.

Pat your roses are scrumptious! You always have beautiful pics! I am in love with Clotilde!!! Be still my heart :)

What about Elie Beauvilain and Emmanuella De Mouchy, they're on my list.

Culinary? No, but it pleases me to grow by my kitchen door Julia Child and Paul Bocuse.

Try reading the information at this link at Greenmantle Nursery in California, La Vie en Rose. Marissa has gathered lots of interesting history and background on the various roses used for different purposes. She even has a list at the bottom. I have numerous plants from Greenmantle, all own root and organically grown. The best one for hips that I have is R. canina Laxa which blooms only once a year but produces hundreds and hundreds of hips. They are the best tasting ones (when ripe--blah and tasteless while still green) of any rose I grow. R. canina is still used today for the making of syrup high in vitamin c. I plan on trying these hips to make tea.

Melissa

Most oriental groceries carry rose water (as well as orange blossom water). The scent of Rose Water is the scent of once blooming fabulous fragrance roses (and the bottles start losing scent once they are opened.) Also the rose water is added to deserts as a finish, not while the desert is heated/cooking.

If you plan to make jam you need to check the tastes in different parts of the petals. Often the base of the petals is white and somewhat bitter. This pushes us in the direction of roses with larger petals so you can just chop off the bases.

My success has beenwith Tess of the D'Urverville in the fall. Slow maturing big blooms that hold their fragrance.

FWIW, according to photographer Caroline Parker of Rose Notes:

"'Common Moss' [Rosa centifolia muscosa] does very well in pots. The two shown in the [linked] picture:

http://rosenotes.typepad.com/.a/6a010535bf3807970c01156ef0b7ca970c-pi 

have been in those pots for twenty years. If they mildew, I’ll cut them back once or twice in a season. New leaves generate quickly. Since the rose blooms once, it receives one dose of fertilizer as new leaves emerge in spring."

See also: http://www.rosenotes.com/2009/04/rose-of-the-week-moss-rose.html

Common moss is a sport of Rosa centifolia, which was grown extensively in Southern France for perfume (in the form of rose oil, presumably). Parker lives in San Francisco, I believe. Some clones may be smaller and even more amenable to pot culture.

I have the book cooking with roses. It just says to choose highly scented roses with darker petals like reds and rose for the best flavor. A once bloomer is preferred so that you get enough roses to make your dish.

How about one of the highly fragrant, fast-repeating rugosas? They do very well in pots and are pretty plants. The downside, especially indoors, is that most are viciously armed with prickles.

I'd plant a rose tree in a pot, then plant another short rose as a base cover, this way you can have 2 roses in one pot. More for cooking. :-) How many pots can you fit on your balcony? You'd need 2 pots at least to make it looking balanced. How big is the balcony? You might be able to fit in 6 or 8 pots......

An advantage of the rugosas is that many of them produce huge hips the size of cherry tomatoes or even small crabapples. There is an heirloom apple called the Lady apple that is sold at Christmas time. They approach that size. I don't know if their hips have a good flavor or not, but you could dry them for rose hip tea. And they are very colorful. Finally, most rugosas repeat bloom. But yes, they are thorny. I personally would try one of the smaller ones. Dart's Dash is good. Since I grow it myself I know it is fragrant, it repeats, and it produces lots of hips.