Not sure where you are located, may make a difference.

I grow all my roses in pots about that size, just remember to drill lots of holes in the bottom for drainage. I put mine on moving dollies so they are easy to move around.

I use big bags of Miracle Gro potting mix from Costco and sometimes I add perlite, sometimes not. Never used composted cow manure in pots, probably okay but I don't want anything brown draining thru and staining the deck.

The roses seem to do okay.

I've never seen La Reine in person but size does matter. I grow Gertrude Jekyll and Lady of Shalott and those babies are getting big. Love them but wonder if they will out grow their pots, meanwhile I just enjoy them. HT and floribundas do very nicely.

Oh, well. Growing roses is just a learning experience and it's different for everyone. One nice thing about growing roses in containers, NO WEEDING:)

Just keep them well watered and have fun!

I have 100+ roses in pots. I've tried every potting mix out there and don't see a significant difference between them. I do stay away from mix that has moisture control because I want all of my pots to need water about the same time. Makes watering a lot easier. As to the fertilizer, I'm sure you'll get many opinions but at least for me it has been insignificant. By watering frequently all the fertilizer is flushed out pretty quickly. It has never been a problem for me.

The main two things I've learned about growing roses in pots, one, make sure you have plenty of drainage holes in the bottom and two, make sure they get enough water. I always drill 6-8 1/2" holes in the bottom of the pot in addition to what is already there. When the temps get above 90 I have to water all of my small pots every day and when above 95 all of my pots, small and big get water every day. All of my HTs and floribundas, and GFs are in pots that are 24x17". I keep them all elevated off the ground on cedar stands my husband made that are about 3/4" high. I don't have to worry about moving them for winter so I don't need the more expensive stands on wheels.

I do put mulch in the top of my pots mainly because it helps keep the weeds out. Our yard backs up to an open field and fighting weeds is a constant battle.

I find growing roses in pots to be pretty easy and very enjoyable.

Aaron, I'm a pot grower, too. haha Not really. I mean I grow my roses in pots as well... I just looked at the NPK analysis of MG Potting Soil - it doesn't look like very much fertilizer at 0.21-0.11-0.16 in the mix whereas a straight fertilizer product such as Rose Tone is a ratio of 4-3-2. I can't imagine the MG soil would hurt your roses. What I wonder about is the 40% cow manure in your mixture... I feel like I've seen rose folks using less than that with potted roses - that amount may be intense/burn roots and I might not fertilize very much if you keep the soil as is. I hope others chime in. I'd check the cow manure bag if you still have it to understand how much nitrogen it provides and how much to use as an amendment to regular soil and compare it with your mixture.

Where did you read that Miracle Grow potting mix will kill roses? Not true, and not a problem. Your roses will be just fine in there as long as you have good drainage. Be sure you see the water drain pretty much immediately after you water. If it sits for a while before draining you'll need to drill more holes. I like to drill holes on the sides (right at the bottom) to be sure the excess water can get completely out. Sometimes if a pot doesn't have feet the holes will press against the concrete and cause the water to stay trapped. As long as its draining well you should be fine. All my roses are in Miracle Grow and all are very happy.

Good idea about planting your fragrant plants next to the AC.

HR only put that warning tag around June of this year. I wonder why. Anyway, I don't pay attention to it. I use Miracle gro potting soil and all the roses I bought from them (30+ gallon size) have no problem growing in them.

Thats odd...isnt granular fertilizer usually the slow release stuff? or have I got my meanings mixed..I would have thought it was safer than say soluble fertilizer, which could be made up too strong and burn roots.Or are they just trying to discourage using anything but organics?

Dry fertilizer comes in slow release and instantly soluble forms. Miracle Grow dissolves instantly. I use Miracle Grow Moisture Control potting soil with no problems. For big pots I like to add a little garden soil and sometimes composted manure. I have tried cheaper potting soil with bad results..they stayed too wet during the winter. I like to drill holes on the sides of pots too because roses often send roots through the bottom holes and then they will not drain well. Some roses seem to do better in a pot than in the ground.

I think Heirloom wants the granular instant release fertilizer avoided. I don't blame them because it would be sad to send a healthy rose to a new home then have it hurt or killed by over fertilizing aside from any money loss.

The problem with this
type of potting soil is that it contains granular fertilizer. We
advise against it in the planting instructions as well as indicate in the
warranty that use of any granular products in the first year will void the
warranty.

Granular fertilizers, even
those mixed with water are too hot for own-root roses. This is why we
recommend liquid only, such as Alaska Fish Fertilizer.

We want you to be successful with your purchase. We know that you spend your
money on a product and want that product to perform at the highest level and to
provide beauty in your garden or patio for many years to come.

We feel very strongly about how you care for the roses that you purchase from
us and that is why we have specified that you should not use any packaged soil
mix or potting type soil that has granular fertilizer as a component of that
soil mix or potting soil, or to use any granular fertilizer product for your
regular maintenance for the first year.

Here are our reasons:

· All fertilizers whether they are slow release or
immediate release react to moisture and temperature. Packaged potting soils/
planting mixes are exposed to many different climatic stresses, such as heat
and moisture. A bag of potting mix with granular fertilizer in it that has been
exposed to the sun or warm temperatures has most likely already released the
“salts” in the fertilizer thus making the planting mix very hot and not
suitable for transplanting or using in pots.

· We do not know how long the soil mix has been
packaged, how long it has been stored or what weather conditions it has been
exposed to. So, to be on the safe side we strongly recommend that you do not
use potting or soil mixes that have granular fertilizer as a component. The
success of your rose depends on it.

Our recommendation of using a liquid fertilizer product such as Alaska Fish
Fertilizer is intended to give you and your roses the best chance at performing
beyond your expectations. Utilizing other products that do not originate in a pure
liquid form are not recommended and will reduce or eliminate your chances of
having a successful gardening experience and void our warranty. We want you to
be successful. Please read the planting instructions, the label of the soil mix
you may want to use and the warranty for our roses at http://www.heirloomroses.com/info/about/guarantee/.

Thank you for your understanding.

It is HR's right to limit how they guarantee their products so I don't have much to say about that, but we use slow release granular fertilizers in our band pots - a commercial grade that last 4 months with great success. We have been doing this for 15 years. What we like about this is that it gives small amounts of fertilizer every time the rose is watered which is more gentle that a strong liquid or granular fertilizer used a few times in the growing season. As these are slow release and thus quite small quantities of fertilizer they are not likely to burn the roses. I think liquid products have a potential to be too strong and thus create high salts in the soil. Granular fertilizers such as a triple 13 also can be a shock as all the nitrogen is available immediately and yes it can burn the roots with high salts.

For those who might not understand the reference to salts - fertilizers are chemically salts and in greenhouse production we measure soluble salts with a conductivity meter that can measure the concentration of salts (fertilizer) in water and soil. We then can calibrate whether we are adding too much or too little fertilizer to a particular crop and thus know whether we should adjust the amount of fertilizer we are using.

My only issue with premixed potting soils with fertilizer in the mix is that you do not know the quantity in the premix or when it is depleted. My guess is that the slow release does not last more than 3-4 months in these mixes.

To each their own, but it is quite safe to use slow release products on young own root roses.

I have used miracle grow on rooted cuttings before with no problems in South Florida. I don't think you will have any issue with your roses in Miracle Grow. I think HR states this as and abundance of caution and I don't blame them for that but I would not try to transplant them out of that potting mix to another mix. That would be much more stressful to the little band and may very well result in its demise. Let it be and keep it well watered but not soggy. You'll do great!

I have 40+ roses in pots, and I start most of them the same way you did. I've had good results. I wouldn't add any granular fertilizer for a few months, but after that it should be business as usual.

I've used just about every potting soil out there and the Miracle Grow one for several years. With or without fertilizer and/or water crystals and/or whatever, they all have worked just fine.