Wow! Kudos to you for treading where few attempt to go. Even better that it produces such awesome result. Your GJ rose bush is super gorgeous! I don't know how you train it on the trellis because I heard that it has vicious thorns.

Oh my gosh !! That's so beautiful ! How is the repeat for you ? I almost bought it . Now I'll wish I had

Amazing! What did you put in your container? I can’t even get my in ground roses to look like that.

What a beautiful rose Barbara! Love the arrangement with the other accessories, so romantic!

Oh wow!!! I've heard that it's stingy...but not yours!!! I didn't realize that it had thin stems that needed to be supported. Darn, I hate growing roses that need a trellis. Maybe here in zone 3, that won't be necessary. :) I love all of your pictures, and the flowers sure look wonderful in a vase!! Oh wow!

Carol

All your roses grow amazingly well in containers. You should certainly continue with it!

WOW! Unbelievable! In a container? Would you please post a picture of that? The trellis looks pretty sturdy. Is it down to the bottom of the pot?

She's a beauty! Hah mine is a wimp. She might actually do better in a container. She's in a shady spot, but MARY ROSE is right next to her and she does just fine there. Not sure why mine is doing nothing. She's about 15yrs old and looks like a wussy new band-sized plant. I dunno... Fertilizer didn't help. Maybe I should dig her up.

Beth - I certainly would!

Beth, I have an older GJ doing the same thing as yours. Last year I bought 3 more from Hortico. Now I am wondering if I should grow one in a pot too.

Barb, does yours repeat well for you? My older one repeats some but not a lot.

Thanks everyone. Glad you liked the pictures. That was GJ at her best. It really is sleep, creep, leap!

Ikayetwvz5 I'm sorry I don't have a picture of Gertrude in the container, I surround the pot with smaller planters of flowers to hide the container but I took a picture of Abraham Darby this week and it is a similar set-up with resin half barrel and vinyl cheapy trellis from Home Depot.

This year the roses got so heavy and it's windy up here so I purchased metal T fence posts to shove in the pot, behind the trellis and yanked the trellis upright and attached. That worked great so far.

Abraham Darby was purchased from David Austin in 2013 and in 2014 was a very damaged one cane wonder. My fault! I almost tossed it but just wheeled it to the end of the deck so I didn't have to look at it. Did not look good for a long time. But it re-covered and grew more canes. Amazing! Roses just want to grow.

Close up and a bud

Regarding Gertrude Jekyll:

Interesting how people either love it or hate it.

Lilyfinch and Summer the repeat is not great, at least not here with my short season. You guys are warmer so may be better for you. Here I would say sporadic. This is the spring flush so it is the best. I would not plant it in a prime position. I wheel mine to the back of the deck to rest. It must take a lot for a rose in a container to produce this many blooms. I cut unruly growth, feed it and let it rest.

Carol I've seen pictures of it grown as a bush. I think you would just prune it more.

Bethnorcal I would suggest moving your rose. It's not happy there so what have you got to lose? You are in such a warmer climate I'm sorry I can't give advice.

Summer you must like it to get 3. I think it would be fun to compare it in a pot and you have lots of deck so just wheel it away when it's not looking its best.

palytoxin Gertrude is planted with Miracle Gro Potting mix with Yucca and coir from Costco that year and I usually put in some Perlite.

Every year looks nice but this year they really took off.

Absolutely beautiful! I've stayed away from the David Austins because of our warmer weather (I'm in NorCal too) but your Gertrude is very tempting!

Barbara, you're an inspiration! I'm going to take this as a reminder to try something you really want even if the space/location is not ideal!

KC

Barbara!! - your Abe is amazing!! Such a glorious rose!! Excellent job!! Thanks for the advice...I'll do that! :)

Carol

Barb, does your potted Gertrude repeat well?

That's a good question, Summers. I'd like to know too!

Carol

Sean - that's gorgeous!!! I hope mine does that well this year (baby)! What do you use for your container soil?

Carol

Hi Barbara, I was waiting for some of your photos! Spectacular! I understand completely about using a container for monster roses. I have my Eden in a pot, and I know it's completely root bound but it's what I felt I had to do. It still blooms beautifully although it does need a lot of water to stay perky.

Your roses are gorgeous.

Barbara, your GJ is just gorgeous! I too grow lots of roses in containers and have grown climbers in containers in the past. I just make sure the pot is really big--2--3 feet in diameter.

So glad that you have the courage to do your own thing and see how it will work out with your roses. Your garden is beautiful. Congratulations!

Thanks Carol and Tiffandrew. Catol, I used a mixture of garden soil and compost but I add a handful of fish, blood and bone, a small handful of rock dust, a sprinkle of slow release fertilizer (Osmocote) and bat guano (very high potassium and naturally great for all things blooming)...I also keep burying banana peels at the roots.

Hertrude Jekyl did indeed have the largest root system of all the bare root roses that I planted this year but that also means better nutrient uptake. Just praying that by the time this starts to get root-bound, I’ll have a house with garden to plant it in the ground! :D

Sean - thanks! You've got a treasure trove of good ingredients!! Good luck on your house hunt! :) That could be fun!

Carol

Thanks all. Sorry I'm late answering.

Sean your Gertrude looks beautiful. Thanks for including pictures. So interesting to hear how everyone gardens. I'm too lazy to work so hard on the potting soil but I imagine yours will do well. I know some mix their own. Good luck on getting your own house.

towandaaz, I do remember pictures of your Eden. So encouraging and tempting. Please do share more pictures of roses in containers. I never tire of seeing them.

mustbenuts, yes, large containers are so important for roses. I love seeing the roses in containers along your walkway. Again so encouraging.

Tiffandrew, yes I do reposition my roses all the time. Easier than moving furniture:)

clarkjpz and kcandmilo - Good for you guys. I think sometimes we forget gardening is supposed to be fun. We were meant to garden and it doesn't have to be perfect. It's not a race or a competition. Just enjoy it.

Barb, do you use the same color pots?

Hi Summer

I have 3 very old, thin plastic terra cotta looking pots that I am phasing out. I used them last summer for last minute rose purchases. We all know how that goes:) Hopefully I'll repot them properly this winter.

All the others are black or dark brown resin half barrels from Home Depot or Costco and they are much better in my opinion. I try to hide all my rose containers with smaller planters of different flowers.

Wow, I didn't realize it was possible to grow such a large rose in a container with such good results. My yard is set up in such a way that the best sun location is not an area where I can grow in the ground, so I might try setting some roses up this way. Do you have any other suggestions on what other roses you have doing well in these kinds of setups?

Thanks Barb. It’s not easy to find good priced big plastic pots in same color and style, big plastic pots aren’t cheap these days.. I am looking for 16, so far only found 7...,,,,it’s a good idea to use plants cover the pots.

Summersunlight, I’m actually growing lots of roses in containers: David Austins (Boscobel, Jude the Obscure, Charles Darwin, Brother Cadfael, etc.) as well as hybrid teas (Soer Emmanuelle, La Rose du Molinard, Jeane Moreau, Blue Moon, etc.) and even two vigorous climbers (Madame Isaac Pereire and Gloire du Dijon). The containers ar mostly at least 43 cm across and terracotta but I found these black, hard, plastic tub planters in Homebase a fee years back that are a MUCH more affordable alternative and work just great (black absorbs the heat to warm the roots better in winter)!