I've grown R. setigera. It's pretty rugged and quite showy in bloom, although the bloom period is rather short. Jap beetles do like it, as they do all rose family members. The plant gets big and sprawly if just allowed to do its thing, which is how I grew mine. Since it is a 'climbing' rose, you could train it the way one trains those types. It certainly puts out long enough canes. A different native rose you might consider if it suits your needs is R. palustris, Marsh Rose. Despite its common name it grows just fine in ordinary garden conditions, making a very large, gracefully arching shrub. It's minimally thorny and the blooms are a very bright, quite lovely pink, showier to my eye than R. setigera. It also will take a little shade with no complaint. I've grown L. sempervirens, too, both the straight species and quite a few cultivars. Unlike maifleur's experience, I haven't seen it sprout all over (I wonder if maifleur was thinking of trumpet creeper, Campsis radicans). This plant has the advantage of being evergreen, obviously, and it's a constant hummingbird magnet. It's a true twining vine, and certain varieties bloom all summer and are powdery mildew resistant, a disease which can be a scourge of this species. 'Cedar Lane' is a lovely variety with glaucous blue-green foliage, and the new 'Major Wheeler' is said to be highly mildew resistant. I have seen deer take rose hips in winter, but I've never seen them really damage the plant, although maybe I've just been lucky. They leave my lonicera alone.

Thanks for the replies. I am in Zone 6 in NYC. I know a while back I'd seen new zones of 6a and 6b, and in fact a search just now is showing my Zone as now 7b (apparently an 'update' made in 2012) but...I always prefer to err on the side of caution, esp. since all my plants are in pots and therefore need more protection from the cold. So net, net, I'm in zone 6, with the plant I purchased being hardy to Zone 4. I think I get now, what you are saying regarding simply untying the canes from the trellis. I think I was originally getting confused, and thinking that this 'climbing' plant would behave similar to say a morning glory, where the stems twirls all around the trellis and so a potted morning glory is impossible to move without cutting back all the stems. But yeah, now that I think about it, rose trellises that I seem to recall seeing, do not behave that way. The stems more or less remain flat, and not 'twirling' around any trellises, etc. So.... is there a particular way folks would protect such a potted climbing rose plant? I'm familiar with processes (for the pot and soil and roots themselves) such as....adding layers of dried leaves, mulch etc. to top of soil.... perhaps sitting the pot on top of a big piece of burlap...adding more dried leaves all around the side of the pot...maybe adding a piece of bubble wrap as well....and then bringing all of that up and around the top of the pot... securing it all within the burlap....and tying it up somehow..so the entire pot is 'insulated'. Does that sound like a good approach? And then for the plant itself...the stems....would I just wrap it in burlap as well..and then if so...what about when it snows and accumulates, and I possibly have a heavy, wet mound of snow on top of the stems and burlap cover...what if the weight causes the branches to break? Or should I worry more about protecting the pot itself...the root ball...and just leave the branches bare? (I feel like snow is more problematic for branches when the branches are covered in burlap...because then the burlap acts like a 'canopy'....collecting more snow. Thanks!

Hi all. So it sounds like both of these plants are not 'ideal' for growing in pots, even large pots.... That said, I still want to continue to give it a valiant effort before I give up on them. ;-) Maybe I can still manage to produce a viable rose bush, albeit a meager one. In the past week, both plants have shown new growth. Granted, nothing impressive overall, but.... at least the plants are not worsening. Especially with regards to the rose, I know that in my area, everyone that has roses in their yards...that their roses are now in full bloom. So.... even IF my potted rose were to slowly but surely continue to grow, and even develop flower buds at some point, is it likely that even by the time that were to happen (IF it were to happen), that it might then be outside of the normal growing season for roses? In other words, I don't know what the normal growing season is for roses....for how long they typically bloom, if they can be dead-headed to create new blooms, etc.? Should I wait and see what develops with my rose plant, or, considering the fact that there aren't even any flower buds yet, that even if they WERE to develop buds say a month from now, that by that time of year (July) it may be too hot for roses to thrive? Also, near the base of the rose plant I saw what appeared to be a volunteer/weed plant. At first glance, the leaves looked like that of a dandelion, but then, the newer inner leaves are quite prickly...almost 'thorny'...which made me wonder if in fact it's a part of the rose plant itself? (The other little weeds surrounding the thornier plant, I'll be pulling out from the soil....) See pix below. Thank you!!

Even if you only have containers the seeds of Epilobiums are spread by the wind. Yours is not the spectacular Chamaenerion (formerly Epilobium) angustifolium you might have found images of. It's one of the small flowered weedy species, possibly Epilobium parviflorum. The one in your picture has already begun to disperse its seeds. It will end up in other people's gardens too. Believe me, I am a plant lover and do not run a sterile garden with no room for self sowers, including wild plants. But this one is a nuisance in a cultivated setting and has little decorative or wildlife value and isn't edible. So I would class it as a weed when it occurs in a garden. Outside a garden setting it is a wild flower for me, but not for you. It is not native to North America and is classed as an invasive species in some states. It will also be hard to transplant as you'll find it has a considerable root mass and has a habit of breaking off leaving roots behind.