I can't remember where I read that someone was explaining that Austin's "3 in a pot" thing was really just a way for them to sell more plants, but it made sense to me. Other than short-term gratification for the buyer, I can't think of any possible benefit (to the plant) in doing it.

Six inches between crowns does seem really close considering each Bliss Parfuma is supposed to get about 28 inches wide. I would think that will make pruning more annoying later on? Unless maybe you want to treat them as if each was half of one plant and cut off the branches growing in the direction of the other half?

But I garden in pots, so what do I know.

Planting multiple roses in a hole seems like a bad idea. I space them out based on their mature size plus a foot or so.

Seasiderooftop,

You know a lot! Growing roses in pots is no walk through the park. The right size pot, perfect potting medium, correct fertilizing and watering, etc...all present special challenges that growing roses in ground don't. The knowledge you gain every day is invaluable.

Above all, roses growing in pots have a special charm and appeal. If a rose is in a particularly beautiful, decorative pot, it's a work of art!

Moses

Thank you, Dianela. I don't feel so guilty now, learning what you have accomplished. Your roses are magnificent! A feast for the senses.

Moses

Thank you for your kind words @Moses, Pittsburgh, W. PA., zone 5/6, USA! Each style of gardening has its challenges I guess!

I hope your roses will thrive, Bliss Parfuma is such a lovely variety! I hope you will post pictures and updates as they grow.

Thank you Moses! Gardening has definetly added a lot of happiness to my life. I have never actually seen where David Austin says to plant them in the same hole (possibly this was before I ever started gardening). I did however get the inspiration for larger bushes from their website and I just checked to be certain it hasn’t changed. This is what they have. It may be solely designed for selling more roses (it is a business after all), but it does work. Of course for those who get giant bushes from a single plant anyway this may not work. In my case it does create the need for more pruning if I want to keep it bellow 4 feet, otherwise it has been on on the short term (I started doing this only in 2016)

Dianela,

Thanks for posting the multiple bush illustration from Austin. It appears that, for example, a bush that normally matures at a 3' diameter will eventually become a 4.5' diameter bush, going by the illustration. Did your multiple, triangulated bushes equal the size increase seen in the Austin pattern?

You know, when I asked Mark Chamblee about his multiple, 'side-by-side,' cutting, gallon roses often found among a rose order, he said to plant them as they are and the resultant bush will grow fine.....as an average sized bush when mature.

As I wrote earlier, I usually separated the individual cuttings and grew them as one cutting bushes. They did very well. If I can recall, I once did plant a 3 cutting bush just as it arrived from Chamblees, no separating. I remember it growing pretty well, but a dominant cutting among the multiples developed, creating the majority of the subsequent bush's mass. The other cuttings just limped along, not really making the bush larger than normal at all.

Moses

Moses I have never really measured to check. It may be kind of difficult to be certain since I prune mine hard twice a year but I will try and measure some this weekend just to see what I get.

Ok I was too curious so I asked my DH to help me measure a couple of my groups of three.

edited: I think my initial wording was confusing

My lichfield Ángels are 8 feet in diameter.

My earth Angels are around 7 feet and 9 inches in diameter They are planted 2 feet apart in a triangle configuration

i just chekd their website and they say a single Lichfield Angel gets up to 5 feet wide