Growing Roses In South Florida: Ask Denisa’s Ultimate Rose Guide (Part 3 of 3)
Container Rose gardening in South Florida: The good, the bad and the ugly.
Continued from Parts One and Two
One of the best ways to grow roses for many people is to grow them in containers. Containers offer many advantages for gardeners. Here are a few of the advantages container-grown roses offer to a garden.
Soil: Soil type is not something you need worry about when growing in containers because one can choose a high quality potting mix that is well balanced. More experienced gardeners can also create their own mix of potting soil to find a blend that caters to the rose’s specific needs. All roses need good drainage and a good amount of organic elements in the soil. But most roses will do well in good quality potting mix.
Location: Any South Floridian can tell you that the position of the sun changes dramatically throughout the season. A location in the garden that gets full sun in summer may be in full shade by wintertime. Container grown roses can be moved to follow a sunny location and continue blooming almost all year long.
Size Restraint: Although some may see this as a disadvantage, this might very well be a good thing for those with small garden space. Roses can grow to be very large particularly in sunny South Florida. And roses grafted on hearty roots can grow even larger than they would on their own roots. Sometimes even doubling in size! A rose grown in a container will remain somewhat in check and will never take over the yard. If you’ve ever had to prune a large thorny rose bush that has gotten out of control you will appreciate the constricted growth of a rose grown in a container.
Fertilizing: When growing in containers fertilizing might be needed more often, but believe it or not, less is more. When growing in containers the fertilizer goes directly to the roots so less is needed, just more frequently. Use a liquid fertilizer at half strength once a week for amazing results. We like Miracle Grow Rose Fertilizer.
The disadvantages of growing in a container are just as important to consider when choosing your roses for the South Florida landscape. Here are a few things one might consider when growing in a container.
Container size: A container suitable for roses must be quite large, as roses need plenty of room for root structure. Containers of such size can be costly and sometimes very heavy (remember in hurricane season they may need to be moved indoors). When choosing a planter however consider its height over its width as rose roots like to grow further down as opposed to out. Also be sure the container has good drainage, as roses do not like to sit in soggy soil.
Watering: Roses grown in containers will need to be watered more often than those grown in the garden. They may also need to be monitored for overwatering which is sometimes a problem during the rainy season. Use a two-inch layer of mulch in your container to help keep your soil from drying out too easily. If you find you need to water once every day you may be using too small a container. Terra cotta containers are good for roses that like more arid regions but may dry out too quickly for most roses, especially in the mid summer heat. Plastic containers are a good option to help save water, but stay away from dark colored pots. They can get too hot and essentially bake your rose’s roots in the dead of summer.
Growth Restraint: Container grown roses may not grow as fast or as large as roses planted in the ground. If you desire a large rose that will take over a fence or yard consider one of the old garden roses or Austin David roses. These shrub roses can be grown on their own roots and may be better suited for the landscape. Rambling and climbing roses are the best bet for growing large rose bushes that trail over fences or arbors.
Overall roses are well adaptable plants that grow quickly, bloom profusely and can be very heat tolerant. In our warm climate, roses may take a bit more effort, but the results are well worth it. A little knowledge goes a long way when it comes to rose growing in South Florida.
