You probably could, but why would you?

If you want to create the effect of a larger plant, you could plant them
close to each other (2-3 ft apart, perhaps).

FWIW, Summer Fashion mildewed to legendary proportions in my SoCal coastal
conditions -- but perhaps mildew is irrelevant for you.

Jeri

You could, but what would it accomplish?

I have something like 8 roses in one 'hole'. However, this 'hole' is about 15 ft by 25 ft. Not exactly space saving.

BTW, it is very common around here for 'professionals' to plant all roses at hybrid tea spacing, which locally is usually between 18" to 24". This is not something you want to emulate. Why, I leave to everybody's own imagination.

Thank you, Summer_fashion, for asking a question that I have wanted to ask. I was thinking of creating a combo effect "on one bush" like the "fruit basket" citrus trees. Since occasionally one can hit the jackpot and get two plants sprouted in one pot that look like one plant until the chance occasion of having to move it blesses you with a split and voila, two plants. Those two plants were happily growing in one hole (or were they? given the need to move them.) I, too, have very limited space and thought the effect of having two colors of bloom on one bush would be lovely. For me it would probably be teas. Please tell me where this would be bad for the plants, because I'm giving it serious thought.

Sherry

Sherry, if there is no disease factor to consider, you CAN probably do it.
But from having planted, out of ignorance, deceptively-small young Tea Roses
within 3 ft. of each other, I can tell you that the resulting thicket is a
maintenance nightmare of the first order.

Moreover, unless you have two plants of precisely the same size and vigor,
one is going to smother the other within a few years.
Been there. Done that.

Jeri

I did it with great success. It''s been that way for...4 or 5 years. I'm still waiting for Doomsday. The hole was fairly large, maybe 24 inch diameter and deep. The thicket effect isn't really too much of an issue against the fence. So it's a thicket.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:267091}}

Oh, Cass, that's wonderful! Do you think non-climbers would be OK? How do you think Rainbow and Maman Cochet would be together? I also have General Schablikine. Also, three others that are supposed to be on the small side: Souv d'Elise Vardon, Mme Jeanne Philippe and Mme Antoine Rebe. Which pairs do you think would be good? And how much separation did you leave between the plants in the hole?
Thanks!

Sherry

Cass, that's gorgeous! Wow!!!

Did it by accident. Left behind a some shrub rose when I divided it in two and planted a new rose in what I thought was an empty spot. Lucky that the new rose compliments the old one. I don't know if I would do it again, but so far so good for now..........it reminds me of a bouquet when both are blooming together.

I'm still waiting for Doomsday

That is funny. Cass, that is absolutely beautiful!

Carol

Cass--I just love your red and white bouquet! What a terrific idea. How difficult is the pruning of this gorgeous creature? I think you have just started a new trend...

Joanne

To tell the truth, I don't prune either because they are in a location against a fence where they can do what they want. The fence is 6 feet tall, so they can only get so big. On the other side of the fence are herds of voracious deer that handle half the pruning. The fence runs north-south, so this pair get plenty of sun, although there's a big shrubby affair just to the south of them that might give some welcome shade.

For those that have never tried it with varieties that still bloom without the stimulation of pruning....a framework of dead canes builds up underneath, and the greenery on top just stacks on top of it. At some point, I will have to prune. It's hard to improve on Mother Nature. I think the two plants are 18 inches apart.

I saw two climbers intermingled at Giverny. Looking at the base of the plants, looks like they were a few feet apart. This intermingled look is inspired.
{{gwi:300581}}
{{gwi:300582}}

Rainbow is not very vigorous for us, and I think Maman Cochet would smother it. Definitely, putting roses of the same vigor close together is the way to go. My Duchesse de Brabant and Cels Multiflore are growing together, despite the four-ft spacing that I gave them. I love that rose hedge look, and am very happy that they are about the same size and shape.

One of our Master Gardeners budded different colored roses onto a single plant out at our display garden. HTs, of course. It's not my style, but he's proud as punch that he has three or four different cultivars on a single plant.
Anita

Anita, that's good information about Rainbow. Mine is still a band. I knew Maman Cochet is supposed to get big. I'd love to do this combo thing, but I want to get it right. Not having experience yet with the ones I mentioned (and not having the resources to obtain others), I'm stuck with what I have. Since I'm still building and laying out my gardens, I'm constantly retooling and moving roses around on paper. Guess I'll have to think about this. Maybe Rainbow & Souv d'Elise Vardon or La Sylphide.

Sherry

Sherry, I honestly wouldn't put anything really close to Rainbow. We have two plants from two different locations - one has some penstemon nearby and it's been struggling. I just don't get the idea that it is very strong, and after two years, the bigger one is only the size of a small hybrid tea. Maybe at some point they will take hold and get huge, but while they are young, they need the best possible conditions, I think.

La Sylphide, on the other hand, can get big. I don't know Souv d'Elise Vardon.
Anita

I've seen a picture of Ballerina and Marjorie Fair grown together and thought it was beautiful.

I'm with Jeri on this one. Been there, done that, also. Things grow huge in Florida. The resulting tangle is disease prone and is a mess to care for properly. In addition, it is hard to predict the exact growth habits, and one rose bush usually smothers the other.

The concept might work if the roses are sports of each other, such as White and Red Smiths Parish, or Duchesse de Brabant and Madame Joseph Shwartz. However, achieving good air circulation is still a problem without adequate spacing. I would still plant with enough space between them, but perhaps a bit closer so they will eventually touch.

I am like many of you in that I would love to have dozens of different roses. However, my lot won't allow for all that my heart desires. I've decided that it is much better to do with less, pick my favorites, and try to make them look as good as possible. (Well, don't look too closely right now. I had problems with the heat and humidity this summer, and today is the first day since the end of June I have gone outside to give them any attention at all). Most look better than I expected, considering the neglect they've had.

The only other solution is to buy land. Hmmmm.......

Sandy

You could, but I would pair bed (in this case "hole") companions carefully. There is no contest pairing A Shropshire Lad with Abraham Lincoln - I have them three feet apart, and ASL's elbows are just too big for Abe Lincoln. You would want to choose roses of the same vigour, and if possible the same growth habit. (However, our Altissimo - Ferdinand Pichard same-hole 18 inches apart experiment worked well - both are vigorous, but we allowed Altissimo to reach up and above FP to flower at the top tier. But pruning is a real challenge!)

bad idea. when you buy the bush it is little. as a gardener you tend to the bush, and then it gets bigger and bigger. if u put another bush in the same hole, then you have one bush and one weed - you cannot expect both bushes to get bigger and bigger and still be healthy = bad idea, how can u even ask about such a travesty?

Ive recieved 2 bands in 1 pot and left it and it produced a very nice bush however I dont't think i would like 2 different roses in the same hole

I'm really cramped for space, so have been planting in groups with a close spacing of 1-2 feet placed at intervals in a mixed bed. I'm ok with letting them sort it out as it all progresses. They are in a border against a wall, so I'm planting climbers in the back, with smaller roses in front. So far, so good, but it's too soon to tell how it will all end up. I love the combination of blooms together. One cluster has R. moschata 'Temple Musk' with Golden Celebration, and Jude the Obscure in front. I like the blending of white to yellow tones. I'm doing a yellow white and blue color theme in that bed, so am getting contrast from other types of plants. I like to experiment, and my answer to the possibility of a disastrous future is, "well, there's always the chainsaw."

I was thinking in terms of two of the same rose in one hole,ie. two Sharifa Asmas in one hole and then two Royal Dane in a hole. Think it might work? Here in Zone 5 my roses don't get very big. Plus the deer have discovered the roses and have eaten them down to almost ground level

David Austin suggests planting two or three of the same rose in a group about one foot apart so that they grow together as one big bush. In your zone something like that might work. In my zone, it would be disastrous because we don't have a true dormant period. Things might slow down a couple of months, but they keep on a'going!

It's worth a try, in my opinion, in YOUR zone. I wouldn't put two different rose cultivars close to each other, but identical ones may be just fine for you. If you wanted different ones I would restrict them to sports of each other. If it doesn't work out you can always do some removing and start over. Part of the fun of gardening is trying things. Sometimes we are delighted with the results.

Sandy

can two different color roses ( one red & one blue ) be planted in the same hole ?

@Alissa Reminiec Which two varieties are you thinking of planting together?

Also, just out of sheer roaring curiosity, what "blue" rose were you thinking of. (Because there are, in fact, no blue roses.)

And -- in line with Jackie's comment . . . WHAT roses you want to plant closely has less to do with the color of the blooms, and far more to do with the size and growth habit of the plants under consideration.

If you space them 2 feet apart, theres really no reason why they cant grow together. Thats the -minimum distance. As long as they are getting a TON of sunlight each day. I mean at least 7-8hs of direct sunlight, then you should be fine. Also keep up the fertilizer, both chemical and organic,,, like alfalfa, or manure etc. Give them everything they need to succeed! Spray for Jbugs