I can't grow roses, but I do have dortmond in a big pot. The fact that it has survived a few years for me is a good sign.

Helenh, I looked the rose up on the internet, and it is beautiful. It would look great with a white rose planted next to it. I would like the Dortmund along my privacy fence. Thanks for the suggestion. How do you winterize it, if it is in a pot? I want to grow roses in pots, but I don't know what to do with them in the winter. Since I have very limited sun space, pots would allow me to grow more roses.
Ann

I spend a lot on potting mix. I am looking in the container garden forum; they have volumes about soilless mixes. I may try to find what they suggest. What I buy might not be the best it is Expert mix from Wal-Mart in the 2 cubic foot bags. I have three plastic pots big ones that look like barrel halves. I have other plastic 24 inch pots. The pot needs to be light unless you have a big guy around. If you don't get a huge pot, you'll have to water too often. In the fall I drive around Joplin and ask for peoples leaves. I haul them in here and put them around pots. Then in the summer those rotted leaves make an attractive mulch. Oak leaves are crispy and don't get wet and lay flat. The air spaces between them make them good insulation. I am the last person to advise someone on rose growing. I am not sure what I do wrong, but I can grow them in pots with more success than in the ground. A friend said I have a jungle.

Thanks for the info. on pots. I think you did a good job explaining what I needed to know. If you lived around me, I could give you plenty of oak leaves, because I have numerous old growth oak trees on a small lot in town. I have a big compost pile. I will have to drive to Little Rock about 80 miles away to get some big pots for my roses in the spring. Thanks for your help!
Ann

I think Dortmund would be better on a fence. Roses in a pot need to be more of a bush shape. I have a picture of the pot in the background. You can't see the rose.

Your flowers are beautiful! I can grow roses, but I can't grow flowers very well. They look just average. My grandmother would say, "You have a green thumb."
Ann

Thanks. I really did have a green thumb, but now that I am no longer deadheading as much I got it bleached back to the normal color.