First off, thanks to everyone for the huge wealth of information and the encouragement to keep on the path.

Also, thanks for being terrible enablers. Just a few years ago I was pretty disinterested in roses....... geez, why deal with the thorns, there are so many other good plants. Then being introduced to fragrant thorn-less varieties from the great people here means there is a rose for every need... and I have actively been looking for more "needs" ever since!

So here's the setting. I live on a lot that is a glorified postage stamp. Along the east side of my house is 5' path between my house and my fence. I have placed stamped concrete for the whole 50' length and put in piping beneath to provide water access for pots which will be fed by water piping directly into the pots. The 6' tall fence bisects the distance between me and the neighbors house so the furthest north area probably only gets 4-5 hours of sun, but the southernmost will probably get more like 6-8 hours.

Since there seems to be a lack of narrow trough-like pots, my plan is to make some wooden pots, between 12-18" wide, about 30" long, and 18" deep. So the surface is roughly 1.5'x2.5', and 1.5' deep. I want to keep the pots compact width wise, since it is only 5' wide and this is my primary access to the back yard from the front without going through the house. I wanted to break up the "runway" of the space since currently it is just a galley between usable spaces, but I want to make it sure it is entirely usable since it is a traffic area. I don't mind making the pots longer or taller, but the 18" width is pretty much my psychological limit.

Any recommendations regarding the pots? Good water proofing agents/number of drainage holes? Would you have it elevated or directly on the concrete? Will my sizing work out for a rose? I am also fond of the idea of putting some petunias/other low growing ground cover in the pots also, but that may be treating it a bit too much like a hanging basket. These pots will be left in place year round, and only watered when the lawn sprinklers come on, so 3x a week for an hour at a time roughly except for occasional hand watering when it feels necessary. I do want to minimize the extra maintenance.

I purchased a Reine Des Violettes, and after reading about the plants desire for high acidity (our soil PH is like an 8), I am thinking I may plant RdV in the pots along the path. I would say we are approximately a zone 6. I was thinking I would put up some trellises and espalier the rose.

I would love to hear about your recommendations and experiences before I start making a bunch of pots and hoping it works for my planting idea. I do have windows that face into the area so I do have some additional reasons for wanting to beautify it.