Definitely pots with drainage holes. My mom grew plants like that so I grew up helping her pot them and we always made holes for drainage. As long as we had nice pots with saucers, we used them. Don’t let them sit in standing water. The run-off should mostly disappear by the end of the day. Sometimes she would improvise & use anything as a saucer, including old plates or paint pan and plastic bucket lids. I think this experience with her is why I felt confident growing roses in pots for the first time last year (I have no actual ‘garden’ available where I live). We got nice big thick plastic pots & my husband drilled holes in them for me. I had three roses that did very well during the blooming period but they all died over winter ( I have to winterize differently this year if I want any chance of keeping my new roses alive). I don’t use saucers right now but I water until I see a little bit of run-off & then stop.

To all those who grow roses in pots. What size of pots do you usually use for floribunda with mature size of 3-4 feet? I'm planning on growing roses in pots next year.

Hi Maria, we used 2 pots from Lowe's that were 20 inches in diameter and 16 inches deep & an urn from Canadian Tire of similar dimensions. The plants, especially my beautiful Poseidon, got quite big over the summer. We only planned on keeping them in the pots for 2 years until we moved to our own place. As I mentioned before, the plants died over winter but I’m going to re-pot my new hardier roses in the same containers. If you have the space & resources, those half whiskey barrels with some wheels added on look ideal for mature plants (with the wheels you can roll them during winter into a garage or shed). I saw them slightly discounted at Lowe's at the end of summer last year. A handy person can get the wheels on without too much trouble or expense.

thanks poseidonprincess

I can overwinter any zone that I've tried (up to zone 7) in my garage in zone 3b. If you want to know...I'll try and find my notes. :)

Carol

Drain holes are very important to a roses health IMO....

@rosecanadian yes please. I would like to hear your advice on overwintering roses in pots.

Jim, so your pots are with draining holes? I assumed they were not.. since i didnt see any plate underneath.

yes...and get the pots with more than one hole...like three...

Okay. :)

I'll try to remember everything I do...it's automatic by now...I don't think about it too much. For zone 5...you won't have to use blankets in the garage as long as your garage is insulated. If it's not insulated, you should cover your roses with blankets and hope for the best.

1. In the fall when night time temps are supposed to get to -6C, then take the leaves off (cut the leaf axil off so you don't have to take every leaf off...when you get 60 roses...it saves time.) :)

2. Water really, really, really well. So I water them one by one, then go back to the beginning and start again...I do this 3 times or so.

3. Bring the rose pots into the insulated garage.

4. Cover them if you're in zone 3 like I am or if you garage isn't insulated.

5. Watering is different depending on your soil

a) fast draining soil (peat moss, bark fines, etc.) check the soil and see if the top inch is dry....then water one cup.

b) not fast draining soil...don't water until February...then water one cup.

c) once you start watering in February then water one cup every month.

6. When the temps get to about 3 C at night and you don't think more freezing weather is coming...then you can bring them out. If you have only a few that you don't mind bringing in and out...then you can do this much earlier...as long as the daytime highs are 4 C or warmer. If you have a lot of pots outside, and freezing weather is coming...bring your favorite roses in the garage, and cover the rest with blankets. Once you start bringing the roses out...water really well....that will help with low temperatures.

Hope this works for you!

Carol

Rose canadian/Carol good guide, i would of needed a guide like that 1 year ago.

I was given other advices from swedish forum, and was still unsure about how much water to give. But it still didnt work, should of brought them to a storehouse, that probobably would of kept temp around 0 degres Celsius. I actually had a minirose (in a tiny pot) surviving once on the balcony. It became covered with snow which ive read helps like a winter protection. We hade temp down to -12 Celsius during the days. Not sure about the night temp at winter.

How cold does it get where you live, Carol? And how many degrees in your garage where you store them? Ive read that roses shouldnt be placed too warm either.

I'm not sure the temp in the garage...but I know that water sometimes freezes in my water bottles I forget to take in. I'm thinking right around zero. Mini roses can be quite tough. That's amazing it survived those temps...good that there was snow cover.

The winter weather is usually in the - 20s C. But it can get as cold as -35...usually not colder than that. When I lived in Fort McMurray...every winter the temps got to -50 C for 3 weeks. That was cold!

Carol

Thank you so much for the guide Carol. This is awesome!

I have a thermometer inside my garage. I don't pay attention to the temperature but I don't think I've seen it dip below 0 in winter. I'm in Z5 so I'm probably ok without using a blanket.

Maria - yes, you're probably good not using a blanket. :)

Carol