picture of pale pink rose
Garden

Gardening How-To: Potted Roses

Growing roses may seem difficult, ordering from David Austin Roses makes it easy for beginners.


As I have shared many times, I have a nice size porch/patio in the back of my Brooklyn apartment. Last year, it was a godsend. We added an umbrella for the sun and a lounger to be able to lay out in the sun on weekends. It really was an oasis during the pandemic. This year I am hoping the same patio will be used more for entertaining.

I typically embellish the patio with potted containers – mostly herbs and some annuals. Two years ago after a few things died in the middle of the summer (all of which were flooded out by significant rain) I bought a cheap white rose at Home Depot that did incredibly well in the hot summer sun. I shared the news with my mother (who is a real horticulturist) and she suggested I buy more roses.

Flash forward to Spring 2020, my mother sent me a rose at the hight of the pandemic lockdown. Of course it arrived late, dry and brown. As directed by Betty, I planted it. But it never came back. It was a dead twig. In March of 2021, David Austin Roses sent me a full replacement rose. (They stand by their products and have great customer service)

David Austin Roses

First of all, if you are not familiar with, David Austin Roses, they are famous for the most beautiful roses out there. Founded in 1961 by David Austin, they have a collective style. All roses have beautiful blooms and in most cases wonderful fragrance held on graceful attractive shrubs. Seriously folks, when you see the pictures of their gardens, it looks like the homes on Bridgeton. The company has so many varieties and everyone trusts them, for high quality products. There is even a site for wedding flowers.

David Austin has incredible tutorials and videos online. They show you exactly how to do everything. I taped into that library with the planting directions for a bare root rose in a pot.

My Roses

The rose my mother selected is called the, Emily Bronte. It’s known for it’s pale pink color, open blooms and wonderful tea fragrance. The rose arrived as a “bare-root rose” with green stems and no leaves. The images in this post chronicle of my new adventure with roses this summer. From first arrival to bloom I am here to show you it can be done!

First potting of the rose out of the box on April 15th

I can’t wait to have fresh roses from the patio in the house in a simple vase. For more ideas on patio gardening and bulbs visit our gardening section of the site.