Has anyone tried knockout roses in large stone planters or do they have to be planted just in the yard? I haven't had any experience with these. Thanks for any info.
Roses do better in the ground than in containers. It's also much easier to give them the water they need when they are in the ground. Pots tend to dry out too quickly.
-Dottie ------------------------------------
"Conservation is humanity caring for the future". - Nancy Newhall
I had roses in pots for years (really, really large ceramic pots) and they did beautifully. Since the pots were so large, they did require watering, but not as much as the smaller ones. I loved them being right up on my patio...
Considering knock out roses are designed to be cut down almost to the ground in spring, then grow anew to develop a bounty of flowers I see a large container ideal for their growth rate. Be sure though to cut them down in spring otherwise they'll outgrow the pot. Their growth is as wide as their height--4 - 5 feet; so even a large container might be too little for their ultimate growth. Roses, because they don't like wet feet, a container must have good drainage and the container should allow run off below.
There are several businesses around here that have put them in large stone planter of various shapes...they don't do well! That could be because they don't get watered enough but they still look rather ragged. My knock outs will get over 6' tall & 6' wide in the ground. I cut them back each spring to about 12-18". I moved them last year so didn't cut them this spring and they are doing great but not getting as large in their new location YET! Before I moved them, I also pruned them a couple of times during the summer to help keep them in bounds! I think that in pots they would require a lot more care than a lot of other plants in pots.
"The soil is the source of life, creativity, culture and real independence." David Ben-Gurion
The planter I put them is very large - about 4'wide and 20' long made out of stone retaining wall blocks. I put 2 knockouts each about 1/3 of the way in then assorted annuals around them to fill out the rest of the planter So far everything is doing very well. They are watered regularly and so far, so good.
Considering they put trees, albeit smaller size specimens, in planters, it shouldn't be too much for a rose, given careful attention, to do as well. But the rub is, what do you do with it for winter? I would think the plant would have to, either be put into the ground and given protection, or put the whle container in the ground--which would be a monumental task given the size of the pot. And digging out a rosebush from a container might be just as hard as removal from the ground...with roots being the loser.
Such difficulty might dissuade others from trying it.
Originally posted by grammatina: The planter I put them is very large - about 4'wide and 20' long made out of stone retaining wall blocks. I put 2 knockouts each about 1/3 of the way in then assorted annuals around them to fill out the rest of the planter So far everything is doing very well. They are watered regularly and so far, so good.
How long have they been in the planter? And what kind of sun exposure does the planter get?
Even the ones I've seen in planters that are parts of walls don't end up doing well. They start out terrific but by the end of summer most look pretty scraggly. Good luck! Hope yours continue to look good & put out lots of blooms.
"The soil is the source of life, creativity, culture and real independence." David Ben-Gurion
