Yes! You don’t have to have a large yard, ideal soil, or perfect drainage to grow roses. Some of the most beautiful garden spaces are compact yet make a huge impact. If you have a sunny location and enough room for a large container, you can be a successful rose gardener. To ensure success with container planting, choose the right rose. Fragrant, compact, disease-resistant varieties with continual blooms perform best. Avoid Climbers or large Shrub roses as those need more room to grow.

Pick a container large enough to grow with your rose, at least two feet wide and two feet deep, and if there isn’t a drainage hole, you will want to add one. Good drainage is key to a healthy plant. You’ll also want to consider the material of the pot. Glazed ceramic or concrete pots are heavy, long-lasting, and great for permanent plantings, making them our top choice for container planting.

When you’re ready to plant, use a quality potting mix and enrich with compost to increase water holding capacity. Use a general organic soil that does NOT include any type of granular or time-release fertilizer as this type of potting soil may burn young roots.

Water your rose regularly so that soil is moist, but not wet, and establish a fertilizing routine so that the soil doesn’t deplete over time. Feed first in spring, once new growth begins, and then after each flush of blooms – every 2 to 3 weeks. In colder zones, stop fertilizing 6-8 weeks prior to the first frost. Always use a fertilizer that begins as a liquid in the bottle, such as our Founder's Fish Fertilizer for the first year.

Pick the right rose, a sunny location, a large container with drainage and you’re set up for success growing a rose in a container, whether that’s on your balcony or in your garden. 

To give your rose the best chance of thriving in your garden, ensure that you’re selecting varieties that will do well in your region. You can do this by shopping for roses suited to your hardiness zone. Once your zone is selected, we’ll help you find the perfect rose for your garden, one that can withstand the summer and winter temperatures where you live. 

Roses love sunlight. Choose a spot in your garden or on your balcony/patio that gets at least six hours of sunlight a day, this promotes growth and helps to keep fungal diseases at bay. Soil is the next important factor to consider for roses. Well-draining, loamy soil is preferable because roses love water, but hate wet feet. Give them at least 1”-2” of water per week throughout the growing season and water newly planted roses 2-3 times per week until established. Remember to water at the base, not overhead, to discourage potential disease and improve root growth.

When you order from Heirloom, you can rest assured you’ll receive premier-quality roses that are true to variety, grown on their own-roots, and virus-free. All our roses are packaged to arrive healthy, hydrated, and ready for planting. We’ve also done away with single-use plastic. All our roses are shipped in recyclable boxes, compostable bags, and a zip tie dyed with natural food coloring. Your rose will look bare when it arrives, but that’s intentional. We defoliate our roses prior to shipping so they hold on to their moisture and stay healthy during transit. Each box comes with planting instructions. Follow those and you’ll see new growth in no time because roses simply want to grow.

To plant your rose, first find the right location. Pick a spot with well-draining soil that receives at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. Once you’ve found the perfect spot, you’re ready to plant. 

Dig a hole that’s at least 2’ wide and 2’ deep. Add organic potting soil to the hole, making sure it does not contain granular fertilizer, which can burn tender roots in the first year. Remove the rose from its compostable bag or container and set it in the hole, about an inch deeper than the soil line. Backfill the hole and water your rose thoroughly.

Newly planted roses should be watered 2-3 times per week until established. Water at the base to encourage root establishment and watch your rose thrive.