| I recently moved to a hillside home in a deer area. I have extensive deck space and would like to grow roses. What size pots or planters and growing material would I need? I am not interested in minature roses. |
| Choose a large enough container, 5 gallon for small, 15-20 gallon for shrub roses and hybrid tea's. Container grown roses will require more frequent watering and fertilizing. To a soil mix of one-half potting soil and one-half garden soil, you can add water expanded polymer crystals for moisture retention. Be sure the container has adequate drainage. Plan to replant the container rose every 3 years as the soil nutrients are depleted. Trim at least 2" off the root ball, then replant in the container with fresh soil. A half whisky barrel is great for shrub planting, but add wheels to move, they are heavy. A bonus with container roses is that they can be moved about giving your deck or patio a "new" look. |
