I bought 2 mini roses from grocery store. Very tiny with tiny blooms under an inch across.
In the past they would drop leaves and die. This time I kept them moist and have talked to them and pruned them diligently. It was late fall when I bought them and they are approaching a year old. They have rebloomed (the pink 3x and the red 2x)
I feel they should be potted up and need to know if I should keep the plants together (4 red in one pot and 3 in the other) or should each plant get a pot of it's own?? Both currently have new growth. East Exposure.

You can divide them but it would cause a lot of stress. When plants grow together, the roots are also growing together. Separating them from one another would destroy a lot of roots.

I would continue to treat them as one plant. December or January is a good time to repot, prune and force the roses into dormancy (by pulling all the rest of the leaves off). Just a hint when you repot - rip the very bottom of the root ball off.

DaisyI said:

You can divide them but it would cause a lot of stress. When plants grow together, the roots are also growing together. Separating them from one another would destroy a lot of roots.

I would continue to treat them as one plant. December or January is a good time to repot, prune and force the roses into dormancy (by pulling all the rest of the leaves off). Just a hint when you repot - rip the very bottom of the root ball off.

Thank You Daisy!
I have fallen deeply for the little roses! I set alarms on my iPhone to ensure they NEVER dry out! They had a tough time at first due to my Bengal cat trying very hard to eat the red one. All my cats are attracted to rose petals, but the Bengal is a voracious pest! He managed to depot the poor thing 3 times before I moved them to the upper sill of the East window in my living room. He "Tried" climbing up but fell twice then stopped! It had been stripped of most leaves but came back beautifully for me!
Both arrived with 4 cuttings but one pink one failed to root well and died early on.The red one, despite all the abuse from my cat proved much tougher and all 4 rooted well. The red also seems to shrug off winter's dry indoor conditions better. The pink tends to be quicker to complain if it gets too dry around it. I am moving them back to the south window now that I have planter shelves he can't reach. There are no heat vents near it and most plants love that location (orchids, Cacti, and Epi's are my usual indoor plants.) I love flowering plants, but I did end up with a philodendron, and a grapefruit tree that rooted from a seed. I had a magnificent little dwarf phalenopsis, I grew from a tiny seedling...took years, but some animal took it out of it's pot overnight roots and all!! Probably ate it! It was getting to Flowering age and it was very upsetting! My epi is a "Queen of the Night" species! Big plant, night bloomer. My cacti are mostly unusual Opuntia varieties. One grows in the beach dunes of the Outer Bank of N Carolina. 2 that grow on granite outcrops here in MN . One collected locally...and legally from the St Cloud Granite Quarries, zone 4, the other amazingly was collected...again legally, from granite outcrops around Lake of the Isle, zone 3 for sure, possibly zone 2? My Gymnocalcium is a cactus that has bloomed reliably, Spring, summer and fall for 5 years now.
I know the epi's, orchids, and cacti are off topic but they are to explain how much I am NOT a person used to persnickety house plants. I generally kill most houseplants other people enjoy and they look at my plants and swear they can't grow them or keep them alive. I find epiphytes and cacti the most forgiving of plants! My little mini roses are NOT forgiving which is why I set alarms to guarantee I am paying them "special" attention.

cearbhael said:

Thank You Daisy!
I have fallen deeply for the little roses! I set alarms on my iPhone to ensure they NEVER dry out! They had a tough time at first due to my Bengal cat trying very hard to eat the red one. All my cats are attracted to rose petals, but the Bengal is a voracious pest! He managed to depot the poor thing 3 times before I moved them to the upper sill of the East window in my living room. He "Tried" climbing up but fell twice then stopped! It had been stripped of most leaves but came back beautifully for me!
Both arrived with 4 cuttings but one pink one failed to root well and died early on.The red one, despite all the abuse from my cat proved much tougher and all 4 rooted well. The red also seems to shrug off winter's dry indoor conditions better. The pink tends to be quicker to complain if it gets too dry around it. I am moving them back to the south window now that I have planter shelves he can't reach. There are no heat vents near it and most plants love that location (orchids, Cacti, and Epi's are my usual indoor plants.) I love flowering plants, but I did end up with a philodendron, and a grapefruit tree that rooted from a seed. I had a magnificent little dwarf phalenopsis, I grew from a tiny seedling...took years, but some animal took it out of it's pot overnight roots and all!! Probably ate it! It was getting to Flowering age and it was very upsetting! My epi is a "Queen of the Night" species! Big plant, night bloomer. My cacti are mostly unusual Opuntia varieties. One grows in the beach dunes of the Outer Bank of N Carolina. 2 that grow on granite outcrops here in MN . One collected locally...and legally from the St Cloud Granite Quarries, zone 4, the other amazingly was collected...again legally, from granite outcrops around Lake of the Isle, zone 3 for sure, possibly zone 2? My Gymnocalcium is a cactus that has bloomed reliably, Spring, summer and fall for 5 years now.
I know the epi's, orchids, and cacti are off topic but they are to explain how much I am NOT a person used to persnickety house plants. I generally kill most houseplants other people enjoy and they look at my plants and swear they can't grow them or keep them alive. I find epiphytes and cacti the most forgiving of plants! My little mini roses are NOT forgiving which is why I set alarms to guarantee I am paying them "special" attention.

Just to clarify, I know of no rose that remains evergreen in its natural state. They are meant to have a dormant state. The rose would have been happier outside in the ground. If you are setting your alarm to water your roses, to keep it forever moist, it will likely develop a fungal problem, like black spot. You might look into "self watering" pots so that you don't over do the watering.

The fact that you've kept them alive this long is amazing. Roses are NOT houseplants!! They really should have been planted in the ground in the spring to allow them enough time to root in well for winter. Please be careful not to over water them. Roses do not like to have soggy roots. They do, however, like high humidity. You can set them on a tray of damp pebbles to keep the humidity up around them but don't let the water touch the bottom of the pot. Watch diligently for spider mites. Indoor roses are very prone to getting them. Give them some 1/2 strength fertilizer if you wish. If you pot them up I wouldn't suggest trying to separate them now. You've let them grow together too long and will damage them by trying to get them apart. Only go one, maybe two, sizes up in pots. And try not to disturb the existing root ball when you move them. I hope they do well for you but I really do urge you to think about planting them outside where they will thrive for you!

I realise that the preferred method of growing is outdoors! However, we are zone 4 and these minis are zone 7, Big difference!! Before you suggest burying them, let me assure you I CAN'T! I have been handicapped with nerve damage in my dominate left hand, chronic pain from nerves and deep tissue damage on the entire left side of my body. I fell 25 feet off of a ladder in 1995, and fortunately landed on my left bum on a cement floor. On top of that, I am a senior citizen. I have had to accept years ago that my out door gardening days are over! Containers are the best I can do. I do, on occasion, manage, with help, to get a plant in the ground. But, our area is famous for rocks! Lots and lots of rocks! Great soil, but any gardening means lots of rock removal.
To return to these mini's. I do have a Breezeway that is "zone 5" but I doubt they would survive wintering out there either.
I have a green thumb, due to Ancestors that have farmed/gardened as far back as the 1700's. Probably further back than that if I could get further back! I am very aware they hate soggy roots, which is what I avoid. I keep the soil generally "moist" not wet, and water them only when they are drying out. The alarms are to make sure I check them twice a week! I never allow them to dry out too much, because they immediately drop leaves!! I am very sensitive to their needs and they are doing very well! NO BUGS!! I wish I had the ability to allow dormancy, but the coolest area in my house is 50-60 degrees in winter. (Unheated second floor) great to winter over Epis and cacti and dendrobiums, but not cool enough to bring dormancy to rose bushes, as far as I know. If that is an option, I will move them to an upper south or west window. Containers, however, are going to be the only way they will be grown

Considering how difficult it is to grow roses indoors, I think you are doing amazingly well with your happy little plants. I would hesitate to change much of anything. You do indeed have a green thumb!

Thank you pork pal. I appreciate the positive feedback. I am hesitant to mess with them, considering they are content. I also have to consider my Bengal cat. If he get access to them he "WILL" eat them, depot them and in general, mangle them. Maybe next fall, if I can assure a safe spot, (House Renovation this winter so not option) I will move them upstairs before I turn on the furnace. That way they will adapt slowly to the increasingly cool upstairs temperatures. The coldest temp I have noticed up there was 50 degrees. The temps fluctuate, and are strongly influenced by how cold it is outside. Night temps are cooler than day temps, which is what the minis experience in the summer due to my windows being open 24/7 as soon as the furnace is turned off in the spring.

That all sounds like a good plan. I have some house plants that live in a large guinea pig cage to protect them from our cats.

Cearbhael, it sounds like you are doing the impossible--keeping mini roses alive in a house. Good for you! They look so healthy and happy in your picture. I hope you share more when they bloom again.

Don't know if you might want to do this in Jan or so, but roses don't naturally go dormant in the winter time where I live (too warm). So to force them into dormancy for a few weeks (give them a rest from flowering), when I prune, I pull off all the leaves and force them into dormancy for a short period of time.

We also love sweet beasties, and please feel free to share pictures of your kitties on the monthly chat posts. Can you tell I am dying to see a picture of your gorgeous Bengal? Love Bengal kitties! They are strikingly beautiful.

Cearbhael, So sorry if I offended you! I had no idea of your circumstances and was just trying to give some basic rose information. As I said, you have done an amazing job of keeping them healthy.

Mustbnuts said:Cearbhael, it sounds like you are doing the impossible--keeping mini roses alive in a house. Good for you! They look so healthy and happy in your picture. I hope you share more when they bloom again.

Don't know if you might want to do this in Jan or so, but roses don't naturally go dormant in the winter time where I live (too warm). So to force them into dormancy for a few weeks (give them a rest from flowering), when I prune, I pull off all the leaves and force them into dormancy for a short period of time.

We also love sweet beasties, and please feel free to share pictures of your kitties on the monthly chat posts. Can you tell I am dying to see a picture of your gorgeous Bengal? Love Bengal kitties! They are strikingly beautiful.

Mustbnuts, thanks for the tip! I will try that!
The Bengal (actually we think half Bengal) was found in a nasty early winter storm hiding under my son's car. My standard Poodle found him. He was just a tiny handful at the time. He was a holy terror as a kitten, and only my son's black female kitty befriended him. That is why he is my son's kitty. I guess he is sort of mine since he moved out and left both kitties behind...and can't take them where he is due to 2 cats and 3 dogs. We have a total of 4 kitties! Mine are a tiny 4 1/2 lb Lilac Siamese with very unusual Navy blue/bright light blue, combo eye colour. My other kitty is a Classic grey and white tuxedo (very puss in boots, with mittens on the front feet and boots on the back feet) He also has a combo eye colour, dark green and light green. From a distance it makes them look like they have huge round pupils. First time I have ever noticed that type of eye colour in cats. Since you want pics, I will upload a few, starting with our spotty kitty.
seilMl,
I was NOT offended! I was well aware you were attempting to educate me on the correct care of roses! Believe me when I say I am very aware that lots of people are Rose newbies, and need guidance. I was simply letting you know "Why" I broke the rules
To Everyone,
I am as amazed as all of you that they have adapted so well to window sill culture. I truly believe they listened to me when I sweet talked them when I brought them home! Needless to say the Bengal just about made a liar out of me, but I talked to him a lot when I repotted him (3 times) and the Bengal did the leaf stripping tip, so maybe he took a short rest then came back gang busters! He does better than his pink sister, though she has thrown more blooms than him. Wish they had names! I have read about the lineage of grocery store roses. I have a feeling I am spelling the name wrong, but I believe they said the hybridiser was "Paulson"? from Denmark? Please feel free to correct me there! I read that they are considered throw away roses (and I am sure most of them are thrown away) I realise also that they are forced cuttings and most never root. I hate to see any pretty plant be treated that way, though I have to admit, I have always failed in the past. I believe though, that the addition of fresh soil (both got that early on) possibly the stripping of the leaves? and finally never letting them get bone dry is the key to convincing them to take root and survive!! I also use water that has 1/4 strength fertiliser and Super Thrive added. I am a big believer that Super Thrive gives them the needed minerals and micro nutrients they need to thrive! Works really well with Orchids and Epis, why not roses??

This George our Spotty kitty

Another pic of George and my son's black little girl kitty named Reimi

My little Lilac Siamese. She is all of 4 1/2 lbs soaking wet. She is my charmer. Lastly, my old man! Ashe is 16 years of age and the King to my Siamese who is The Queen!! He is a classic grey and white tuxedo. He can still keep the Bengal, who at 9 is the youngest (both girls are 10), in line! I hate to see him grow old, but unfortunately their lifespan is so much shorter than ours. George can't wait until he is the top male! He comes on all tough but he is really a softie.

Beautiful kitties! Ashe definitely has a patrician look about him.

Oh! I am so glad you posted the pictures of your sweet beasties! Look at the markings on George! Beautiful and he is quite the handsome male! I have a soft spot in my heart for Siamese kitties. The lilac colors are just beautiful! (I had a Balinese kitty that lived for 19 years--she was NOT teeny however. She was a big bruising kitty). Ashe reminds me of Mr. Carson from Downton Abbey. Definitely the one in charge.

I am so glad you posted pictures of them and are here on the board.

Oh, BTW, I have several Poulson minis (that I saved from the grocery store this year when it felt like spring was a million miles away and I needed to see a rose bloom ASAP). I planted them in my garden and they are all doing quite well and getting much bigger and filling in around my other roses. Those store mini's are good, strong plants! Unfortunately, I don't know the names of them as they were not marked on the label. I do wish they would leave the names on the labels for us.

Yeah, doesn't the fact that they don't tell you the name of the plant send you around the bend? They do the same thing to dept store and grocery store orchids! They too are considered throw away plants which just irritates the heck out of me! I helped my mother with her no name orchid and it lived for 10 years. My sis and I rescue some just because we think the throw away attitude is just wrong!
Thank you folks, for the nice thoughts towards my kitties.
A Balinese! I love Balinese!! My little girl's mom wasn't small either. Thinking she was the runt of the litter! My sister had a runt (got a price break as well) and took her all the way to grand championship. She was also tiny like mine!

A lot of the problem with the grocery store minis is that they aren't ordered by name. The store will simply order a gross of pink for Mother's Day or red roses for Valentine's Day and the grower ships what ever pink or red roses they have ready to ship at the time. The store doesn't care what they're called, just what color they are. And as for the growers, even though most of them do have names, they will switch out plants with the names. So a name like Pretty Pink could be given to one or more different varieties at any given time. I know for a fact that Poulsen does this all the time. Unless the rose has some really distinctive trait it is very hard to figure out the names of most of their varieties from their web site.

Wanted to add that I nearly succumbed to one in the grocery store today. They had a bunch of them out and all were pink except for this one pretty bright yellow one. It almost fell into my cart but at the last minute I thought better of it and walked quickly away. STEP AWAY FROM THE ROSES, SEIL, LOL!