Andrea, you're going to want to put those Austins in the ground, period. Not only do most want to be taller, but generally larger plants period. In the ground, they will be healthier, happier and more beautiful because they can generate all the root mass they require to perform as you expect. While they CAN be limped along in cans, as you've observed, they won't be AS nice. Go for it. Kim

I have a postage stamp garden so just one-- floribunda "Garden of Roses" it is fabulous, but it is known for being a smaller variety and is quite happy in a container. Very healthy and lovely bloom.

Wouldn't one of the polyanthas--like The Fairy, for instance--be good for container growing?

Kate

Thanks Kim. My Austins are doing well in huge containers, but not spectacularly like the Fairy Tale Kosmos. Not only is the size perfect, the extremely full and dark foliage is beautiful at eye level on my deck. I am also crazy about the blooms. They are gorgeous. Maybe I will just plant 4 more of Kosmos.....Silly of course. But I really love this plant. Teasing Georgia is beautiful and fairly full, but just not quite like Kosmos. I will, as you suggest, put the Austins in a bed. Thanks again Kim.

Thanks Ninkasi. Help me Find seems to be down presently, but I believe I have seen "Garden of Roses" and that's a great suggestion.

Kate, I don't have any polyanthas and I don't know anything about them. As soon as Help Me Find comes back, I will do a search for them.

Thanks a bunch everyone,

andreark

Kosmos is indeed fantastic. My favorite white.

I grow quite a large number of the new Kordes varieties. Both in the ground and trialing them in pots. We are in remarkably different climates, but what would you like to know?

I have 4 Austins in LARGE pots and only one Kosmos.
The Austins are doing fine, but my Kosmos is a real beauty queen. I would like to move several of the Austinsto to ground beds ( as Kim suggested) and would like to replace them with Kordes that are similar to Kosmos..

My Kosmos, in the Delta Bay area of San Francisco, is
a WINNER!!! Today and yeaterday, at 95+ degrees with
California burning sun, is beautiful!!! Most of my other babies, (I have only 32) are frying.. I have had to cover them with sun cloth.

Do you know of any of the Kordes roses that would be a similar size and do well in large pots..

Thanks for your response,

andreark

Sorry for the delay in response, but I'm on the site infrequently at best.

A few of the Fairytale series that tend to stay shorter and should do ok in pots are Elegant FT, Sisters FT and Floral FT. I really, really like Elegant FT, but out of the three, Floral FT is the best bloomer with fastest repeat, but the bloom colour doesn't last long in the heat.

Solero or Solero Vigorosa is also wonderful and a great disease resistant bloomer.

As for minitures, I can't speak highly enough of Roxy and Flirt.

Hope this helps.

MordenMan has listed most of my suggestions of mannerly Kordes FT roses - Elegant and Floral particularly. In my yard, Solero Vigorosa stays low and is a constant bloomer but you'd need a BIG pot, as she wants to grow very wide. It's probably 18" tall and 6 feet wide, and wants to be more if I'd let it.

Another option that has stayed low for me is Cream Flower Circus. It's around 2-3 feet tall and no more than the same amount wide. Seems like the light colored Kordes floris are the more mannerly sized ones.

Cynthia

Nippstress, thanks for the answer.

Elegant and Floral are actually my two favorite choices
for my deck 'pot city'. The pots are all 24 gallon which is
a large pot. Kosmos is just as pleased as punch with
this location and size of pot.

I will order this in September.

Thanks a bunch again,

andreark