I am looking for a very fragrant antique rose that I could grow in a 3 to 5 gal pot. I need a climber but not a big climber. Climbing to about 8-12 ft but not very wide across, or one that I could prune and keep in check but would still be a repeat bloomer with lots of pretty flowers.

Thornless or small thorns. Disease resistant, black spot resistant, PM resistant. Perform well in my hot, wet, humid climate where the winters might be cold and wet and the summers might be hot and dry. Lots to want, I know!

Pink, purple, light yellow, or light apricot would be good. Bright red or warm colors will not go with my color scheme.

People around here grow climbing Cecile Brunner but say that she gets huge. Can she be grown in a 5 gal pot? Can she be pruned, kept in check and still bloom? Love the smell of bush type Clotilde Soupert, but climbing one sounds bushy & too wide for spot.

Have a big trellis but sunny side faces on concrete and only space in ground looks too small. Clematis in ground on shady side. Faces west, morning shade, afternoon sun but shadows from trees and bldgs so not full sun.

Looking for shade tolerant that can also take a few hours of hot, blazing sun. Search engines return nothing, of course Any ideas? Thanks so much for your time! River

See pics of trellis. Best sun is near entry way - entry way in middle, yellow edge. Can wrap wire around post then train over to trellis.
Click "Slideshow" or "Roll" above pics & use scrollbars to move through quickly.

Summer 2009
Combos 2011
Spring/Summer 2012

Yes, I found 2 mini climbers in my exhaustive search over the last several weeks, including reading the gw miniature rose forum. I can ask there about pot size. Just love the antique roses, their scent and their history, but I am sure that you are right, a mini rose is probably best for that spot.

OT as these are minis, just to share some pretty pics.

The smaller climbing mini that might fit is not fragrant, is thorny, but has interesting colors: miniature climbing Rainbow’s End, yellow with red/orange edge, supposed to turn entirely red with yellow underpinnings in a lot of sun.

miniature climbing Rainbow's End at Burlington Roses (Burling Leong)

The larger climbing mini is listed for a mild fragrance but gets huge, so not a good idea, I think, called Jeanne Lajoie. Click on small picture to see how enormous she gets tho' she's a miniature:

Jeanne Lajoie at Heirloom Roses

Thanks again, opaka, appreciate your help! Would also appreciate any info on a small antique climber if anyone knows of one! Thanks, River

:-)

~Christopher

I did not see the amount of ground space you thought was too small in your pictures. Even if the area has concrete near it the rose will grow roots below that and do better than in a 5 gallon pot.

Please don't think that a "mini climber" will be small or stay small. I've seen Jeane Lajoie growth 12 feet high and wide even in my cold climate! And I have Rainbows End and it's a very vigorous grower! I don't know of any climber that you could contain to such a small space and still be happy. There are some climbing sports of hybrid teas that tend to grow very upright in habit. However, they also tend to bloom only at the top as a result and not all that frequently as well.

Yes. Trospero and Seil are right. A container of 5-G size or smaller will guarantee you a rose that will not flourish or look good, and will probably die within a few years.

Moreover, in "hot blazing sun," surrounded by concrete, I suspect you'll have trouble keeping any rose healthy.

Jeri

Here’s my plan: to grow miniature climbing Rainbow’s End in a pot until it gets too big, then put it in the ground. It comes only as a band so pot will be fine now, just $7.95 + priority mail from Burling Leong at Burlington Roses, no great fortune to try this.

See picture below. I have a place just off the concrete that has lots of sun higher up but is too shady at ground level, shadows from trees and buildings. Judging by a 1 yr growth pic of this rose on the internet, it might be tall enough in 1 yr to go in the ground and get the sun it needs.

Goal: plant it in the ground next spring after early blooming wild gladiolus has finished blooming and has not yet died back to the ground and disappeared from view. Last yr’s pic below dated 3/29/12. I do have the place marked but it will be easier to work on if I can see what I am doing. Might work?

Thanks, Trospero, for saving me from a mistake. Thanks, Christopher, love the idea of Yellow Sweetheart, which I wish I could grow. Thanks, Jerijen, space below will be much cooler than concrete area where I was going to put the pot.

Thanks, Seil, here is the spot. I am listing plant names to give you an idea of the light, which is much brighter higher up. Wild gladiolus and culinary ginger (dark leaf in middle) can be moved, native monarda fistulosa beebalm at left and liriope at right are duplicates and can go.

Wooden support post to climb on just to left out of view, all support posts are in buried concrete which takes some space away from the plants. I can wrap wire around post & train rose.

One concrete sidewalk in front of gladiolus and another sidewalk just barely visible as gray concrete area to the right, 2 ft square area for rose but probably good soil underneath concrete sidewalks. Possibly big enough?

Thanks again, everyone, esp. for your patience since I have gotten OT from antique roses, much appreciated! River