cream patio roses in the evening
Angela Slater
Daughter of a farmer and market gardener so have always had a connection with the outdoors, whether it was keeping animals or producing fruit, vegetables and cut flowers. Along with my work at Hayes Garden World I also have a smallholding, mainly breeding rare breed pigs. I gained an HND and BSc in Conservation and Environmental Land Management, as a result I am an ardent environmentalist and have a keen interest in environmentally friendly gardening. In my time at Hayes I worked for several years in the Outdoor Plant and Houseplant areas

How to plant a patio climbing rose

Roses are a must in the garden; there's one for every occasion

Roses are that quintessential English flower that no cottage garden can be without. Gone are the days when they were planted in beds with just a lot of bare earth between plants, nowadays they are combined into herbaceous borders and containers with complementary plants around the base to conceal the bare stems at the bottom. There is a rose for every situation, even that cool shady north wall. The small dainty patio roses are ideal if you have limited space or wish to plant in a container to make a focal point. This video shows how easy it is to achieve a stunning container; try placing one either side of a door or at the top of some steps or just one container to draw the eye down the garden.

You will need:

  • Large container (with drainage holes)
  • Broken crocks or grit
  • John Innes No 3 compost
  • Decorative obelisk (about 90cm/3ft tall)
  • Patio climbing rose
  • Clematis
  • 6 nemesia

 

  1. Add some grit or crocks to the bottom of the container, for drainage. Top up with John Innes No 3 compost.
  2. Take the rose out of the pot and plant in the centre of the container. Bury the graft point (raised bump) on the stem.
  3. Plant the clematis besides the rose, with the lower bare stems below the surface of the compost.
  4. Carefully place the obelisk over the plants.
  5. Remove the supports from the clematis and the rose then tie the stems to the obelisk with soft twine.
  6. Add the nemesias around the edge of the pot. Firm in the plants and water well.

Keep well watered throughout the summer, plants in containers will dry out much faster than those in the ground as the sides of the container will become quite hot.