33 Roses For Containers We Love (Plus Growing Tips!)
What are the most popular flowers in the world, you ask? Roses, beautiful roses! They’re bursting with color, foliage, and unforgettable fragrances. You can still grow them even if you don’t have a garden. There are too many to choose from, so we’ve rounded up our 33 favorite roses for containers to make shopping easier.
Roses are easier to care for in pots and containers because you can choose the best soil mix rather than amending garden soil, plus you can easily feed and water them. If you’re new to rose gardening, we have ten care tips at the bottom of this post to help you get started.
Note: This post was published on 6/8/2019. It was updated on 5/10/2024.
Roses For Containers
Let us introduce you to some of the best container roses. We love these for their stunning colors, beautiful foliage, and ease of maintenance. They’re organized by color, so you can easily pick out your favorites.
Click on the name of each rose, and it’ll take you to a photo along with more details about each rose, including the optimal hardiness zones. If you don’t know your zone, click here.
The best roses for pots include ground cover roses, floribunda roses, miniature roses, and patio tree roses. Smaller hybrid tea roses work well, too. That said, if you have large enough pots, you can grow tall hybrid teas and climbing roses.
Note: The best time to start online shopping for roses is late fall/early winter. Most bare root rose growers ship from January through April. Depending on when you’re reading this, most of the roses will be out of stock. Put them on your list for next year, start perusing in winter, and order early because most sell out. You may find some of these at your trusted local garden centers.
Happy rose shopping!
White Roses
Tranquillity
This English rose is extremely floriferous. Its blooms will remind you of vanilla cupcakes! It grows vigorously and emits an apple fragrance. Tranquility is disease-resistant and repeat-flowers easily.
- Height: 4 ft
- Flower Color: White
Gourmet Popcorn
I planted this adorable small rose in one of my client’s gardens, and it bloomed all season. The profusion of small white flowers is a nice complement to the healthy, dark green foliage.
- Height: 2 ft
- Flower Color: White
Windemere
The gorgeous flowers are creamy yellow at first and fade to almost pure white. This rose is very healthy and has a delightful fruity fragrance.
- Height: 4 ft
- Flower Color: White
Iceberg
This is one of the most popular landscape roses on the market. Iceberg flowers in flushes from spring until early fall. The clusters of pure white flowers are lightly fragrant.
- Height: 4 ft
- Flower Color: White
Pink Roses
Belinda’s Dream Floribunda Rose
Belinda’s Dream is an easy-care shrub resistant to rose diseases and pests. The pink color will shine brightly in the sun, and you won’t have to worry about the sunlight and heat ruining this plant. It also has glossy foliage, which we love so much.
- Height: 3 to 4 ft
- Flower Color: Pink
Veranda Cream
She grows just right in containers, given the small size. The soft colors (is this rose cream, or is it apricot? It looks pale pink to me!) can complement a variety of gardens. We love the flowy feel of the bursting blooms.
- Height: 2.5 ft
- Flower Color: Cream/Apricot
Beverly Hybrid Tea Rose
Looking at this rose is like looking at a painting. The other name this one is sold under is “Pink Perfection” – that speaks volumes. The fragrance is one of the best, too: hints of citrus, peach, and pear, it’s almost like you purchased a fruity body mist!
- Height: 3 to 4 ft
- Flower Color: Pink.
The Fairy Shrub Rose
This dainty rose contains shades of white and pink coloring. It’s tough and reliable, so you can expect it to last long. The blooms are thick and will cover the foliage, so you can expect to see lots of pom-pom-like flowers. So sweet!
- Height: 2.5 ft
- Flower Color: Soft Pink
Gabriel Oak
This gorgeous rose with the deepest pink rosette blooms has a strong fragrance. It’s a vigorous plant with dark green foliage, adding to its appeal. This is another stunning David Austin rose to add to your collection.
- Height: 4 ft
- Flower Color: Deep Pink
Perfume Delight
This siren can lure you into a hypnotic trance with her heady damask rose perfume and lurid hot pink costume. Perfume Delight has big, shapely buds and blooms borne on long, strong stems. It is a long-time favorite.
- Height: 3 ft
- Flower Color: Deep Rose Pink
Lovely Fairy
Dainty, pink and ruffled, this rose will survive the winter months (down to zone 4). Its continuous blooming and highly disease-resistant nature make it a catch for container gardening.
- Height: 3 ft
- Flower Color: Dark Pink
Carefree Delight
This particular rose doesn’t look like the rest. The single-petaled blooms open wide, continually bloom and are borne on clusters. They’re pretty massive, and they easily cover the entire foliage.
- Height: 3 ft
- Flower Color: Pink
Bonica
This is a favorite rose of many. It has clusters of medium-pink flowers that turn into bright red hips. Bonica is hardy, healthy, and extremely reliable — no wonder it’s one of the most widely planted roses!
- Height: 4 ft
- Flower Color: Soft Pink
Earth Angel
Check out these blooms! Earth Angel’s peony-shaped flowers have a very unique fragrance. This old-fashioned rose has bright, glossy green foliage and continually blooms.
- Height: 4 ft
- Flower Color: Soft Pink/Cream
Yellow Roses
Centennial Star Hybrid Tea Rose
Another beautiful bloom with a wonderful fragrance, this hybrid tea rose’s blooms are a colorful combination of soft yellow and edged in orange/pink. They are gently ruffled and pleasing to the eye.
- Height: 3 ft
- Flower Color: Soft Yellow
Yellow Sunblaze
When this one blooms, she blooms! The Yellow Sunblaze would be an exceptional addition to any rose garden. It’s busy and glossy, so it’s a fun flower to look at and smell. This compact rose is an excellent choice for smaller pots.
- Height: 12 to 18 in
- Flower Color: Bright Yellow
Walking on Sunshine
Just like the name suggests, this rose will remind you of glowing sunshine! The flowering is rich, and the fragrance is out of this world. Pruning isn’t always needed; just a bit of deadheading here and there.
- Height: 4 ft
- Flower Color: Bright Yellow
Julia Child
- Height: 4 ft
- Flower Color: Yellow
Roses the color of butter – one of Julia’s favorite ingredients! Some are deep yellow, some pale yellow. There was a bed full of these at the Santa Barbara Rose Garden. This vigorous rose was covered in blooms all season – a winner indeed.
Orange/Apricot Roses
At Last
This easy-care and quick-to-flourish rose is a good start for new rose gardeners. At Last also caught our eye because of its unique apricot coloring and fragrance.
- Height: 2.5 to 3 ft
- Flower Color: Apricot
Mandarin Ice
This extremely healthy and vigorous rose has unique coloring, with brilliant orange-red petals highlighted by their cream reverse. It was a gold medal winner in international competition.
- Height: 2 ft
- Flower Color: Orange Red
Carding Mill Shrub Rose
Here is another beautiful rose with an apricot glow. The blooms are double-layered and ruffled, which makes them look really bountiful. Carding Mill has a bushy, rounded shape and a lovely myrrh fragrance.
- Height: 4 ft
- Flower Color: Apricot
State Of Grace
I want a vase full of these! This rose has apricot-to-peach cupped old-fashioned blooms. It’s excellently disease-resistant and is gorgeous in flower arrangements.
- Height: 3 ft
- Flower Color: Apricot/Pink
Red Roses
Double Knockout Rose
This one has a gorgeous red bloom and flowers throughout the summer and well into fall. The Knockout Family of Roses is known for ease of maintenance and flower power—a lot of it. Be sure to check out the many other colors these roses come in. You can also find them in tree form.
- Height: 3 ft
- Flower Color: Cherry Red
Veranda Roxanne
This compact rose sure packs a punch! The abundant blooms repeat flower, and the plant has strong disease resistance. Its size means you don’t need a large container – a real plus if you have a small space.
- Height: 2 ft
- Flower Color: Dark Red
Mysterious
This one has semi-double flowers in a unique red/brown color. Mysterious is a tough, healthy rose that flowers in continuous waves from summer to late fall and has an upright growing habit.
- Height: 3 ft
- Flower Color: Red/Brown
Plum Roses
Celestial Night
Wow, this rose’s deep plum color is gorgeous! Its many blooms will make your garden feel rose-abundant. Plus, it’s greatly disease-resistant and a real star in the garden.
- Height: 4 ft
- Flower Color: Deep Plum/Purple
Plum Perfect
The plum/lavender double flowers of this rose continuously bloom. The foliage is healthy, shiny, and resistant. Plum Perfect performs well in heat and humidity.
- Height: 3 ft
- Flower Color: Plum/Lavender
Ebb Tide
Check out these deep plum/purple blooms. Ebb Tide has an attractive, rounded shape and is very healthy. Plus, the strong clove and citrus fragrance makes it even more alluring.
- Height: 4 ft
- Flower Color: Deep Plum/Purple
Multi-Color Roses
Scentimental
If you like striped flowers, check out this one. The patterns of this double rose with continuous bloom are all unique. Scentimental has a strong fragrance, and the foliage is beautiful. The petals are listed as great for drying.
- Height: 4 ft
- Flower Color: Red/White
Candy Cane Cocktail
One beautiful rose after another! The flowers have white centers with pink to deep pink edges. This has superior disease resistance and reblooms like the other roses listed here.
- Height: 4 ft
- Flower Color: Deep Pink/White
Polynesian Punch
This jazzy rose produces non-stop massive displays of blooms in an array of colors. It’s pollinator-friendly and is better suited for drier climates.
- Height: 4 ft
- Flower Color: Orange/Pink/Yellow
Rainbow Sorbet
The eye-catching flowers are a blend of orange, yellow, and pink. It continuously blooms and has excellent disease resistance. My neighbors in Santa Barbara grew this in their garden, and I always enjoyed looking at it when I walked by.
- Height: 4 ft
- Flower Color: Orange/Pink/Yellow
Easy Does It
Another favorite rose! Its ruffled, scalloped flowers range from mango-orange to peach pink to honey apricot. The rose freely flowers, and its glossy green foliage is disease-resistant.
- Height: 3 ft
- Flower Color: Apricot/Pink
How to Care for Roses in Containers
Caring for roses is rather simple. Roses need cleaning up, pruning, deadheading, and feeding because growing and flowering takes a lot of energy.
If you’re a beginning gardener and want to grow the best and easiest roses for container gardening, choose roses under 5′ tall, disease-resistant, and repeat blooming.
I’m sharing what I’ve learned over the years for future reference as you grow your own rose garden! Here are some tips on container gardening regarding roses.
1. Select the Ideal Container Pot
Containers stand-alone or in small groupings. When choosing a container, there are two factors you should look out for:
Roses, like all plants, need drainage. Make sure the container has at least one drainage hole. You’ll want drainage holes because the roots can easily rot otherwise.
In general, a larger container will work better than a smaller one. Almost any rose does well in an appropriately sized container, but I like to stick with roses that stay under 4-5′ tall. Miniature types do fine in smaller pots.
Your roses will need room to grow and flourish. I’ve found that climbing roses, large hybrid teas, large floribundas, and large shrub roses aren’t as well suited for growing in many containers unless they’re a substantial size in scale with the plant.
Choose a large enough container suited to the rose’s size at the end of the season. The larger the rose gets, the larger the container it’ll need. Their fibrous roots need room to spread out and grow. Also, the smaller the container, the more often it needs watering.
Plastic and resin pots have gotten good-looking these days. They can easily be spray-painted to accent your outdoor space.
Plus, they don’t get as hot as terra cotta or ceramic pots, so the roots will stay a bit cooler if heat is an issue. Just make sure they’re weatherproof (most say how cold they go on the tag) if you’re in a cold climate. Roses look so elegant in a beautiful ceramic pot!
Miniature roses can even be grown in window boxes.
2. Plant Roses in the Spring
Give your roots time to stabilize in the soil. The sources below offer bare root roses for shipping in winter or spring (depending on your climate zone).
Buy your roses from a reliable source. Here are some good options: David Austin, Edmunds, Weeks, Jackson & Perkins, Regan Nursery, Star Roses, Grace Farm, and Heirloom Roses.
3. Roses Need Full Sun
Roses love and need full sun to thrive. Choose a location that gets at least 5-6 hours of sun daily. If in too much shade, you’ll get few, if any, blooms. Some roses grow in part sun, and most growers list them on their sites.
4. Air Circulation
Air circulation is important, so make sure yours has enough to keep it healthy. It helps to prevent fungal diseases and powdery mildew.
5. Use Good Quality Potting Soil
Plant your roses in good-quality potting soil. We like FoxFarm Ocean Forest Potting Soil.
They love a well-nourished, rich soil mix with good drainage. When planting, add organic material like compost or worm compost and use it as a top dressing.
6. Add Colorful Annuals
If the pot is large enough, a rose bush looks great underplanted with colorful annuals and trailing plants. This is a great way to make your garden or patio look aesthetically pleasing as well!
7. Don’t Let the Soil Dry Out
Don’t let the soil go completely dry. Container-grown roses need regular watering suitable to your climate. In periods of hot weather with no rain, your roses will need more water.
8. Fertilize Your Roses
I was a professional San Francisco Bay Area gardener for 20 years and discovered the best way to feed roses organically and naturally. If you want healthy roses, this is one way to help them thrive.
I didn’t feed roses in pots with this blend (listed below) as often as in the ground. Once in spring and once in mid-summer was enough.
More info for you: How To Feed Roses Naturally, Answering Your Questions About Fertilizing & Feeding Roses
9. Prune Your Roses as Needed
Prune throughout the season as necessary. You’ll need to deadhead, shape, and remove sucker or unwanted growth depending on what type of rose you have.
10. Protect Your Roses During Winter
Protect your roses in the winter if you’re in a cold climate. Apply a thick layer of hay on the soil’s surface and/or wrap the plant with burlap for winter protection.
Conclusion: There are so many roses for containers to choose from; we just wanted to make your shopping easier. These roses offer a variety of colors, fragrances, and growth habits, making them ideal for container gardening. Remember to choose an appropriately sized container, use a quality potting mix with good drainage, and properly maintain your rose for those blooms we all love.
Happy rose gardening!
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- About the Author
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Nell, the founder of Joy Us garden, was born into a gardening family and grew up in Connecticut’s countryside. After living in Boston, New York, San Francisco, & Santa Barbara, she now calls the Arizona desert home. She studied horticulture & garden design, working in the field all her life. Nell is a gardener, designer, blogger, Youtube creator, & author. She’s been gardening for a very long time & wants to share what she’s learned with you.
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Nell, the founder of Joy Us garden, was born into a gardening family and grew up in Connecticut’s countryside. After living in Boston, New York, San Francisco, & Santa Barbara, she now calls the Arizona desert home. She studied horticulture & garden design, working in the field all her life. Nell is a gardener, designer, blogger, Youtube creator, & author. She’s been gardening for a very long time & wants to share what she’s learned with you.
I recommend Ebb Tide (Floribunda) for containers. It is very compact, has a rich purple color, and is very fragrant.
Thank you for sharing that. That rose is a gorgeous color it’s good to know it does well in containers. Nell