Some varieties of easy-care Flower Carpet roses can do extremely well in containers, providing the container is large enough.
Easy care Flower Carpet Pink add a welcoming touch to these porch steps
Flower Carpet Coral with Heuchera (Coral Bells) in container
The container should be at least 20 – 24 inches in diameter and equally deep (the larger the better). It’s important to use a good quality potting mix. The containers can be placed in the sun or semi-shaded area. Because the roots don’t go as deeply in containers as they do naturally in the ground, the key is to make certain that the containers aren’t allowed to dry out. Then just feed them a few times a summer. The Flower Carpet varieties or colors that seem to do best in containers include White, Red, Pink, Coral, Yellow and Appleblossom. (The newer varieties of Amber, Scarlet and Pink Supreme tend to get larger than the others do unless you had a very large container, you’d be better off going with the other colors mentioned).
Flower Carpet Yellow in mixed container
Flower Carpet Appleblossom rose adds a soft touch to any garden setting
When is the right time to prune back my flower carpet roses? Early spring? Thank you!
Hi Mary Jo. You’re correct – Flower Carpets should be pruned back in early spring when they’re dormant and preferably before they start sending out new growth. If you’re in an area of the country where it is early spring you can certainly prune them back now. Anyone in Zones 5 and colder may want to wait until March or early April (snow cover and weather permitting). Remember, Flower Carpets don’t require any fancy pruning and you can even cut them back with hedge clippers. I’ve actually run mine over with the lawn mower and they’ve come right back! Check out our “Caring for your Flower Carpet roses in Spring” video for some great step-by-step instructions.
I’ve got a big potted “Cascading Snapdragon” plant that covers entire pot & is very crowded. I don’t know if it should be transplanted into a bigger pot or into the ground or if it’ll live in the pot it’s already in? Thank you. DeAnn
Hi DeAnn – you’ve got us stumped but you may find some help with this link from About.com with information for gardening expert Marie Iannotti on growing and caring for snapdragons. Hope this helps!