| According to the National Gardening Association, 91 | | | | well-drained soil. The commercial soil mixes do well |
| million households participated in some form of | | | | but can dry out quickly. Consider adding some soil |
| do-it-yourself lawn and gardening activity in 2005, | | | | from your garden to help stabilize the mix and |
| spending an average of $387. Over the past decade, | | | | extend the moisture retention. Plants grown in pots |
| an increasing percentage of this total has gone | | | | require more water, organic matter and fertilizer than |
| towards container gardening. | | | | plants in the ground. |
| Containers offer a versatile form of gardening that | | | | • Select the right spot. Remember, roses |
| fits into any lifestyle and yard size. City dwellers can | | | | like full sun and good air circulation. Since pots have |
| use them to brighten up lifeless balconies, roof decks | | | | the advantage of mobility, you can move the pot |
| or front stoops, while those with more space can | | | | around to find just the right location. |
| decorate high-traffic spaces and incorporate them | | | | • Think vertical. Place a rose bush in the |
| into lawn and garden areas for added drama and flair. | | | | center of the container and surround with "filler" and |
| Because of the multitude of options on the market, | | | | "spiller" plants at the base. The rose plant draws the |
| container gardens are an easy way to add a splash | | | | eye upwards and adds height to the space, while the |
| of color to any outdoor space, big or small. | | | | fillers and spillers cover the base and accentuate the |
| Roses are among the most spectacular and | | | | container. |
| rewarding choices for a container because of their | | | | • Group plants strategically. Choose |
| combination of color, fragrance and season-long | | | | plants with the same sunlight and watering |
| blooms. Also, with advances in hybridizing, roses are | | | | requirements as roses. Shallow-rooted fillers do best |
| easier to grow than ever before. Look for the | | | | as they will not compete with the deeper rose roots. |
| All-America Rose Selections (AARS) rose logo as a | | | | Try annuals such as sweet alyssum or lobelia, or |
| "seal of approval," which indicates that the rose | | | | consider smaller creeping herbs such as thyme or |
| excelled in the most difficult plant trial in the world: | | | | ornamental oregano. |
| two years of testing in 23 gardens across the | | | | • Don't forget the foliage. Mix colorful |
| country, representing all climate zones. By performing | | | | plants with those in various shades of green to |
| well against 15 criteria including fragrance, ease of | | | | create a more intensified, three-dimensional effect. |
| maintenance and disease resistance, AARS roses are | | | | Smaller, variegated ivy hybrids look great and will spill |
| proven to be the very best. | | | | out over sides of the container as they grow. |
| Tom Carruth, director of research at Weeks Roses | | | | • Consider "pot-scaping." Choose pots of |
| and hybridizer of eight AARS Winners in the past | | | | different sizes and shapes that are made from similar |
| nine years, provides the following tips for building the | | | | material or those that are similar in color to create a |
| perfect container rose garden: | | | | complementary and leveled look. Pot feet can also be |
| • Pick the right pot. Size is the most | | | | used to create levels with pots of the same size. |
| important consideration. Make sure the pot is not too | | | | For the best results, experts prefer to start with |
| small and, when in doubt, go for the larger size to | | | | AARS award-winning roses, including this year's best |
| allow the roots to grow without constraint over time. | | | | new roses-Julia Child, Rainbow Sorbet, Tahitian |
| Make sure all pots have at least one drainage hole to | | | | Sunset and Wild Blue Yonder-all of which are suitable |
| prevent root rot. Do not use saucers beneath the | | | | for container gardens. |
| pot; instead, use pot "feet" to lift the pot off any | | | | These and more AARS Winners are sold in select |
| surface and guarantee good drainage. | | | | mail-order nursery catalogs and at local nurseries and |
| • Get the good dirt. Roses prefer a | | | | garden centers nationwide. |