How big a planter for climbing roses?

[LaurelSorrel]

We have a new small pergola/gazebo - three sides have wooden trellis (the fourth is open) and ideally we want a climbing rose bush to go up the trellises.

But DH wants to use three planters we already have - they are 1.2m long, 25cm wide and only 25cm high, so pretty low and narrow.

This is maybe a silly question - but is that enough soil for a climbing rose? Or would they need deeper/wider roots than that?

And is it enough if we also plant some kind of evergreen climber in there so that we have some cover year around?

No. You need a massive pot for a rose, so I would get something at least half a meter by half a meter by a meter tall or even bigger if possible.

Ah thank you, I was suspicious!

Any chance you can recommend anything that will climb that would work in those planters ie is ok with shallow roots?

If you think about how much plant is going to be above the surface, plants need similar space under the ground. If you plant any climber in that planter, it will only ever be a spindly specimen with the exception of something annual like a sweet pea which might get a reasonable size.

The problem is the depth, you'd need something like a half barrel for a climbing rose and be vigilant about watering and feeding. 25cm depth is only really enough for bedding plants or perhaps alpines or herbs. Sweet peas like a long cool root run and won't flourish in your plants. Is there no way of getting them in the ground?

Jasmines like being pot bound so you could get that for the existing troughs as the evergreen. Lovely.

Hmm, thanks all. The pergola has been built and is on a paved area so we will definitely need to use planters. I think half barrels are going to be a bit big for the space tbh.

I do like jasmine, would that work ok?

DH is quite keen to have narrow planters, or we’re losing a lot of space in the pergola but I could get taller ones - so about 1.2m wide, 30cm deep and 80cm tall so there’d be more space - not sure if that would help either for roses or jasmine?

I am not an experienced gardener at all and struggling to work this out!

Deep ones will be better but only put one big plant in a planter that size, with something small to cover the surface of the soil like thyme or violas.

Lovely thank you, I can do that!