roses in containers

So I planted some bare root Flower Carpet^® roses last month (in May). They've already got buds on them, ready to bloom!

Here are the Flower Carpet Amber roses I planted in masses, to knit together into a low-growing blanket along a walkway next to my house: 

And here's a Flower Carpet Scarlet (one of three Flower Carpet Next Generation Roses bred for even better heat and humidity tolerance), planted in a container with a red-bloomed canna on my deck.

Despite near-record rains for the month of June here, I'm happy to report that these disease-resistant roses' shiny, green foliage is clean and completely free of black spot. (I wish my other plants were as healthy, like my tar-spot ridden holley bushes or my mildew-covered bachelor's buttons).

So anyway, as I played around with these low-growing, easy-care roses, my mind started working on all the ways you can use them in your landscape (most of which just can't do with higher-growing roses). Here are a few ideas I came up with (all images, unless otherwise noted, are courtesy of Tesselaar Plants).

10 easy ways to use "carpet" or groundcover roses

1) As a backdrop for a special feature …

Featured here at mahoneysgarden.com:

 Shown here at backyardnature.com:

2) As a low mounding hedge softening the edges of a walkway …

3) As a full, cascading garden wall topper …

4) As a hedge of tree roses (also referred to as topiaries or standards)…

5) As large masses of color in a foundation planting …

6) As "first-tier," low-growing color at the front of the perennial border or bed:

7) As a low-growing blanket of color along walkways or the strip between the sidewalk and the street …

This image courtesy of perfectplaces.ivii-designs.com:

 This image courtesy of design-a-yard.com:

(Red Flower Carpet roses at Ladera Ranch in South Orange County, California, featured here by Landscape Design/Build magazine's e-newsletter):  

8) As matching or complementary color with other garden plants …

(Featured here in Garden Gate magazine's 2010 special issue, Great Plant Combos):

9) In containers …

This image also courtesy of perfectplaces.ivii-designs.com:

Featured here at garden-nz.co.nz:

10) At the very front of your landscape to boost curb appeal … 

So … how 'bout you? How do you use "carpet" or groundcover roses in your landscape? If so, tell me about it, and add some pics if you can!