I wouldn't say roses are easy to grow, in containers or in the ground. Most varieties are prone to blackspot, aphids, and other challenges. Remembering to prune and deadhead carefully, fertilize properly and make sure they get the right amount of sun and water can be a hassle. But what glorious flowers... I am not surprised that so many gardeners, florists, poets and artists have been fascinated by roses.

When I moved to this property 19 years ago, the landlady had already established three rosebushes: a pale yellow/dark pink one that has since been identified as “Double Delight”, and remains one of my favorites, a bright pink moss rose, and a tall, hardy variety that gets the best sun in the yard, producing flowers from creamy white to pale pink and peach.

I didn't get really attentive to gardening until about 8 years ago; before that point landscapers hired by the landlady tended to all but the smaller container plants, which I watered. I rarely planted any seeds or made an effort to learn about the plants back then, but would occasionally add a container plant, such as a rose or my little lemon tree.

But one morning, after trying to sleep through the landscapers doing things with electric trimmers and leafblowers outside our bedroom window, I decided I'd talk to the landlady (again) about a more reasonable schedule for the yard care, or offering to have us tenants (me and Steve) do most of it ourselves. Eventually that day I got ready to leave for work and stepped outside, and saw that the yellow container rosebush I'd bought a week before, in full bloom, had been chopped in half. No more flowers. Just bare sticks. I admit it, I cried a little.

That episode 8 years ago, although frustrating, was a key moment that led to my current passion for container gardening. We are still at odds with the landlady over who should trim the hedges and tall trees, but have at least agreed that anything in a pot should not be touched by landscapers.

So at this point I have the original three rosebushes, and a bright pink one planted in the ground by a property-mate 10 years ago (possibly “Queen Elizabeth”?) and six more in containers: dark red, coral “Sundowner”, bright red in full-size and miniature, and two yellow ones.

From time to time I manage to absorb information about how to care for roses, and would like to experiment with different varieties eventually, such as the hardier climbing sort. A few good resources: I've read Everyday Roses by Paul Zimmerman, have used Alfalfa Tea Fertilizer and Dr. Earth Organic Rose & Flower Fertilizer, and enjoy the writing of Chris Van Cleeve, The Redneck Rosarian.