What roses, if any, would be suited to growing in a shady spot in a container?
This is a tough question — most roses are real sun lovers and need at least 5 hours of sun each day to perform well. Roses that get less sun than they need have fewer blossoms and leggy growth as they try to reach for the sun. And sometimes shady spots also are more moist, which can lead to leaf spot and mildew problems. Generally, the thing to do is find a rose that blooms prolifically in full sun and has good disease resistance. With all that bloom potential, you’re quite likely to still get blossoms even in a spot with light shade. Some of the rose classes that can tolerate light shade are: Alba, Hybrid Rugosa and Musk. There are always certain varieties in all classes that do better than others. Ask your gardening friends if they’ve had any luck with growing roses in shade. Or, just be brave and experiment!
