New Roses + New Gardener = ???

[Sang]

My friend gave me two little bitty rose bushes (about 12 in high) in pots with soil. The tags on them say "Minnehaha" and "Gardenia." She said they were climbing rose bushes.

Very nice of her, so I want them to do well.

Forgive my ignorance, but what do I do with them now? Should I plant them in the ground now? Wait till spring? Do I need to provide them something to climb on like a trellis? Can they live in pots? Or will they grow on the fence or deck? Do I need to provide certain soil? Fertilizer? Full Sun?

I don't want to kill them. I'm a nervous wreck!

Thanks for any advice!

Sang.

[rainbowgardener]

Yes, plant them in the ground now, full sized roses don't generally do real well in pots (though I'm sure some one will write in to tell us about all the roses they grow in containers, IMO that's not the best way for a beginning gardener to start).

The Minnehaha is a rambling rose. That is, it's a climber that puts out strong growth each year from the base, rather than the existing canes getting longer and longer. It should get about 12 feet tall.

Here's a picture of what it might look like eventually:

http://www.cfgphoto.com/img14127.htm

Here's a little bit about the gardenia rose with a picture of it:

http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.2904.0

These are nice roses to start with tolerant of less than full sun and not as fussy about soil as some.

They will need a trellis or a fence or something to climb on/ ramble along.

Get some rose fertilizer to plant them with.

Sounds like you are planting a whole garden from scratch! Must be fun!