Question
We are very interested in growing climbing roses on our deck in pots.  My question is, can they be left outside during the winter and if so, how long can they survive in pots?  For years?  What type of pots -- plastic?  We live in Cleveland, Ohio.  Will the pots break due to freezing weather?  Do they need to be transplanted into larger pots each year?  Thank you.

Answer
Climbing roses need LARGE pots to survive in like 24 inches deep and at least 36 inches wide. Gardeners often grow them in half whisky barrels. I prefer plastic because they keep the rose roots cool where ceramic looks beautiful but tends to make the roots hot. Roses hate warm roots and don't do well when they are warm. If you start off with the final size for the rose, it will get used to the confinement and you won't have to keep upgrading. Use a slow release fertilizer such as Osmocote 14-14-14 as this will last all summer and save you time and effort plus put some sort of mulch all around the top of the pot to give the rose cool roots. It will also help during the winter to protect the rose a little.
You would have to anchor the plastic ones down such as tying the rose to a well anchored trellis. In the winter wrap the container with the large type bubble wrap from the base to a couple of feet past the top of the pot and then tie it around the canes. Another beauty of plastic is that it ill not break when the soil freezes in it. I should warn you that although this sounds like a good idea, unless you select a hardy type of climber you could lose the rose in the winter cold.