Mini roses

1. Settle it in ample light and airflow, lifting by the pot without cutting away healthy new shoots to tidy the display.
2. When roots crowd, use a slightly larger draining pot with moisture-retentive, freely draining mix at the original depth; small flowers do not remove root-space needs.
3. Keep a covered nursery pot removable for checks and drainage. Do not use the outer planter or saucer as a permanent reservoir.

• Water and drain when the surface dries Check below the surface as it starts drying, then water thoroughly and drain before the whole root ball dries hard. Check more often in heat and wind, and check existing wetness in rain or cooler weather. Direct water to the mix.
• Feed to the label during healthy growth Once settled with healthy new growth, use feed labelled for roses or flowering pots at its stated rate. Avoid a fixed fortnightly rule or stronger flower-forcing doses; correct water stress first.
• Remove spent blooms and lightly tidy weak growth Use clean secateurs to remove a spent flower head near a healthy leaf node below, without tearing the cane. Lightly tidy dead, weak or rubbing growth rather than automatically cutting a new small plant back by one third.

Keep rosemary behind, thyme lower without the rose blocking its sun, and aloe with its own leaf clearance. Use separate pots; water the rose when its roots need it without waiting for more drought-tolerant neighbours.