Can You Grow Roses Indoors?

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When fall arrives, the garden roses will gradually slow down their flower production and go dormant for the upcoming winter months. Depending on the grow zone where you live, it is time to prepare your roses for winter and say goodbye to the flowers you love until next summer.

But do you have to say goodbye? Can you grow roses indoors? The answer is YES!

The way to successfully grow roses indoors is with miniatures. These roses have been bred to stay significantly smaller than the Grandifloras and tea roses you may have outdoors and grow as perfectly as an amaryllis bulb. 

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If you can provide what the plant needs, miniature roses make the perfect houseplant. The miniature roses will be covered with smaller versions of the same exquisite rose blossoms for you to enjoy year-round.

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How to Grow Miniature Roses Indoors

There are several critical factors to growing miniature roses indoors, including: 

  • Plenty of Light — Light is one of the most important factors in determining your success with indoor roses. Your miniature rose will need just as much light as those you grow outdoors. Miniature indoor roses will need a minimum of six to eight hours of light daily. 
potted pink miniature rose

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Place your roses in the brightest spot, usually a window with southern or western exposure. If you don’t feel this is enough light or if you don’t have a sunny place to position your rose, consider using a grow light to supplement the natural light.

  • Careful Watering — Water is the next most important factor. Never let your miniature roses completely dry out as they probably won’t recover. Water your rose when the top inch of soil is dry. You can put your finger into the soil to determine if you need to water.

    Water thoroughly but don’t let your roses sit in standing water. If the air in your home is dry, your rose would benefit from being placed on a pebble-covered tray filled with water. This will raise the humidity around your miniature rose without having the roots sit in standing water.
  • Controlled Temperature — It is important to keep your rose out of any cold drafts in your home. Roses ideally like the temperature to be in the 70s during the day and in the 60s at night.
  • Use Fertilizer — If your plant isn’t actively growing, producing new leaves or blossoming, it won’t need fertilizer. If it is actively growing, use a good rose fertilizer. Follow the directions on the container for best results.
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Moving Your Miniature Roses Outdoors

When spring comes, you may want to place your miniature roses outdoors. You can leave the rose in its pot and use it on your patio table or in a grouping of potted plants on your porch. You could also add your rose to a flower garden. Treat it like a perennial and plant it at the same depth as it was growing in the pot. 

miniature rose garden

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Choose a sunny location with good air circulation to help keep your miniature rose healthy and disease-free. Miniature roses can survive the winter outdoors if you treat it much like you would your regular roses with winter protection.

Remember — whether you keep your rose in the pot or plant it in the garden, your rose will need to be hardened off much like the seedlings you grow for your garden. Your rose is not acclimated to the intensity of the sun’s rays outdoors, nor is it used to the rain and wind. 

When you move your rose outdoors, keep it in the shade for a day or two. Then, gradually increase the plant’s time in the sun so it will be able to adjust to the new environment. Of course, you can continue to keep your rose indoors and enjoy it year-round as a beautiful houseplant.

blooming miniature red kordana rose

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While a miniature rose isn’t going to produce huge blossoms like your favorite amaryllis bulbs or exotic flowers like orchids, it will be just as beautiful when covered with rose blossoms. Deadhead your rose to encourage even more blossoms to develop. Miniature roses are well worth adding to your collection of indoor houseplants and flowers.