Yes, it's possible: miniature roses as house plants

Flower & Garden Magazine, Oct-Nov, 1985 by Mary E. Poynter

The potting procedure is simple. Place a half inch of gravel or pot chips in the bottom of the pot. Add a few small pieces of hardwood charcoal, then a thin layer of unmilled sphagnum moss. Now add the moistened soil mix, making a depression using the original pot. Position the plant and spread out the roots into this depression a little lower than before. Fill in soil and pack it firmly around roots. Water thoroughly. Prune back at least two-thirds of the tops to stimulate dormant canes into growth. Slip a clear plastic bag over pot and plant, remembering to remove it after several days when good signs of growth appear. At that time you are ready to place your rose in a bright window or under lights.

In six to eight weeks, roses will begin to bloom. Keep fading flowers pinched off to promote more blooms. You can prune as needed anytime to improve the plant's appearance and make it more compact. Water every three or four days, to keep the plant evenly moist but not soggy. Blooming continues as long as conditions are good.

After about six weeks you can prune about one-third of the plant away, and a few weeks later another bloom cycle begins. I had a ten-inch plant of 'Cuddles' with 26 blooms at one time.

If you wish, you can move potted miniature roses outdoors for the summer, but there you will have more trouble with insects. For two months in autumn allow such summering plants to rest and then bring them back indoors, prune, and prepare them for another year's enjoyment. Some gardeners plant their potted minis in the ground in the outdoor garden when summer begins and start over with new stock for the next season. I do both.

The micro-minis that grow well for me on two glass shelves in a south window with a few hours of supplemental light in evenings are 'Cinderella' (white), 'Jelly Bean' (red-yellow), 'Littlest Angel' (yellow), 'Penny Candy' (orange), 'Little Liza' (pink), 'Red Imp' (red), 'Angelglo' (lavender), 'Spice Drop' (pink), 'Little Dickens' (orange blend), 'Sweet Fairy' (lavender-pink) and 'Little Linda' (lemon yellow). These same varieties will also perform spectacularly under fluorescent lights turned on for 14 to 16 hours a day, and for this situation I would add the following good varieties: 'September Days' (yellow), 'Baby Cheryl' (pink), 'Snow White,' 'Bit O'Gold,' 'Willie Winkie' (pink), 'Trinket' (pink), and 'Elfinglo' (mauve). 'Cinderella' must be pruned frequently and kept in a small pot to remain a micro-mini, but it is worth the effort. 'September Days' also grows larger than a micro-mini for me, but is still outstanding.

Two regular size miniatures I recommend to hang in sunny windows where they get at least five hours of sunlight are 'Cuddles' (pink) and 'Red Ace.'

If I had space for only two, I would choose 'Cinderella' and 'Sweet Fairy,' not only for their beauty and performance, but also for their fragrance.

For a source list of nurseries specializing in miniature roses, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope requesting BR-257 to Flower and Garden Magazine, BR-257, 4251 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, Mo. 64111.