Southern Roots
3 min
Updated: Apr 30, 2021
Drift® Roses are ground cover roses made easy®. They were bred to stay manageable in size and bloom from spring to frost without a lot of work from you.
Drift® Roses are a cross between full-size ground cover roses and miniature roses. From the former, they kept toughness, disease resistance and winter hardiness. From the miniatures, they inherited their well-managed size and repeat-blooming nature.
The low, manageable habit of Drift® Roses makes them perfect for gardens small to large, for planters, and for mass commercial plantings. They brighten up borders, fill in empty spaces, meander around established plants, and can control erosion on hillsides and slopes.
Popcorn Drift® has soft buttery yellow blooms that fade to a creamy white. This continuous bloomer flowers all season and pairs effortlessly with other plants. This variety can have slight coloration of Peach Drift®.
Zones: 4–11 | Exposure: Full sun | Habit: 1½’ h x 2’ w
Apricot Drift® exhibits a true ground cover habit. Double apricot colored flowers begin in spring and display a season-long show of color. It is just as tough and disease resistant as others in the Drift® series. It is best suited for small gardens or along paths and walkways.
Zones: 4–11 | Exposure: Full sun | Habit: 1½’ h x 2½’ w
Coral Drift® has vibrant flowers that catch your eye from anywhere.
Bright, coral-orange blooms cover this small, mounding shrub from mid-spring to mid-fall. They are fully winter hardy and disease resistant, as well as heat and drought tolerant.
Zones: 4–11 | Exposure: Full sun | Habit: 1½’ h x 2½’ w
Peach Drift® is one of the most floriferous dwarf shrubs available. Soft peach blooms cover the plant from mid-spring to the first hard freeze of late fall. Peach Drift® pairs well with existing perennials in any landscape and exhibits strong disease resistance.
Zones: 4–11 | Exposure: Full sun | Habit: 1½’ h x 2’ w
Pink Drift® is low-growing with distinctive, mounded flowers. Deep pink flowers with a soft, faded center bloom in abundance throughout the season. This disease resistant plant is easy to care for and combines well with other plants.
Zones: 4–11 | Exposure: Full sun | Habit: 1½’ h x 3’ w
Follow these simple steps to plant your Drift® rose!
Step 1: Pick a Sunny Place to Plant
Your rose bush will need at least 6 hours of sun each day, so choose a sunny spot to plant.
Step 2: Dig a Large Hole
Dig a hole slightly larger than the container. Work the soil at the bottom of the hole with your shovel so that it is loose and aerated.
Step 3: Remove Rose from its Container
Remove the Drift® Rose from its container. Use your hands to gently loosen the roots at the bottom of the plant.
Step 4: Plant your Rose in Ground
Place the plant in the hole, ensuring that the base of the plant is level with the soil.
Step 5: Fill in Soil around Plant
Add soil back to the hole around the plant. Crumble the soil so that it is nice and aerated. If desired, mulch around the plant.
Step 6: Water Rose until Established
Water your Drift® Rose thoroughly around the base of the plant, allowing it to soak in. Repeat as necessary. For the next couple of weeks, check in and water the plant as needed to ensure it stays healthy.
To maintain a size of about 1½-2’ h, Drift® Roses should be cut back once a year to about 6-8” high. Check your rose bush from time to time in late winter/early spring, and when you start to see new shoots growing from the canes on your rose bush, that’s a good sign that it’s time to prune.
Your Drift® Rose will usually triple in size by the end of the season after cutting it back.
Be sure to also remove any smaller or damaged canes throughout to promote better growth and air flow between branches.
When a flush of rose blooms starts to lose their luster, you may find yourself wanting to trim out these less than attractive, spent blooms. Although it isn't necessary since Drift® Roses are self-cleaning (they do all the work for you!), deadheading is an easy task and can be done whenever you feel like tidying up.
Before cutting, look down the stem of the rose you are wanting to get rid of and look for a five-leaflet set (five full leaves together). You want to make your cut just above the first five-leaflet set that you see.
Make the cut just above the first five-leaflet set and continue cutting out the spent blooms until you are happy with how your rose bush looks.