Why You Need Drift Roses in Your Garden!
I am always surprised when I don’t see more people using drift roses in their garden and landscaping. They are lovely, hardy and disease-resistant, and very low maintenance. So why not add some color and beauty to your yard?! Check out below why I love them so much and why you should be growing them. Also be sure to check out the accompanying YouTube video that will give you a closer look.
So what exactly are Drift Roses?
Drift Roses were developed as a cross between larger groundcover roses and miniature roses. In doing so, they maintained the benefits of both types of roses: hardiness in different types of weather, resistance to disease, ease of maintenance, and the beauty and repeat of the blooms.
They stay low to the ground, but can spread out very wide and far. Thusly, they make excellent border shrubs or filler shrubs. Drift Roses are a great choice to add some color to your landscaping without a lot of fuss, and certainly without all the upkeep that classic roses need.
There 9 different varieties: Apricot, Coral, Red, Pink, Lemon, Peach, Popcorn, Sweet and White. I have both the pink and red.
Benefits of Drift Roses
As stated above, there are several reasons why you should strongly consider growing Drift Roses:
- They are very disease resistant.
- They are hardy and tough and can take both very hot and cold weather, as well as survive humidity.
- They are super low maintenance. Water needs are average and fertilizer is optional.
- They are easy to maintain. You can cut them back however and whenever you want.
- They bloom throughout the year, more so in warm weather, and you don’t have to deadhead them to keep up the blooms.
- The bees love them so they make excellent pollinator-friendly plants!
Any Negatives?
The only negatives I have seen with Drift Roses are that a) they spread rapidly, so you do need to trim them back and b) they don’t make very good cut flowers. I have cut a few sprays for arrangements but after a max of 2 days they are wilting and losing their petals. But hey, that is what classic roses are for!
Care of Drift Roses
Like I said before, Drift Roses are very low maintenance. The best time to plant is in moderate weather, such as right now in the fall. You want to give them as much time as you can to establish a good root system before the heat of summer. If you have snow on the ground already, you may want to wait until early spring to plant.
Make sure they get an inch of water a week, or more in very hot temps. Fertilizing is optional, and deadheading is unnecessary. The only thing you need to worry about is trimming them back when they grow too large and unruly. They will overwhelm neighboring plants if you let them!
Did I convince you to plant them yet? Do you have any questions or comments? Leave them below! And don’t forget I offer garden coaching and consults if you need further assistance or you are ready to start gardening! Shoot me an email at summerskyegardens@gmail.com to learn more!
Happy Gardening,
Dani