Red Drift® Rose
Shrub
- Abundant clusters of petite, cardinal-red flowers!
- Blooms from early summer until frost.
- Performs well in heat and humidity.
- Compact habit is perfect for smaller spaces.
- Grown on its own roots - not grafted. No special protection or fussing required.
- Zones 4-9, sun, 18" tall x 30" wide at maturity.
ZONE
EXPOSURE
HEIGHT
Description
Details
Patent #: USPP 17,877
Common name: Rose groundcover
Zone: 4 - 9
Sun exposure: Sun (> 6 hours sun)
Height x width: 18" x 30"
Flower color: Red
Foliage color: Green
Season of interest: Early summer to fall
Features: Low flammability, heat tolerant, cold tolerant
Uses: Accent, border, container gardening, cottage gardening, foundation planting, ground cover, hedge, massing, ornamental, specimen
How to Grow
Light: Sun (> 6 hours sun)
Water: Try to keep the soil evenly moist, especially in their first growing season. Never allow the foliage to remain wet into the evening; water early in the day.
Spacing: 3 - 4 ft.
Fertilizing: To keep the flowers coming, feed your roses with a fertilizer blended especially for roses. This can be done after each bloom cycle.
Winterizing: Spread a layer of composted manure, compost, or shredded leaves over the base of the plant in late fall after the ground freezes. Covering these mounds and the lower parts of the bushes with evergreen boughs will add protection. Pull the mounding material away from the stem as new growth emerges in spring. Prune injured branches over when new buds emerge in spring.
Maintenance & pruning: Prune to remove deadwood, to control or direct growth, and to promote flowering. Wait until growth breaks in early spring before pruning. Every 2 or 3 years, remove about one-third of the old branches to stimulate new, fresh growth. There is no need to remove faded flowers because these roses are self-cleaning.
Plant spacing is based on the ultimate width of the plants. This figure is normally given as a range; for example, 3-5’. If you live in a cold climate and/or want plants to fill in more quickly, plan to space at the shorter end of the range. If you live in a warm climate, are on a limited budget, or are willing to wait longer for plants to touch, use the higher end of the range. Using the larger number is recommended when calculating distance from a building or structure. There’s really no such thing as "maximum spacing": if you don’t want your plants to touch, you can space them as far apart as you’d like. All plant spacing is calculated on center, or in other words, the centers of the plants are spaced one half of their eventual width apart:
Unless you are planting in a straight line, as you might for hedges or edging, space your plants in a staggered or zig-zag pattern for a more interesting and naturalistic look:
Not sure just how many plants will fit in your garden? Our calculator gives you the exact amount of plants required for your space. Simply update the values and the calculator will re-calculate accordingly. Spacing information can be found in the 'How to Grow' tab on each plant's page.
My order of Red Drift Roses grew in leaps and Bounds. I am very pleased with them. The only one that lacked a lot of blooms was shaded a lot from the stone wall corner so I will move the plant over next spring. The photos are from planting day until today
We are pleased so far with our Red Drift Roses. We bought the smaller size (quart, I think). We had a slight frost right after we planted them and a few outside leaves turned brown, but overall the plants are doing good and have started to get a few flowers. We will have to wait for them to get big, but the plants are healthy looking and doing very well. I would recommend them.
Updated 9/29/21: I have attached an updated picture of the roses that we purchased in the spring. They have grown much bigger and are healthy and pretty! (The picture was taken from the opposite direction along the sidewalk to get the best picture with the sun.) We are very pleased with how big they have grown this first year. Click on the first picture and then click back to the previous tab to see an arrow to the second picture.
I used eight roses along with annuals in a garden I maintain at our church. They are well established after 4 weeks and looking good but are still upright rather then spreading out like a ground cover.
I got my beautiful rose, well packed and healthy. A few weeks after I planted it in my front garden, it was stolen. Poof, all gone! That's how attractive it was! I will be back to get more. I just have to figure out how to make it last.
I was truly shocked at how tiny these bushes and blooms are. They are like a miniature rose plants from a florist. Blooms are barely 1” diameters. Cute, growing well but I can’t ever see them looking like the sales photo…. And I’m pretty sure they were never said miniature on site.
We're sorry you're unsatisfied with your plants. We do note in the product description the size of the blooms 'Clusters of petite, red flowers bloom continuously from early summer until frost.' Our friendly customer service team would love to answer any further questions or concerns! Just contact us at [email protected] with your order number and photos of the plants. We have a 60-day guarantee on all orders. We look forward to helping! https://bit.ly/ggp-guarantee
They were fresh , good when they arrived
They sent me the best plants. All are flourishing and growing. Have not lost one!!
So far, she’s progressing nicely. Budding and showing her flowers. Looking forward to having her make it through the Winter.
they are surviving through this heat wave in Ark. Can’t wait to see them bloom
The roses I purchased arrived on schedule and I promptly planted them. They had caught on and are blooming already. They are also growing fast, which is what I hoped for. So far, I am very satisfied and intend to purchase more.
These plants are beautiful and doing well. This is the second set of this rose I have purchased and I am very happy with them. They don't grow to tall and over grow each other. Very nice and a beautiful red color.
Just planted these a few weeks ago in very poor soil. Usually I amend the soil but didn’t this time. Have seen nice growth and flowers so far. I did add some fertilizer because of the sandy, clay soil. If they do start to decline I will probably did them up and add good soil.
Hello! We do not recommend amending the soil when you plant. Amending the soil can set back or even kill your plant. Our friends at Proven Winners have an extensive article on this here: https://www.provenwinners.com/learn/how-plant/should-you-amend-your-soil-when-you-plant
You can find answers to common rose questions here: https://blog.greatgardenplants.com/questions-answered-series-roses-rosa/
If you have additional questions, our team of horticulture experts is here to help! You can reach us at [email protected].
Happy Gardening!
These plants arrived in excellent condition and within a few days of planting were producing nice flowers. Will buy more plants from here in the future for sure!
It was truly worth the wait for my Red Drift Roses. They were healthy upon receipt. I am happily amazed as planting was late into the Spring. They budded immediately and are now growing, thriving, and have lots of blossoms. This is a beautiful rose plant, the red color is vibrant and unusual. I'm trying to find additional spots in my garden so I can order more next Spring!
In all I have bought drift roses from you. I use them in front for a pop of color. I received them in very healthy condition, which keeps me coming back for other plants. All received in very healthy condtion.
Plants were in an excellent condition.
Perfect for my sunny areas that need low growing flowering plants that can take all kinds of weather
Yes
So far so good one rose appeared just a few days ago. I planted in ground about three weeks after I purchased.
What is the shipping size of this rose?
The Red Drift® Rose will ship as a young plant in a quart sized pot.
When can I expect delivery if I order today?
Hello! For US orders, we will select, pack, and ship within 2-3 business days of the date you selected at checkout, once your growing zone is opened for the season. All orders ship directly from our dock in West Michigan; how long it takes for your order to arrive depends on your distance from our greenhouses.
When is the best time to plant in Zone 8?
Hello there! Fall is a fantastic time for planting shrubs, trees, and perennials because the cooler temperatures and shorter days mean less water stress for the plant, and that means less work for you in terms of watering and monitoring your new plants.
How large are the flowers?
The Red Drift® Rose produces abundant clusters of petite flowers. They are on the smaller side, typical of many ground cover rose varieties.
Hello, do these have any fragrance?
Yes! Red Drift Rose does have a fragrance.