Rose ‘White Drift’

Rose 'White Drift' (Rosa 'White Drift') solves a specific problem: you want roses, but not the pruning, spraying and staking. It stays around 40cm tall and spreads to about 70cm, carrying clusters of small double white flowers on and off from spring right through to autumn. Low, repeat flowering and not toxic to cats or dogs.

Why you'll love it

• It flowers again and again. A repeat flowering selection, so the white clusters keep coming through the warm months instead of arriving in one burst and stopping.
• Low enough to use as groundcover. At roughly 40cm tall and 70cm wide it spreads sideways, covering soil along a path or driveway edge without blocking a view.
• Not toxic to cats or dogs. Safe if a pet chews the foliage, which is rare in a flowering plant you use at ground level. The prickles can still scratch.
• Tough across most of the country. Frost hardy, drought tolerant and heat tolerant, so it handles a cold Victorian winter and a dry summer equally well.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 60cm apart for a continuous carpet. The plants knit together by the second season and shade the soil, which cuts weeding along a bed edge or a bank.

Borders and edging. A single row along a path or driveway gives flower colour at ankle height without ever blocking sight lines.

Pots and small gardens. A 400mm or wider pot suits one plant, and the low habit spills over the rim rather than growing straight up.

Growing White Drift rose in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, six hours minimum. It suits warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean, subtropical and arid to semi-arid gardens, which covers nearly every populated part of the country. In humid subtropical summers give it an open position, because still damp air encourages leaf spotting on any rose.

Soil. Well drained soil enriched with compost before planting. Roses will not sit in wet ground, so raise the bed on heavy clay. Mulch 50mm deep, clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then reduce as it establishes, watering at the base rather than over the leaves. Feed a complete rose fertiliser in early spring and again in mid summer.

Pruning. Cut the whole plant back by about a third in late winter and remove any dead or crossing stems. That is the entire job. Deadheading is optional.

What to expect when it arrives

This rose is supplied as tube stock, currently listed on backorder, so allow extra time before dispatch. A tube is a young rooted plant rather than a budded bush, usually a single short stem with a few sets of leaves, and it will look small next to a potted rose from a garden centre.

That size is an advantage for groundcover, because tubes are affordable enough to buy in the numbers this plant needs. It is deciduous, so a plant sent in winter may arrive bare stemmed. Expect flowering from the first summer and full cover in the second season. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full rose range
• A guide to groundcover planting
• Compare other groundcover plants
• See the wider plants safe for pets range

Common questions

How many plants do I need per square metre?

At 60cm spacing, roughly three plants per square metre gives a continuous carpet. Stretch to 70cm if you are patient and want to cover a large area for less.

Is it safe for cats and dogs?

Roses are not toxic to cats or dogs, so a chewed leaf is not a concern. The prickles are the only real hazard, and they are small on this variety, though worth remembering for a dog that pushes through planting.

Does it need spraying?

Not routinely. Landscape roses like this are bred for foliage health, and full sun with good airflow does most of the work. In a humid summer you may still see some spotting on older leaves.