Rose ‘Sweet Drift’

Rose 'Sweet Drift' (Rosa 'Sweet Drift') is a groundcover rose, which means roses without the rose bed. It stays around 500mm tall and spreads to about 800mm, flowering at ankle and knee height along a path or across a bank. Soft pink double blooms repeat in flushes from spring through autumn on a plant that asks for one prune a year.

Why you'll love it

• Repeat flowering, not one big show. Clusters of small pink double blooms come in waves from spring into autumn rather than a single burst in November.
• Low and spreading by nature. At 500mm by 800mm there is no staking and no tying, and it reads as a flowering carpet rather than a shrub.
• Genuinely low maintenance. No deadheading is needed to keep it flowering, and one cut back a year is the whole pruning routine.
• Wide climate range, safe around pets. Frost hardy, drought tolerant and heat tolerant across subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, and not toxic to cats or dogs.

Where it works best

Mass planting as a groundcover. Plant 600mm apart. At that spacing the plants knit into continuous flowering cover within two seasons while each keeps enough air around it to stay healthy.

Borders, edging and pots. Along a driveway it holds a soft line at knee height, low enough to see over from a seat. In a 400mm pot its spreading habit spills over the rim instead of standing stiffly in the middle.

Growing Sweet Drift roses in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, at least six hours, is not negotiable for flowering or for keeping the foliage dry. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, and it is frost hardy, so cold southern winters do it no harm.

Soil. Free draining and well prepared. Dig compost and aged manure through the bed before planting, since roses reward the effort put in at the start. Mulch 75mm deep, clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Deep soak weekly through the first summer to push the roots down, after which it handles dry spells. Water at soil level rather than over the leaves, and feed a rose fertiliser in early spring and after each flush.

Pruning. One job a year. In late winter cut the plant back by a third to a half and remove dead or crossing wood. A light shear over the top after a flush brings the next one on sooner.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown as tube stock, so each plant arrives young, well rooted and considerably smaller than the 500mm by 800mm plant it becomes. Expect one full growing season to reach useful size and two before a mass planting closes over. Measure the bed at 600mm centres and order the full quantity in one go.

It is deciduous, which matters when you order. A plant delivered in the cooler months arrives with few leaves or none, looking like a bundle of short canes. That is dormancy rather than damage. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full rose range
• A beginner's guide to pruning shrubs and roses
• Rose 'Coral Drift' for the same low habit in coral orange
• Compare low maintenance groundcovers

Common questions

How far apart should I plant them for a mass planting?

Space plants 600mm apart. That matches the 800mm spread with a little overlap, closes into continuous cover in two seasons, and leaves enough air movement to keep the foliage healthy.

Does it flower more than once a season?

Yes. It flushes repeatedly from spring through autumn rather than flowering once. Feeding after each flush and a light shear over the top brings the next round on sooner.

Why does it look bare in winter?

It is deciduous, so it drops its leaves in the cold months and reshoots in spring. That dormant period is exactly when you do the annual prune.