Rose ‘Coral Drift’

Coral Drift Rose (Rosa 'Coral Drift') is a rose for people who do not want a rose garden. It stays around 50cm tall and 80cm wide, spreading sideways rather than upright, and covers itself in coral flowers from spring until the weather turns cold. There is no staking and no formal pruning ritual.

Why you'll love it

• It flowers for months, not weeks. Small coral blooms in continuous flushes through the warm season, carried across the top of the plant.
• Low and spreading, so it works as groundcover. At 50cm by 80cm it fills the front of a bed or runs along a path edge.
• Genuinely tough. Frost hardy, heat tolerant and drought tolerant once established, a rare combination in a repeat flowering rose.
• Pet friendly. Not toxic to cats or dogs, so it can go in a garden the dog uses. The prickles are still prickles.
• Bees and butterflies use it. The open flower form is far more useful to pollinators than a packed hybrid tea.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 60cm apart for a continuous carpet of colour. At that spacing the plants meet in one season while keeping enough air movement to reduce leaf disease.

Borders and edging. A single row along a path or lawn edge gives colour at knee height. Set it back 60cm so the spread does not overhang the mowing line.

Pots and containers. A pot 400mm or wider suits one plant. Container roses need more water and feed than garden plants, so keep the schedule honest through summer.

Growing Coral Drift Rose in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, six hours minimum, is not negotiable for flowering or disease resistance. It grows across cool temperate, warm temperate, Mediterranean and subtropical gardens, and it is frost hardy, so cold southern districts are fine. In humid subtropical summers, give it space to keep black spot in check.

Soil. Well drained soil enriched with compost and aged manure before planting. Roses hate waterlogging, so raise the bed on heavy clay. Mulch 75mm deep and keep it clear of the base.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then weekly in dry spells. Water at ground level rather than over the foliage. Feed a rose fertiliser in early spring, after the first flush, and in mid summer.

Pruning. Far simpler than a bush rose. In late winter, cut the whole plant back by about a third and remove dead or crossing wood. In cool temperate gardens it drops most of its leaves over winter.

What to expect when it arrives

This rose is grown as tube stock. Tubes are young own root plants, generally 15 to 25cm tall with two or three shoots, and they are the affordable way to plant a run of groundcover roses. Expect a light first season, then a full display in the second.

Young roses travel well because the growth is soft and low, and some leaf drop in transit is normal. Plant within a few days of arrival into prepared soil, water in well, and keep the water up for the first six weeks. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare varieties across the full rose range
• Low growing plant ideas for borders
• Browse other spreading groundcover plants
• See what else feeds pollinators in bee and butterfly plants

Common questions

How far apart should I plant them?

60cm apart for a continuous carpet. Closer than that and airflow suffers, which invites black spot in humid weather. For individual plants in a mixed border, allow a metre.

Does it really need no pruning?

It needs one cut, not none. A single hard trim in late winter, taking about a third off the plant, keeps it dense and flowering. Skip it and the plant thins in the middle.

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

Yes, roses are not toxic to cats or dogs. The only real hazard is the prickles, so think twice about a low spreading rose where a dog runs through a bed.