Rose, Drift

The Drift roses were bred to provide all of the resilience, disease resistance and frequent flowering of larger landscape roses on much lower-growing bushes, filling a special niche in the landscape rose market. They will fit beautifully into smaller spaces, provide the perfect size shrub for foundation plantings and look great in containers. These roses are from Conard-Pyle/Star Roses, the same folks who gave us the Knock Out series. Drift roses are a great new series of low-growing landscape roses that have been chosen as Louisiana Super Plant selections for fall 2013. Drift roses are a cross between full-size ground cover roses and miniature roses. From the ground cover roses they inherited toughness, disease resistance and a spreading growth habit. From the miniatures, they inherited their well-managed size and free-flowering nature. They only grow 2 to 3 feet tall, with a generous spread of 4 feet or more. The low, spreading habit, colorful flowers and long blooming season make Drift roses a lower-maintenance alternative to bedding plants in flower beds. Drift rose series includes a wide variety of colors. All of them are designated Louisiana Super Plant selections for fall 2013: Drift Pink, Drift Coral, Drift Red, Drift Peach, Drift Apricot, Drift Sweet (pink double blooms) and the new Drift Popcorn (whitish yellow). Some of the Drift roses produce double flowers. All of them produce flowers in large clusters that can cover the bushes when they are in full bloom, spring to early winter.Be sure to plant Drift roses in a well-prepared bed enriched with generous amounts of organic matter, such as compost. Good drainage produces best results, so avoid low, wet areas or plant in raised beds.