Pink Drift® Rose – Tree Form

Roses used to be plants that needed lots of care, with spraying, dead-heading and complex pruning. All that has changed, and today we have a whole range of new varieties that are disease resistant, easy to grow, but still gorgeous. One of our favorites are the Drift Roses, which are low and broad-spreading. We took them and attached them to short trunks, making beautiful tree roses that bloom continuously. One that looks especially beautiful is the variety called Pink Drift®, which has an open flower and a very natural look. It is perfect for less formal gardens, and its spreading habit makes it semi-cascading, like a half-open umbrella. We simply love the Pink Drift® Rose Tree, and we know you will too.

Growing the Pink Drift® Rose – Tree Form

Size and Appearance

The Pink Drift Rose Tree is a unique tree rose, standing over 4 feet tall, with a strong, single trunk, and arching branches that spread out almost 3 feet wide. It looks wonderful in beds, bringing a fabulous look and continuous blooming from late spring all the way into fall. The foliage is a rich, healthy green, and it stays that way, because this plant has been created with disease resistance in mind. It is resistant to all the major rose diseases, not just Black Spot, but Mildew and Rust as well. ‘Goodbye’ spraying and ‘hello’ beautiful leaves, all season long.

The flowers of the Pink Drift Rose Tree are carried in clusters of 8 to 12 blooms that form continuously at the ends of all the new branches. Each rose is semi-double, so it looks more natural, a little like a wild rose that has been welcomed into the garden. In bud the blooms are deep pink, in beautiful sprays. Each flower has about 10 petals, and it opens to a flat blossom nearly 2 inches across. At that stage the center of the flower is yellow to white, making a beautiful combination with the pink which is all around the edges of the petals. The effect is charming and natural. Some gardeners find tree roses a bit stiff and formal, but not this one – its cascading branches and open flowers keep it natural and modern.

Use the Pink Drift Rose Tree to bring height to smaller beds, and as accents anywhere. It looks lovely on a small lawn, or in spaces in a paved terrace. Use a pair on either side of an entrance, or to mark the corners of beds, terraces and lawns. They are wonderful in planters and large pots, with flowering plants beneath them.

Hardiness

Plant the Pink Drift Rose Tree in full sun, in any well-drained soil. Roses enjoy heavy, clay soils, but drainage is also important. Light, sandy soils will need plenty of rich organic material added, and regular watering. Don’t allow your plant to become too dry in summer, or flowering will be reduced. Dead-heading is not needed, as this plant doesn’t create seed or rose hips, and the old branches disappear beneath new growth after the petals have fallen quickly to the ground when the flowers fade. Each cluster of blooms is attractive for 2 or 3 weeks, and with new ones being formed all the time your tree will be in continuous bloom. In spring, before the new shoots begin to sprout, prune your tree. Remove thin, broken or dead branches, and trim back the remaining ones by one-third to one-half. Cut cleanly just above an outward-facing bud. Tree roses are not as winter-hardy as roses grown on the ground, and this rose tree needs protection if you grow it in zones 5 and 6, or in a container in zones 5, 6 or 7. Dig a shallow trench running out from one side of the rose. Remove the stake and cut through the roots on the side opposite the trench. Lay the rose down in the trench and secure it. Take trees out of the container, with the root ball intact, and put them into a trench in the garden. Fill the trench with peat moss and cover it with a garden winter blanket. In spring remove the blanket, stand the rose upright or re-pot it, and attach it back on the stake. Prune it, and you are ready for another year of blooms. Alternatively, for potted trees, you can store the dormant tree in a cold place, with or without light, with a temperature below 40 degrees. Bring it out in late winter, as soon as outdoor temperatures are above freezing.

History and Origin of the Pink Drift® Rose – Tree Form

The Pink Drift Rose Tree is part of the Drift group of roses. These were created by the eminent French rose breeder Alain Meilland, who is one of the famous rose-growing Meilland family. He started with a vigorous ground-cover rose called Grouse (‘Korimro’), which has pale-pink single flowers. He pollinated it with pollen from a seedling he had already developed from other breeding, and among the resulting seedlings he found what he was looking for – a vigorous, broad but low rose with semi-double deep pink blooms. He named it ‘Meijocos’, and it was patented in 2008. It has been released as part of his trademark Drift® series, with the name Pink Drift®. Grafted onto a sturdy trunk created from a rose bred just for that purpose, it becomes the Pink Drift® Rose Tree. Everyone loves this tree, but we have only a limited supply of plants available. You will love this plant, so order now while we can still satisfy your order. Get set for a season of continuous blooming.