My Corner Online

Flower Index Index by Family Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 Set 5 Set 6

Rosa hybrid 'Drift'

Apricot Drift Rose 'Meimirrote' PP23,354 CPBR 5,389 (double rose)

Coral Drift Rose 'Meidrifora' PP19,148 CPBR 4, 871 (cuplike)

Popcorn Drift 'Novarospop' PP24,773 CPBR 5,391 (cuplike)

Rosa is the scientific name for rose.

Roses are in Rosaceae family. (Pronounced roe-ZAY-see-eye)

I wonder how to pronounce and how they came up with the cultivar (aka variety) names. Of course the 'pop' is for popcorn, but why 'nova' which makes me think of astronomy? I think of "flora" when I see "fora" in the end of the name, but that is just my mind inserting an 'l.' More likely it is the 'drif' in the middle of the name followed by 'ora." Many of them begin in 'mei' which in Chinese means "gorgeous" or "beautiful," but that is only a guess. I think 'mei' is pronounced 'may.'

PP stands for Patent Plant and the number following is the patent number, indicating that these should not be propagated, although for home use the "plant police" might have a difficult time, and similarly CPBR stands for Canadian Plant Breeders' Rights. I personally have no desire to learn and attempt to propagate any roses. I want each one in my yard to be unique.

The Drift Rose were cultivated as compact groundcover roses, being a hybrid cross between groundcover roses and miniature roses. They are self-cleaning as no dead-heading is required, but I have been deadheading mine for a nicer appearance. They bloom repeatedly until the first frost, but mine seem to have two cycles of blooms each year similar to perennials and Knockout Roses in my garden when I deadhead them or "give them a haircut" and they bloom again about four weeks later. The Drift Rose was created by the same folks as the Knock-out Rose which has become so popular for its hardiness and massive repeat blooming.

I bought at the now closed Sunny Hill Gardens in 2019 an Apricot Drift Rose and a Popcorn Drift Rose as they told me they would stay small and short, and that I could plant them next to each other and they would grow into each other creating a bi-color rose bush. Sure enough it worked and I absolutely love them. I get many compliments on them as well. I like that they are a subtle muted color in the garden. I also love to eat popcorn so a Popcorn Rose seemed so appropriate for me. The flowers have a buttery color to them that fades to a creamy white which are totally lovely.

In 2023 I decided to buy another set for a different area and purchased a Coral Drift Rose and a Popcorn Drift Rose at Lowes. During the first year they have been performing very well. The Coral is much brighter than the Apricot, so each set has their own personality, with one being lovely, soft, romantic, charming, and calming, and the other being dramatic, complimentary contrasting, vibrant, and eye-catching.

I note there are four other varieties of the Drift Rose and I may have to look for them to add to my garden. I doubt I will add the Red Drift 'Meigalpio' (cuplike) because I do not like red. But I would like to find the Peach Drift 'Meiggili' (cuplike), the Pink Drift 'Meijocos' (semi-double which would be so awesome), the Sweet Drift 'Meiswetdom' (double) which is a medium to light pink, Blushing Drift 'Meifranjin" (double), Buttercream Drift 'Meidevi' (cuplike), Lemon Drift 'Meisentmil,' Pink Drift 'Meisentmil, and White Drift 'Meizorland'. The Drift Roses even have their own website: https://www.driftroses.com

The below photos were taken in 2023 while filming the above video.