Compassion Rose (Compassion) care

Light

Most houseplants will scorch where compassion rose thrives. Give it the windowsill you'd otherwise leave empty because everything else burned there. Performs best in full sun with 6 or more hours of direct light, though it tolerates a little shade. A sunny, sheltered wall maximises bloom, scent and disease resistance. A plant moved abruptly from low light to direct sun bleaches in 48 hours — always acclimatise over a week.

Watering

Aim for deeply once or twice weekly when young; established plants when the top 5 cm of soil is dry for compassion rose, but treat that as a starting point rather than a rule. A south-facing summer windowsill will dry the pot twice as fast as a north-facing winter room. Lift the pot; if it feels noticeably lighter than it did wet, water it. Direct water to the roots and keep foliage dry. Maintain even moisture through establishment and dry summer spells to sustain its repeated flushes of flower.

Soil and pot

Compassion Rose grows best in fertile, well-drained loam. Likes a rich, moisture-retentive but free-draining loam improved with well-rotted manure or compost, pH around 6.0-7.0. Avoid sitting water; open up heavy clay with organic matter at planting. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Compassion Rose sits happiest at around Outdoor ambient humidity and -21 to 32°C (-5 to 90°F). An outdoor climber with no specific humidity needs. Adequate spacing and airflow around the canes help keep its glossy leaves free of black spot in damp British summers. If you keep the room above year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed compassion rose sparingly. Feed with a balanced rose fertiliser in early spring and again after the first flush, mulching annually with compost or rotted manure. Stop feeding in late summer so new wood hardens before winter. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on compassion rose in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

• Black spot — Possible in prolonged wet weather despite good resistance; gather fallen leaves and water at the base to limit infection.
• Aphids — Green or pink colonies on tender shoots and buds in spring; wash off with water or use insecticidal soap before damage occurs.
• Bare base — Climbers trained too vertically flower only at the top; bend and tie canes horizontally to break apical dominance and bloom lower down.
• Powdery mildew — White powdery growth on young leaves in dry, stagnant spots; improve air circulation and avoid drought stress at the roots.

Propagation

Propagated from hardwood cuttings in autumn or semi-ripe cuttings in summer; nurseries usually bud the cultivar onto a rootstock to ensure consistent vigour and flowering. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Compassion Rose is pet-safe. ASPCA-listed as non-toxic to cats, dogs and horses (true Rosa species). No toxic principle is present; the practical hazard is thorn injury, not poisoning. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Compassion Rose deep-dive guides

Every aspect of compassion rose care, each with its own calibrated guide:

• Compassion Rose watering schedule
• Compassion Rose light requirements
• Best soil mix for compassion rose
• Compassion Rose fertilizing guide
• When to repot compassion rose
• How to propagate compassion rose
• Compassion Rose growth rate & size
• Compassion Rose cold hardiness
• Compassion Rose temperature & humidity
• Is compassion rose toxic to cats & dogs?
• Is compassion rose toxic to cats?
• Is compassion rose toxic to dogs?
• Getting compassion rose to bloom

Featured in these plant shortlists

Compassion Rose qualifies for 13 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

• Best pet-safe houseplants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs — every one verified against the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list.
• Best trailing & climbing houseplants — Vining and trailing houseplants for shelves, hanging pots, and moss poles — selected by growth habit.
• Best flowering houseplants — Indoor plants grown for their blooms — selected from the flowering species in Growli’s plant-care library.
• Best pet-safe trailing & hanging plants — Trailing and climbing plants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs — safe for shelves and hanging pots in a pet home.
• Best pet-safe flowering plants — Flowering houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs — colour and blooms in a pet home, without the worry.
• Best pet-safe plants for bright light — Non-toxic to cats and dogs and happy in a bright, sunny spot — safe plants for your best-lit windowsill.
• Best pet-safe large indoor plants — Big, floor-standing houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs — a statement plant that is safe around pets.
• Best houseplants for full sun — Houseplants that want direct sun — the species for a hot south or west-facing windowsill where shade-lovers scorch.
• Best houseplants for a cool room — Houseplants that tolerate cool conditions down to about 10°C — for an unheated spare room, hallway, porch or a home kept cool.
• Best fast-growing houseplants — Houseplants documented as fast or vigorous growers — quick to fill a pot, cover a pole or trail down a shelf.
• Best fragrant houseplants — Indoor plants with scented flowers or aromatic foliage — greenery you can smell, selected from our care library.
• Best cat-safe plants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats (and dogs) — safe greenery for a home with a curious cat.
• Best dog-safe plants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to dogs (and cats) — safe greenery for a home with a curious dog.
• Browse all 29 plant shortlists — pet-safe, low-light, drought-tolerant and more

Related guides

Compassion Rose is also commonly called Compassion or Harquest.

• Peace lily care — light, water and common problems
• Bird of paradise care — light, water and common problems
• Hoya care — light, water and common problems
• All 3899 plant care guides in the Growli library