The Pilgrim Rose (The Pilgrim) care

Light

Aim for at least 4-6 hours of direct sun on the leaves. Needs full sun, 6+ hours daily, for the best flowering and yellow colour. It tolerates light shade but blooms become fewer and growth softer; deep shade increases disease risk. If your only bright window faces south, that's perfect for the pilgrim rose — same window any aroid would fry on.

Watering

Watering the pilgrim rose: deeply once or twice weekly in growth; more in heat. The number that matters isn't the day of the week — it's how dry the top 2-3 cm of the pot feels. A finger in the soil tells you more than a watering app. After every watering, tip the saucer. Water the root zone thoroughly, keeping foliage dry. When wall-trained, check the rain-shadow base regularly and mulch to retain moisture. Reduce watering into winter dormancy.

Soil and pot

The Pilgrim Rose grows best in fertile, well-drained loam enriched with organic matter, slightly acidic. Prefers deep loam at pH 6.0-6.5 improved with compost or rotted manure. Ensure good drainage and mulch annually. Avoid heavy, waterlogged ground. 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

The Pilgrim Rose sits happiest at around 40-70% humidity and -23 to 30°C (-9 to 86°F). Copes with normal outdoor humidity. Train with open spacing and prune to keep the centre airy so foliage dries quickly and fungal disease is discouraged. 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 the pilgrim rose sparingly. Feed with a balanced rose fertiliser in early spring and again after the first flush. Mulch with rotted manure or compost in spring. Stop feeding by late summer so new growth firms up before frost. 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 the pilgrim rose in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

• Blackspot — Possible in wet seasons. Improve airflow, water at the base, remove infected leaves and apply preventative sprays when disease pressure is high.
• Poor flowering low on climbers — Upright canes bloom mainly at the top. Train main stems horizontally along wires to encourage flowering side-shoots lower down.
• Bloom balling in rain — The petal-packed flowers can fail to open in prolonged wet. Site in an open, airy position and remove spoiled buds promptly.
• Aphids — Colonise soft new growth and buds. Hose off, encourage predators, or treat with insecticidal soap on heavy infestations.

Propagation

Roots from hardwood cuttings in autumn or semi-ripe summer cuttings; sold as budded plants on rootstock. As a David Austin cultivar (Auswalker) under plant breeders' rights, commercial propagation is restricted. 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

The Pilgrim Rose is pet-safe. ASPCA-listed: true roses (Rosa species) are non-toxic to cats, dogs and horses. The risk is mechanical injury from thorns, not poisoning; keep pets away from cut stems and prunings. 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.

The Pilgrim Rose deep-dive guides

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

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

Featured in these plant shortlists

The Pilgrim 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

The Pilgrim Rose is also commonly called The Pilgrim or Auswalker.

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