The best roses composts, compared.
Top pick: Indigo specialist rose planting mix 46 L Best value: Carbeth rose, tree and shrub compost 65 L – Lowest pence per litre in this set, about 29p, with a printed 9-month feed at about £18.99. Updated October 2026.
Roses compost is bagged compost sold for roses, trees and shrubs, or a specialist rose planting mix, that you buy in the UK when you plant a rose into a bed or fill a patio pot. It is a different product from multi-purpose compost, from ericaceous compost, and from heap compost. You tell a suitable bag by the job it states, a peat-free line you can read, the feed window printed on that bag, and a volume you can lift and store. For a bed, blend the compost into the soil you put back. For a pot, the listing needs to name containers, and the pot needs enough depth for a patio rose. A planting-out bag is the wrong bag for a long-term container. Organic and eco-friendly do not stand in for a peat-free line. Use only the feed window that bag prints, then switch to a rose feed. About 10 litres is one patio pot. About 40 to 65 litres is a border or a half-barrel. Those checks are set out in the [roses compost buying guide](/hub/fertiliser-soil-and-bark-mulch/roses-compost/sub/roses-compost-buying-guide).
Roses compost is bagged compost sold for roses, trees and shrubs, or a specialist rose planting mix, that you buy in the UK when you plant a rose into a bed or fill a patio pot.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
Where will you use the compost?
The Indigo 46 litre specialist rose planting mix is listed at about £15.89, about 35p a litre, with peat-free and a 6-month slow-release feed on the title. A bullet names beds, borders, and containers for new roses or tired soil, and zinc is named without an NPK ratio. The amazon.co.uk star line is 5.0 from 1 review, and that file has no review body, so there is no UK praise or complaint text to weigh against the feed claim. Organic is a listing question and is not answered in the bullets. The 46 litres sit between the 10 litre patio bag and the 65 litre Carbeth sack, which makes this a one-shrub or small-border size if the parcel matches the title. Do not read the single 5.0 as stronger evidence than Miracle-Gro's 4.6 from 523.
Pros
Cons
Best for: One new rose or a small border when you want a 46 L bag that states containers and a 6-month feed.
Less suitable: Anyone treating one star as a verdict, or a patio job that only needs 10 litres.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the listing say this mix is peat-free?
Yes. Peat-free is in the title and a bullet. Organic is a listing question and is not answered in the bullets.
How long does the listing say the feed lasts?
The title and a bullet say 6 months of slow-release feed. Zinc is named. An NPK ratio is not printed.
Can it be used in containers?
A bullet names beds, borders, and containers for new roses or refreshing tired soil.
The Miracle-Gro twin pack is two 40 litre peat-free bags listed at about £25.46 on amazon.co.uk, with a combined 80 litres and a printed weight of 26.6 kg. Across 523 reviews the star line is 4.6, the deepest sample in this set, and the first 50 texts often describe roses in pots and beds as thriving after planting or potting on. Repeat buyers mention topping pots each year, and people without a car value doorstep delivery of a pack they would not lift from a shop. The same sample complains that bags arrive holed, split, dragged, or half empty, and that the thin sack has no handles. One reviewer called the contents peat despite the peat-free title. That is a listing conflict, not a lab result. The feed window on the listing is up to 3 months, after which you still need a rose feed. Container use is a listing question and is not answered in the bullets, so this twin pack is not a confirmed potting compost from the amazon.co.uk file alone.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A border or several pots when you want the deepest review sample and can store two 40 L bags.
Less suitable: One patio pot, or anyone who cannot lift 26.6 kg from the doorstep.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the listing say this compost is peat-free?
Yes. Peat-free is in the product title, the item type name, and a bullet. The same bullet says the formulation feeds for up to 3 months.
How much compost is in the pack?
The title is 40 litres, pack of 2. The listing also prints liquid volume 80 litres, number of packs 2, and item weight 26.6 kg.
What do the reviews say about the bags?
From the first 50 reviews: roses in pots and beds are often described as thriving, and doorstep delivery is valued. Others report holed, split, or half-empty bags.
The Indigo 10 litre specialist mix is listed at about £11.99, about £1.20 a litre, the dearest pence-per-litre bag in this set. The title prints peat-free, a 6-month slow-release feed, and sulphur and zinc. Bullets name pots, beds, and borders for new planting and repotting. The amazon.co.uk star line is 4.6 from 3 reviews, and the file has no review bodies, so the score is a listing-complete mark rather than a texture theme. Ten litres is one patio pot or a top-up, not a border hole. Other flowers is a listing question and is not answered. Buy it when you need a small, rose-labelled bag that states pots. Skip it if you are filling several containers and can use the Carbeth 65 litres or the Miracle-Gro twin pack.
Pros
Cons
Best for: One patio or miniature rose when you want a small bag that states pots.
Less suitable: Several beds, or anyone buying on pence per litre.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the listing say this mix is peat-free?
Yes. Peat-free is in the title and a bullet. The same bullets name a 6-month slow-release feed plus sulphur and zinc.
What size is the bag?
The title and the volume field say 10 litres. Unit count is printed as 4,000 g. Item weight is not stated.
Can it be used for other flowers?
That is a listing question. The bullets name pots, beds, and borders for roses and do not answer other flowers.
The Carbeth 65 litre bag is listed at about £18.99, about 29p a litre, the lowest pence-per-litre figure in this set. Across 54 reviews the star line is 4.5, and the 22 texts in the file praise the size, the value, and roses topped up in half-barrels. Several buyers call the mix clean or lovely and say plants looked happier after a repot. The title and a bullet print a 9-month slow-release feed, and the item highlight says peat-free. The bullets do not repeat that word. One review calls the mix hydrophobic dust that sheds water, which sits against the moisture-retaining bullet. The listing also prints a unit count of 650 g against a 65 litre title, so treat the litre line as the volume claim. Indoor use is a listing question. Two reviewers treated it as houseplant compost and disagreed on drainage.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A border hole or a half-barrel when you want 65 litres and a printed 9-month feed.
Less suitable: Indoor houseplants, or anyone who needs a deep UK review file like the Miracle-Gro twin pack.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the listing say this bag is peat-free?
The item highlight prints peat-free. A listing question also asks whether it is peat-free. The bullets do not repeat the word.
How long does the listing say the feed lasts?
The title and a bullet say a 9-month slow-release feed. The listing does not print an NPK ratio.
Can it be used in pots?
A bullet names pots, borders, and containers. Indoor use is a listing question and is not answered in the bullets.
The Melcourt Sylvagrow 40 litre bag is listed at about £17.99, about 45p a litre, with 100% peat-free on the title and an RHS endorsement line that applies when the bag is sold as 40 litres. The amazon.co.uk star line is 3.9 from 7 reviews, and only two texts sit in the file: one calls the compost good quality, and one reports fungus gnats in a sealed bag. That is not a pattern and not a recall. The listing is a planting-out mix of British bark and green compost for roses, trees, and shrubs going into soil, with a long-term slow-release claim and no month count. Melcourt's own page tells you to blend 1 part into 3 or 4 parts back-fill and not to use this bag as potting compost. Indoor use is a listing question and is not answered in the bullets. Buy it to improve a planting hole. Skip it if you wanted a neat pot fill.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A rose, tree, or shrub going into garden soil when you want a 40 L planting-out bag with an RHS line.
Less suitable: A patio pot filled neat, or anyone treating 7 reviews as a soil test.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the listing say this bag is peat-free?
Yes. The title says 100% peat-free. A bullet names British bark and green compost.
Is it RHS endorsed?
A bullet says RHS endorsed when sold in 40 litre bags. This listing is a 40 litre bag.
What do the reviews say?
The file has two of seven reviews: one calls the compost good quality, and one reports fungus gnats in a sealed bag.
Five amazon.co.uk listings were scored from the stored pages and the UK review notes already on file. There is no laboratory test. Peat wording, a feed window and a litre count are the seller's claim. Pence per litre uses the shelf price on the listing. Where a unit count clashes with the litre line, both stay and the clash is a deduction. A star row is not a soil test. The highest score is the top pick. The best value is the lowest pence per litre, and it does not also take the top score. The weights below sum to 100.
Amazon evidence
25%Star rating on amazon.co.uk, then the size of that listing's review file. Miracle-Gro at 4.6 from 523 takes this block. Indigo 46 L is 5.0 from 1 review, so the file adds nothing here.
Listing facts
35%Peat wording, a printed feed window, litres, and whether the bullets name the job. A clash, such as 650 g against 65 L, or container use left unanswered, is a deduction.
Review themes
20%Comments that describe roses in pots, beds or half-barrels score higher where the file has review text. Holed bags, hydrophobic dust, and a fungus-gnat report are deductions. A file with no review body cannot show a theme.
Value
20%Pence per litre from the shelf price. Carbeth at about 29p a litre is the low figure. Indigo 10 L at about 120p a litre is the high figure. Pence per litre is not a soil test.
Match the job before you match the star line. A planting-out bag, a container bag and a 10 litre patio bag are not one list. Prices below are amazon.co.uk shelf prices from the stored listings. This is not a laboratory test.
Roses compost on amazon.co.uk is a bag labelled for roses, trees and shrubs, or a specialist rose planting mix. You buy it in the UK to plant a rose into a bed or to fill a patio pot. It is a different product from multi-purpose compost, from ericaceous compost, and from compost you make in a heap. A suitable bag matches the job, states peat-free, prints a feed window, and comes in a volume you can lift. Two jobs sit side by side. Planting-out compost is blended into garden soil.
Planting-out compost is blended into the soil you put back. A neat plug of bagged compost in a clay hole does not replace that mix. Sylvagrow states 1 part to 3 or 4 parts back-fill.
Peat-free has to be the words on the bag. Organic and eco-friendly are different claims. Carbeth prints peat-free on the highlight, and the bullets do not repeat it.
Miracle-Gro prints up to 3 months, Indigo 6 months, Carbeth 9 months. Sylvagrow prints long-term slow release and no month count. After the printed window, use a rose feed.
Name the hole before the brand. A bed wants planting compost blended into the back-fill. Melcourt states 1 part SylvaGrow rose, tree and shrub to 3 or 4 parts soil, and that bag is not potting compost. A patio pot wants a listing that names containers, and a pot about 23–35 cm deep. The RHS names peat-free John Innes No. 3 for container roses. Carbeth and both Indigo bags name pots or containers. Miracle-Gro leaves container use unanswered. Peat-free has to be on the bag you buy.
Use the window that bag prints and no other. Miracle-Gro is up to 3 months. Both Indigo bags are 6 months, and the 10 litre listing also names sulphur and zinc. Carbeth is 9 months. Sylvagrow is long-term slow release with no month count. A 4–6 month starter feed is a retail rule of thumb, not a figure you can paste onto a silent bag. After the window, switch to a rose feed. None of these listings print an NPK ratio. Ten litres is one patio pot. Forty-six litres is one shrub or a small border.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You want the deepest amazon.co.uk file and you can store two bags. Miracle-Gro peat-free rose, tree and shrub compost is two 40 litre bags at about £25.46, 4.6 from 523 reviews, with a feed window of up to 3 months. The printed weight is 26.6 kg. Container use is unanswered in the bullets, and reviewers report holed bags.
You want 65 litres and the lowest pence per litre. Carbeth rose, tree and shrub compost is about £18.99, about 29p a litre, with a printed 9-month feed and 4.5 from 54 reviews. Bullets name pots, borders and containers. One review calls the mix hydrophobic dust, and the unit count prints 650 g against 65 L.
You are putting a rose, tree or shrub into the ground and you will blend the bag into the back-fill. Melcourt Sylvagrow 40 L is about £17.99, 100% peat-free, with an RHS line on this bag size. The maker says 1 part to 3 or 4 parts soil, and this bag is not potting compost. amazon.co.uk shows 3.9 from 7 reviews.
The top pick is Miracle-Gro peat-free rose, tree and shrub compost, two 40 litre bags, at about £25.46. The listing says peat-free, the feed window is up to 3 months, and amazon.co.uk shows 4.6 from 523 reviews. Reviewers describe roses in pots and beds, and also holed or half-empty bags, and container use is unanswered. The best value is Carbeth 65 L at about £18.99, about 29p a litre, with a printed 9-month feed and 4.5 from 54 reviews. Sylvagrow 40 L is the planting-out bag, blended 1 to 3 or 4 with soil, and it is not a pot fill. Indigo 46 L and 10 L print a 6-month feed. The 10 litre bag is one patio pot at about 120p a litre, with almost no review text. None of these scores is a laboratory test.
Carbeth rose, tree and shrub compost 65 L
Lowest pence per litre in this set, about 29p, with a printed 9-month feed at about £18.99.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK and maker sources from the research digest, used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are from the five stored amazon.co.uk listings. A peat-free line and a feed window are listing claims. The Sylvagrow blend ratio is the maker's planting instruction. An RHS endorsement on one 40 litre bag is not a controlled compost test. No Act ending amateur peat sales in England was in force in October 2026.
Expert source (DIY & tools): Lee Burkhill (Garden Ninja) (external profile) – public expert commentary used as a research source, not as a contributor to our pages.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk (tag pcuk26-21). If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are from the listings. This is not a laboratory test.
