Start growing
Indestructible once established. Loves full sun and sandy soil. Salt tolerant.
GROW SOMETHING WONDERFUL
Rose
Rosa rugosa
Your guide to planting, growing, and getting to know this plant.
THE PLANT NOTEBOOK
Rose care, from seed onward.
- Botanical name
- Rosa rugosa
- Common names
- Rugosa Rose, Beach Rose
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Genus
- Rosa
- Species
- R. rugosa
Growing with your kit
The Seeds In A Cup® kit focuses on the 'Hip to Seed' cycle—observing life continue after the flower fades.
Propagation
By seed or suckers.
Seasonal growth & harvest
Blooms from early summer through fall; produces the largest and best-tasting hips of any rose.
Growing conditions
Sand dunes, coastal cliffs, and hedge banks.
Weather & tolerances
Highly salt, drought, and cold tolerant. Disease-resistant.
Pests & plant health
Japanese beetles.
Plant safety
Safe; petals and hips are edible.
Botanical features
A tough, spiny deciduous shrub with extremely fragrant flowers and large, edible red Rose Hips.
Varieties
‘Hansa’, ‘Blanc Double de Coubert’.
Garden & everyday uses
Ornamental, windbreaks for dunes. Hips are incredibly high in Vitamin C (teas, jams)
Native range & distribution
Native to Eastern Asia; widely naturalized on North American coastlines.
Conservation
Secure; invasive in some coastal ecosystems.
Name origins
Latin ‘rosa’; ‘rugosa’ meaning wrinkled, referring to the leaf texture.
History
Rose hips were harvested in millions during WWII in Britain to provide Vitamin C when oranges were unavailable.