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The ancestors of the family of the rugosa rose originated on the sandy beaches of Northern China, Japan and Korea. They are grown and bred for their disease resistance, extreme hardiness in challenging climates and soils and for their sublime fragrance. They have been so extensively planted along most of the eastern seaboard of the United States, many people mistakingly believe them to be indigenous.
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 Blanc Double de Coubert, rugosa
Rugosas have very healthy deep green foliage and can show fall colors in hues from yellow to burgundy. They are very versatile in the landscape and can be grown alone as individual plants in perennial borders. Or as a focal point in a perennial bed. They also make great hedges an can be easily shaped with a bit of judicious pruning. Rugosas do have thorns and a nobody will try to come though a hedge of these. The hedge will win. They grow in tall, middle and "ground cover" sizes.
Tall ones grow approximately 5 to 6 foot tall and wide. Some examples are : Blanc Double de Coubert: white, Roseraie de L'Hay (deep carmine red), Hansa(deep purple/red). Hansa rugosa
Medium sized grow approximately our to five feet such as Monte
Blanc(white), Teresa Bugnet(pink) and Wasagaming(deep pink).
 Teresa Bugnet,rugosa
The lowest growing span approximately 6 to 8 foot wide and some examples are:
Charles Albanel(mauve/pink), Henry Hudson(white) Not a true ground cover, but very low growing and broad spreading plant. Rugosas come in a large variety of colors and are continuous bloomers with large, multipetaled flowers. More about Rugosas
In addition to their recurrent blooms, most Rugosas also set lots of rose hips in late summer that remain on the plant until spring. Rose hips are the fruit of the rose and are often very colorful and large -- some the size of crabapples! They are high in Vitamin C and can be made into jams and jellies. They also make the most wonderful smelling potpourri.
One of the most important thing to know about Rugosa roses is their sensitivity to liquid chemical fertilizers, the leaves will turn yellow and fall off. Even with organic liquid fertilizers ,Rugosas can be sensitive to a sudden dose of nitrogen, especially when applied to dry soil. So, always, always make sure you apply liquid fertilizers to wet soil, not dry soil. Water first, then fertilize. This is a good thing to practice for all plants -- water first, then fertilize.
Other than their sensitivity to chemical fertilizers, these are tough roses! They have the best winter hardiness, next to roses species indigenous to cold climates. They are drought and salt tolerant, because they evolved along ocean shorelines where they were exposed to sandy, dry soil and salt spray. This tolerance is great for those who want to place a hedge of roses next to a road that gets salt in the wintertime.
Rugosas will generally send out suckers and slowly expand their range. You can dig these up and replant them in your garden or give them away to friends.
For those who want roses that are fragrant, vigorous, winter hardy, disease tolerant and bloom repeatedly throughout the summer, Rugosas are a sure bet. I am planning on adding the Hansa, Teresa Bugnet, and Wasagaming to my own rose beds this year.
Any reputable rose supplier can provide quality rugosas for your newest treasures.
 ROSE HIPS
ROSE HIP RECIPES Rose Hip Jam
(this recipe has been around since the 1700s)
1 pound prepared rose hips (about 4 quarts)
1 cup of water
Sugar
In a large pan, add the rose hips and water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until very soft--about 20 minutes (add more water if necessary). Press or strain the mixture through a sieve to remove any seeds and to reduce large chunks of hips. Add one pound of sugar (about 3 1/2 cups) to one pound of pulp and simmer. Check the taste and add more sugar if desired. Cook until the mixture has thickened to jam-like consistency. Pour into sterilized jars and seal. This is good to eat when you have a sore throat.
Rose Hip Puree
(This is from an old 16th century recipe used to make
rose hip tart)
1 1/2 cup prepared rose hips
3/4 cup water
2 T sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1 T lemon juice
Simmer the prepared rose hips in water until soft -- about 10-15 minutes. Stir in sugar, spices and lemon juice and simmer for 5 minutes. Use puree for tarts, ice cream toppings or to eat as a sauce. Rose Hip Tea
Prepare the rose hips as described above and place in a single layer on a drying screen. Allow to completely dry, then store in an air-tight jar in a cool, dark place. Hips may be used whole or slightly broken. Pour boiling water over the hips and allow to steep for 2 minutes. Strain. Information for this article was gathered from areas of public domain and conversations with some of my fellow Master Gardener Rosarians. Credits: All the photos are courtesy of fellow members of Dave's Garden and can be found in the Plant Files. The photo of the Hansa rugosa is courtesy of fallingfeather, the Blanc Double de Coubert and Rose Hips provided by philomel and the Henry Hudson and Teresa Bugnet by Todd Holland. Thank you all for taking the time to provide these photos of your lovely flowers to all of us.
 | Hubby and I have been doing Organic Gardening off and on for over 25 years. Just finishing the Virginia Master Gardening classes at the end of Nov 07. I love talking and teaching gardening to anybody that will listen. |
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Subject: Pruning Rugosa Roses Question
Posted by DianeEG (from Galva, IL) on February 11, 2008 at 12:20 PM:I have some really great and huge rugosa roses that had branches dieing last year. Because they looked so bad, I would trim out that branch. I did not fertilize anything close to them although we are close to fields where there could have been some kind of crop overspray. If it is crop overspray, it didn't hurt anything else close. Not sure what is happening and they were so wonderfully lhealthy for years. Would it help to trim these monsters down to about a foot in the spring and give them a new start? Or, would I loose all my blooms? Kill them altogether? Or, should I be treating another problem in another way? I would really hate to loose these beautiful and fragrant roses. They are really one of the stand-bys of my yard out in the country where things can be harsh. Thanks for any help, Diane ... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 11, 2008 at 12:45 PM: You can take them back to about 18" from the ground now. You won't have the level of bloom this spring, but they'll keep on coming. I side dress mine with compost during the season. It sounds very likely they got hit with something nasty. Don't know who or what you're next too, but if they are spraying something that will hurt the roses it can't be good for you or your family either. ...
Subject: Great info
Posted by Robynznest (from Stoutland, MO) on February 10, 2008 at 9:42 PM:Thanks so much for this article. I just received seeds for the Rugosa and wondered if I should plant them and now I know I do. Thanks also for the tip about the fertilizer, I wouldn't have know to water first.
Robin ... Posted by Fitsy (from Hayesville, NC) on February 11, 2008 at 9:01 AM: Thanks heaps!!! My first two are arriving
this spring.
Fitsy ... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 11, 2008 at 11:01 AM: Oh, my enjoy!!! ... Posted by victorgardener (from Lower Hudson Valley, NY) on February 11, 2008 at 4:28 PM: Nice job, Cath. I don't have any rugosas yet, but plan to try them one of these days. They are supposed to tolerate part shade better than most roses. ... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 11, 2008 at 5:21 PM: They seem to be a really all round, toughie for a rose. I love em for the easy care and great fragrance. ... Posted by victorgardener (from Lower Hudson Valley, NY) on February 11, 2008 at 5:27 PM: And they sound Italian! ... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 11, 2008 at 5:33 PM: Well, actually, their Chinese......sorry Victor, although they could very well come over the land route with Marco Polo, their history stretches back that for. It's that a neat idea?? ... Posted by victorgardener (from Lower Hudson Valley, NY) on February 11, 2008 at 5:38 PM: I'll buy that. ... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 11, 2008 at 5:41 PM: Well considering these are not hybrids in the usual sense. They are wiziwigs.....so the ones you have now have ancestors who looked the same but were cared for by some one in China or Japan. Just such a cool concept! ... Posted by victorgardener (from Lower Hudson Valley, NY) on February 11, 2008 at 5:44 PM: Yes it is! ...
Subject: nice article
Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on February 10, 2008 at 6:53 AM:I somehow left these lovely plants out of my 'seaside plants' article; thank you for correcting this omission. Thanks also for the rose hip jam recipe; we used to make this when I was a kid!! It is delicious. ... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 10, 2008 at 8:55 AM: I agree, and my Thomas Lipton throws wonderful hips for it. :) I wish there was some way to bottle the smell. LOL ... Posted by Dea (from Frederick, MD) on February 10, 2008 at 10:57 AM: We did Rugosas when we moved in and have never been happier. The fragrance is so intense and they've held up so well to our black spot haven....
Super article!
... Posted by DriftingDude (from Charleston, SC) on February 10, 2008 at 4:26 PM: Do the rugosas grow well in the hot humid south? I'm in coastal South Carolina. ... Posted by bbrookrd (from nantucket, MA) on February 10, 2008 at 5:07 PM: I loved reading your article about Rugosa roses. I have many and more on the way. I am starting a new bed this spring for a large mass that I will do mostly from root cuttings from my other beds of Rose Rugosa. I was very interested in your thoughts on liquid fertilizer. I will show it to my DH who is the guy in charge of spraying. I am not sure how he has treated the large groups we have since we planted them in 1983. They are very happy. We will cut them back in March as the hips have been eaten by the birds by now.
I ordered 'Carmen' and 'Rugelda' to add to collection. Aside from the species beach rose in white and pink, I have a nice patch of 'Thomas Lipton', and single plants of 'Linda Campbell', 'Roseraie de l'Hay', ' Topaz Jewel', 'Hansa', 'Frimbriata', 'Kordes Robusta'. It will be a few years for me to know which ones of those that I want to buy of or propagate. Thanks, most helpful. I know I will add more next year. Patti ... Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on February 10, 2008 at 7:24 PM: So, are these the ground cover disease-free idiot-proof roses I hear about? My concern is that my uphill neighbor is a lawn monster, puts every chemical in the box on his lawn. I think all his herbicides wash down the hill onto my garden. Would one of these roses be able to withstand that type of treatment? All beautiful pictures and tempting roses . . .
x, Carrie ... Posted by bbrookrd (from nantucket, MA) on February 10, 2008 at 8:13 PM: Carrie, That isn't good for anything in your yard. Time for digging a trench to get his water to run to that famous Mr Roger's town "Some Place Else" as that stuff could be dangerous to your health and your kids health. Most likely he is using all kinds of stuff to kill anything but his boring grass. Not fair. Patti ... Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on February 10, 2008 at 8:20 PM: I know. I won't talk about the time his dog attacked my DD#1 because that should be in a mean neighbors stink thread even built my first perennial garden to take advantage of the runoff from his in-ground sprinkler system! How innocent we are.
x, Carrie ... Posted by RudiBea (from North Kingstown, RI) on April 13, 2008 at 10:00 PM: We have obtained permission from our coastal authorities to try plantings behind our seawall to try to retain the topsoil there, which periodically erodes when storm activity sends tidal waves up and over our seawall. By finding plantings with particularly hearty roots, which are also tolerant of salt spray, we hope to hang onto our lawn's topsoil -- rather than having to replace it after it's washed away.
This article confirms our interest in planting Rugosa Roses (we're also considering Rudbeckia Serotina and potentially a low bayberry) for this purpose.
Might anyone in the north east have successfully battled erosive salt spray successfully using plantings? We're wondering, for instance, if triangular plantings in clusters of three may prove the strongest rooting system. We're also curious as to any recommendations whatsoever, regarding planting season, fertilizer, planting mix, etc.
We are looking for our first gardening success after 25 rather paltry years here, and could use a bit of expertise to cheer us up. (After a major storm, we do intend to thoroughly rinse as much salt off these new plantings as we can, and give them every advantage we can think of to get them to take hold.)
THANKS FOR ANY COMMENTS. ...
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