Growing Roses for Hips

Dennis Morgeson Agent for Horticulture Washington County

What is a hip?

• The fruit of the rose plant containing seeds

• Very Showy!

Rose Hip

• Also known as rose haw or rose hep • Generally red-to-orange in color but can range

from dark purple to black in some species • Rose flowers must be successfully pollinated

in spring and early summer for hips to form and to ripen over late summer into autumn

• Most roses will grow hips but not all rose hips are good to eat but they are showy

Rose History • First fossil record dates back 35 million years to

what is today Iraq, Colorado, Montana, and Oregon

• 3000 B.C. first written record of the rose by the

Sumerians • In nature the genus rosa has more than 150

species spread all over the northern hemisphere • Garden cultivation of roses started in China more

than 5000 years ago

Rose History

• There are 35 rose species indigenous to North America, Rosa virginiana, Rosa carolina, and Rosa californica just to name a few

• Captain John Smith wrote that the Indians of the James River Valley

planted wild roses around their villages for beauty • Rose species from North America were taken to Europe and used in

hybridizing because of the limited gene pool of European roses

• In the late 1800’s cultivated roses from China were introduced to Europe, most modern day roses can be traced to this ancestry

General Rose Care

• The good news is…..roses grown for “hips” are the easiest of the roses to grow! Unlike hybrid teas!

Site Selection

• Full sun (6 hours) • Good air circulation • Well drained soil high in

organic matter • Morning sun is

important • Some shade in the

afternoon can be beneficial but not required

Soil

• Get a soil test done through the Extension Service, follow the recommendation, and then do the following:

• Roses are tolerant of most soil types, however the more organic matter the better

• Before planting work in 2-4 inches of organic matter (aged manure, compost etc.) Composted cow manure works great!

• Soil pH should be between 6.0-7.0 • Soil adjustments must be made

prior to planting

Obtaining Rose Plants for Hips

• Generally you will need to mail order as most of these types of roses aren’t sold at local retailers

• You can also start your own from a friends plant

Rose Grades • Roses are sold in three grades • No. 1, canes are about ¾” in diameter and

have no more than 3-4 inches between the graft union and the top of the roots

• They have a large well developed root system

• Must be two years old • Generally the largest most expensive

plants

• Grade No. 1 ½ roses have two strong

canes and will catch up to a grade 1 rose pretty quickly

• Grade No. 2 roses are the “cheap” roses.

They have very small canes and are often substandard. Many of these roses will never grow into a nice bush

Budded or Own-Root

• Budded roses are roses that have been grafted to a root stock

• Own root roses are just that, they are roses that are grown from cuttings

• Nurseries like budded roses because production time is reduced, and the wild root stock is more vigorous than root systems of modern roses

Why is the bud union important? The bud union is the graft point where the variety of rose you wanted was grafted to a root stock (usually a wild rose species). If the bud union freezes and Dies, the variety of rose you wanted will be lost. Your plant usually won’t die, it will go wild!

Budded Roses Advantages

• May be the only option

for commercial production, some roses simply can’t be rooted or don’t grow well on their own roots

• May be the only way to

maintain a cultivar

Disadvantages

• Often send up suckers that are totally different from the cultivar

• Bud union can freeze out resulting in the loss of the cultivar

• Graft incompatibility can occur

• Rose mosaic virus is easily transmitted and spread

Own Root Roses

Advantages

• No off-type suckers will form

• Tend to be longer lived • No bud union to protect • More cold hardy • Very durable!

Disadvantages

• May be slower growing

• May be smaller and less robust than budded roses

Purchasing Roses

• Retail Outlets generally sale roses in a bag • When purchasing these do not buy roses that

have long shoots on them • Dormant or almost dormant roses will do best • Buy roses with large green canes that are plump

and not swiveled or wrinkled • Some will have wax on the stems to conserve

moisture, it won’t hurt the plant • Purchasing potted roses is a good option as well

Purchasing Roses • Most mail order companies sale roses bare root • These roses will be dormant when you receive them • May or may not be packed with moist wood shavings

or peat • Again the canes should be plump, smooth, and

unshriveled

Planting Container Grown Roses • Water it well before planting • Turn plant on side, gently tap the root

ball out • If the root ball doesn’t come out easily,

snip the sides and take the root ball out • Do Not allow the root ball to fall apart! • Make sure to plant at the proper depth,

generally at the level it is growing in the pot

• After filling around the root ball, gently

firm in the soil and water thoroughly • Spacing will depend on the type of rose

you have, generally 24 inches is sufficient

Planting

Bare Root and Bagged • Unpack both types

from the peat or shavings

• Place the whole plant or just the root area in water, and soak for 8-12 hours

• A fungicide may be added to the water

Planting

• After soaking trim off any broken roots or stems

• Maintain 3-5 canes per plant, pruned to 3-5 buds per stem

• Buds are raised reddish spots on the canes where leaves used to be

Planting

• Dig the hole wide enough and deep enough to fit the rose roots in comfortably

• Place a soil cone in the bottom of the hole

• Gently spread the roots around the cone

• Fill hole about 2/3 full and add water

Planting

• When the water drains, finish filling and water thoroughly

• In Kentucky the bud union should be right at ground level or slightly below

• If cold weather is expected mound 6 inches of soil or mulch over the canes and bud union

Water • Roses, like most other

plants require about 1” of water per week

• Sandy soils will require more during the growing season

• During extreme hot and dry weather 1.5” per week may be required

• Soaker hoses • Roses grown for hips are

generally drought hardy and tough once established!

Fertilizers • Always follow soil test

recommendations • To maintain beautiful

roses, maintain a good fertility program

• For species roses one application of ½ to 1 cup of 10-10-10 or 19-19-19 spread in a 18 inch band starting 6 inches from the base of the rose is adequate

• Incorporate and water thoroughly

Pruning

• Roses that produce the best hips are generally shrub roses and do not require pruning like the hybrid teas etc.

• These roses are pruned to maintain shape, size, and health of the plant

Pruning Shrub Roses • Shrub roses only need to be

pruned to maintain shape, thin cane density, and to get rid damaged or dying canes.

• Most of the pruning on these roses is done in the spring just before bud break but can be done in the fall as well

• Remember the more you prune most shrub roses the less flowers you are likely to have that season

Winter Care Shrub Roses

• Most are extremely hardy if grown own root, however if they are budded you will need to protect them

Potential Rose Problems

• Most Rugosa’s are quite hardy and disease and insect tolerant.

Powdery Mildew

Rosette

Insects

How To Get Hips

• Do not dead head (cut off spent flowers) after August 1st

• After petals fall just leave the tip to form the hip • Have a pollinator friendly garden (check out the

April 22nd or April 24th Class on “The Other Pollinators”)

• Avoid using systemic insecticides and fungicides (these would generally what you would use on hybrid teas etc.)

Harvesting

• Harvest after the first frost when they become fully-colored but not over ripe

• The ripe hips should yield to gentle pressure when ripe but not soft or wrinkly

• Rosa rugosa or Rugosa roses develop the best hips for eating (flavor said to be like a cranberry and apple cross)

Hips

Too Ripe Unripe Just Right

Using Hips

Remove seeds and hairs found in fruit, the hairs can cause digestive discomfort if eaten They can also be strained out later if making jelly

How To Remove Hairs & Seeds

• Cut them in half and shake out the seeds and hairs (time consuming)

• Cover hips with water and simmer, then rub through a sieve

• Cook hips in boiling water for 45 minutes then strain through a cheese cloth and use the juice for sauces, soups, jellies……

Uses

• Dried hips can be used later • Fresh hips can be frozen for later use as well • Remember to use only stainless steel pots and

pans as the high vitamin C content can react with other pans and cause a metalic taste

• You can make tea, chutney, simple syrup, rosehip jelly, rosehip vinegar, etc. etc.

• Check out additional handouts for specifics.

Varieties For Tasty Hips

• Basically any of the rugosa roses, they are tough disease resistant, have dark green wrinkled leaves and most bloom all summer. They tend to be very thorny!

Rosa rugosa Alba

Rosa rugosa Rubra Rosa rubrifolia

Rosa rugosa Jubilee

Ann Endt (dark red) Belle Poitevine (medium pink) Blanc Double de Coubert (white) Charles Albanel (medium red) Dart’s Dash (deep red/mauve) Delicata (light pink/mauve) Dwarf Pavement (medium pink) Foxi Pavement (deep pink) Fru Dagmar Hastrup (light pink) Hansa (medium red/mauve) Jens Munk (medium pink) Magnifica (dark red/mauve) Moje Hammarberg (mauve) Pierette Pavement (deep pink) Purple Pavement (mauve) Scabrosa (mauve) Snow Pavement (white)

https://www.heirloomroses.com/care/roses-with-hips/

Questions?