Rosa virginiana seed
LATIN NAME: ROSA VIRGINIANA
COMMON NAME: Virginia Rose, Common Wild Rose
The Virginia rose is a wild beauty that brings the charm of the seashore to the garden. It grows as a low, suckering shrub, usually one to two metres tall, with reddish stems and small, glossy, toothed leaflets. In early summer it is covered with open, five-petalled flowers of a clear pink with a golden centre, simple and perfect, each with a light, sweet scent, and they keep coming for weeks; in autumn the flowers give way to bright red hips, round and glossy, that persist into winter, and the foliage turns rich shades of red and orange. It belongs to the rose family and is native to eastern North America, where it grows on coastal sands, dunes and rocky shores, and it is a very hardy shrub that thrives in poor, sandy, well-drained soil and full sun, grown in gardens since the 1800s.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The Virginia rose has a genuine place in both horticultural and phytochemical research. As a wild rose of the North American coast, it is valued in plant-breeding research for its extreme hardiness, its tolerance of poor, sandy soil and its disease resistance, and breeders have used wild species like this one to pass toughness to garden roses. Its bright red hips are a rich source of vitamin C, and the genus Rosa has been studied extensively for the chemistry of its fruits and flowers, including the antioxidants and oils used in cosmetics and medicine, while in ecology the shrub is studied for its role in stabilising coastal sands and dunes and for its value to wildlife, since its hips feed birds through winter. For a rose of such toughness, the Virginia rose has a steady and practical record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
To grow the Virginia Rose from seed, ecologically, the Virginia rose is a generous shrub. Its pink flowers feed bees and other pollinators, its bright red hips feed birds and small mammals through winter, and its dense, suckering growth holds sandy soil on coasts and dunes, while its fast growth makes it useful for covering up unwanted views. Its economic value is real: the hips are rich in vitamin C and are used in teas, syrups and supplements, and the shrub is grown as an ornamental for its flowers, its hips and its autumn colour, valued for its toughness and low care. To start the Virginia rose along, clean the seeds from the ripe hips, keep them cool and damp through the winter months, then sow them in pots of free-draining compost in spring and keep them in a sunny spot.
clean the seeds from the ripe hips, keep them cool and damp through the winter months, then sow the young roses in pots of free-draining compost in spring and keep them in a sunny spot.
LATIN NAME: Rosa virginiana
COMMON NAME: Virginia Rose, Common Wild Rose
The Virginia rose is a wild beauty that brings the charm of the seashore to the garden. It grows as a low, suckering shrub, usually one to two metres tall, with reddish stems and small, glossy, toothed leaflets. In early summer it is covered with open, five-petalled flowers of a clear pink with a golden centre, simple and perfect, each with a light, sweet scent, and they keep coming for weeks. In autumn the flowers give way to bright red hips, round and glossy, that persist into winter, and the foliage turns rich shades of red and orange. It is a tough, undemanding rose that gives flowers, fruit and autumn colour with almost no care.
The Virginia rose belongs to the rose family, Rosaceae, and it is native to eastern North America, where it grows on coastal sands, dunes and rocky shores. It is a very hardy shrub that thrives in poor, sandy, well-drained soil and full sun, and it has been grown in gardens since the 1800s.
Positive & Encouraging Seed Germination Guide
Growing the Virginia rose from seed takes patience, but it is a satisfying shrub to raise. The seeds sit inside the red hips, and they need a period of cold, moist conditions to germinate, so collect the hips in autumn, clean the seeds from the flesh, and keep them cool and damp for several months, or sow them in pots and leave them outdoors through winter. In spring, bring the pots to a bright spot and keep them moist. Germination can be slow and uneven, with some seeds taking a year or more, so be patient. Grow the young shrubs on in pots for a year or two before planting out in a sunny, well-drained spot. A rose you have raised from seed will reward you with pink flowers, red hips and glowing autumn colour.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The Virginia rose has a genuine place in both horticultural and phytochemical research. As a wild rose of the North American coast, it is valued in plant-breeding research for its extreme hardiness, its tolerance of poor, sandy soil and its disease resistance, and breeders have used wild species like this one to pass toughness to garden roses. Its bright red hips are a rich source of vitamin C, and the genus Rosa has been studied extensively for the chemistry of its fruits and flowers, including the antioxidants and oils used in cosmetics and medicine. In ecology, the shrub is studied for its role in stabilising coastal sands and dunes and for its value to wildlife, since its hips feed birds through winter. For a rose of such toughness, the Virginia rose has a steady and practical record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the Virginia rose is a generous shrub. Its pink flowers feed bees and other pollinators, its bright red hips feed birds and small mammals through winter, and its dense, suckering growth holds sandy soil on coasts and dunes.
Its economic value is real. The hips are rich in vitamin C and are used in teas, syrups and supplements, and the shrub is grown as an ornamental for its flowers, its hips and its autumn colour, valued for its toughness and low care. For a grower, the Virginia rose is a hardy, undemanding shrub, and for a gardener it brings the wild charm of the seashore and a winter crop of bright red hips.
This very fast growing woody perennial rose is perfect for covering up unwanted views fast. The hairy stems of this bushy shrub have scattered, stout, curved thorns and beautiful pink flowers. The rose hips of this plant are good for teas and jams.