Good Rosehip Roses

In my search for possible roses for my orchard I wondered if among all the beautiful roses that many of you are growing are there any that also give you good hips? I know what I can grow here is limited but it’s interesting to hear about others anyway.

Often there is no mention of possible (or not) hips when I’m looking at rose descriptions (I realize most folks growing roses are not in it for the hips). My one and only Campfire does not also grow hips so I know not all do. I was looking at Bill Reid but no mention of hips so maybe it doesn’t either. I did find a mention finally that said Harrison’s Yellowhad small dark hips. Most just don’t say. Of course, I can just plant for the blooms, too.

I do have a small rugosa seedling that popped up in my orchard that had some nice blooms and nice hips so I transplanted it to a better spot. It was only a foot tall but I might have mowed it down a few times as it didn’t show much amongst the brambles and vegetation. The pink flowers caught my eye this year. It got me thinking about getting another rose that would also produce good hips. Sue

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If you have ever eaten the seeds from rose hips, you will immediately
spit them out. That’s why few people care about them.

Rosa Rugosa “Sandy” has nice hips, but it’s a vigorous spreader by roots. It grows in sandy soil and tolerates severe cold.

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I believe you want them for tea?

You can improve the quality of rose hips by feeding the plants Sul-Po-Mag a few times per year.

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I planted Roses for the hips. I did not do much research I just picked up what Raintree said grew good hips. Rosa Rugosa mostly the red and white one scabrosa and a Frau Dagmar.

I got them march 2016, 2017 they grew well and started to produce. 2018 I didn’t reduce the vines early enough they became overgrown. produced early but would rot. Later production didn’t have time to ripen.

Early 2019 I will reduce the vines down to the primary cane.

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The beaches in the area of Maine known as “Down East” are covered with roses. The hips are massive, like almost as big as a Whitney crabapple. I’m guessing they are some type of rugosa, but I’m not sure.

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The size of a fruit can correlate to one or more different things – and not necessarily quantity of flavor.

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I have a Screaming Neon easy elegance rose, i bought it partially because it has great hips. I put it next to a sidewalk though, which was stupid because all of the dogs that go by like to pee on it! So I don’t actually use the hips like I thought I would. Moral of the story, be careful where you put it. :smile:

I also have William Baffin, which is probably hardy to your zone. It’s supposed to be a climber but you really have to tie it up for it to work. It has small but cute orange hips. I haven’t gotten enough of them to use in tea yet but that is the goal.

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I’ve been in awe the few times I saw Rotesmeer rose hips.

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My interest in rose hips is to add a few vitamins to herb tea, and i like the looks. I haven’t noticed any flavor one way or another, rather bland fresh, though I’ve read there are good tasting hips. They’re attractive on the bush, too, of course. And for the birds. But i have a ways to go to cover all the bases. Sue

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And for rabbits, squirrels, …

How many ounces/grams of rose hips are required for a significant dosage of vitamins?

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Apple Roses (don’t know the latin) I got from Oikos have been extremely productive of good size hips, not as meaty as rugosa though.

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Our wild/native Rugosa’s bright red-pink and white varieties that grow near the sea are huge, somevthevsize of a half dollar! One summer I made rose-hip Jam. It was good but had a strong taste of iron. After one bite, you knew it was good for you!

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Robert Osborne of Corn Hill Nursery in New Brunswick, Canada, who grows and sells many hardy roses, recommends two rugosas for hips: Dart’s Dash and Fru Dagmar Hastrup (the latter is known under several similar names).

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My grandma always made tea from hips of dog-rose (Rosa canina), she religiously believed that this tea was the healthiest thing in the world.

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I used to pick those rugosa’s on a beach in Little Compton. We would look for the ones which were slightly shriveled as they were sweeter.

Let’s see if you know the place. It was down a gated private road and the beach was behind the farm. It’s a wildlife sanctuary, state protected now. You can still walk down from the South side.

Scott

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South Shore Beach in Little Compton?

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Right next to South Shore was Goosewing Beach. Growing up we used to go weekly from when they first opened until they closed for the season, every weekend.

Used to love stopping by FA Simmins for ice cream on the way home.

Scott

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I can speak to dart’s dash, very heavy cropper of really nice tasting hips.
There are nice hip roses at the service station in Town, and the person I asked thought they might be hanson.

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I have two varieties of rugosa planted in my yard and vineyard as well as a bunch of knock out roses.

The rugosa variety ‘Sweet Hips’ had a large amount of rose hips on it over the last year. It’s built like a tank and the only maintenance I do for it is to run over the suckers with the lawnmower and spray it with neem when/if it’s convenient every now and then. I ate a few of the hips fresh and used a bunch for flavoring tea, it has a good flavor to it

The other variety of rugosa (not sure of the name as the tag was lost) has not even put on a single flower yet, but did put on a huge amount of the thorniest branches I’ve ever seen on a rose. It doesn’t sucker as much as the ‘Sweet Hips’.

Rugosa roses are really tough plants.

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