Planting rose hips: location, procedure & care

Anyone who plants wild roses in the garden can enjoy their fivefold flowers and deep red fruits - the rose hips. We give tips for the successful planting and care of wild roses.

Rose hips are the tasty and extremely healthy fruits of wild roses. We explain the most important steps for planting rose hips and the subsequent care.

Rosehip: origin and properties

The great genus of roses (pink) contains wild and also cultivated, double rose types from years of breeding work. They all belong to the rose family, which also includes the apple tree (penalty x domestica) and the strawberry (Fragaria) counting.
The term "wild rose" is used to describe various types of roses without double flowers and with edible fruits, the so-called rose hips. As originally with all rose plants, they have five petals. Many wild rose blossoms also emit a delicate to beguiling scent.

In contrast to a large number of double cultivated roses, they are not sterile and form flat-topped to lemon-shaped fruits after pollination. They soften when ripe in late fall and tend to turn deep red, attracting numerous birds. In return for the welcome winter food, they spread the numerous wild rose seeds throughout the landscape.

In general, the appearance of wild roses is very variable. Wild roses are basically shrubs, which is why they are also referred to as "rosehip bushes". However, there are also species that can grow very tall and can be grown as climbing roses. In our special article you will find an overview of the most beautiful ones wild rose species as well as their demands on location and soil.

Planting rose hips: location and procedure

A wild rose in the garden is not only a visual ornament, but also provides food and shelter for pollinating insects, birds and small mammals. It must therefore not be missing in natural gardens.
Wild roses can be planted as a hedge, individually, in groups or in areas to strengthen embankments. There are many different types of rosehip roses, each of which prefer different locations. Originally, they were found at the edges of forests, in wild hedges and on species-rich meadows. The ideal location for rose hips is therefore sunny to semi-shady. Basically, wild roses are adaptable and also grow on lean, rather dry soil. Depending on the species, the pH should be between slightly acidic and slightly calcareous. However, wild roses do not tolerate waterlogging and they quickly die of root rot. A medium-heavy, well-drained soil is therefore usually the best choice.

The best time to plant wild roses is in late autumn between October and the end of November. The hardy shrubs now go into hibernation and only form roots until spring. By the time the leaves sprout in the following spring, they have already grown somewhat and can provide themselves with water and nutrients.
Alternatively, it can be planted in early spring before the leaves sprout at the beginning of March, but more watering is required in hot summers. The pretty rosehip bushes usually require a lot of space in width. You should get a distance of 2 - 4 m to other plants. Rose bushes are planted bare-rooted or as a container plant with the root ball. Bare-rooted plants should be used as soon as possible so that the sensitive roots do not suffer from drought and direct sunlight.

Loosen the soil well and then dig sufficiently large planting holes. If necessary, you can mix the excavated earth with some compost. Injured or weak shoots are cut out with sharp secateurs and all shoots are shortened to a length of 20 – 30 cm. This encourages good branching and bushy growth. Now put the wild roses in, but do not plant the bushes deeper than they are already in the ground. Since there is no sensitive grafting point in the wild rosehip roses, it does not have to be set deeper or piled up. Finally, you fill up with soil, compact the substrate around the plant and then water it vigorously.

Can you plant rose hips in a pot? With the right kind, you can cultivate wild roses in tubs. Especially the small, bushy species such as sand rose (pink carolina), vinegar rose (Rosa gallica), Cinnamon Rose (Rosa majalis) or Glossy Rose (Rosa nitida) are good for this.

care for wild roses

The care required for wild roses is limited, as they get by with a low supply of nutrients and usually only have to be cut. Caution is advised here, because the shoots are often covered with numerous pointed to curved spines. In the vernacular, these are incorrectly referred to as thorns.

Water and fertilize wild roses

Wild roses in the garden hardly need to be watered once they are well established. In the first year after planting, however, it should be watered regularly in hot and dry times. Depending on the location of the wild rose, a single fertilization in the spring with some compost or a predominantly organic long-term fertilizer, for example ours, is usually sufficient Plantura organic rose fertilizer. The fertilizer granules, specially adapted to the needs of roses, release the nutrients they contain slowly and gently over a period of weeks. Work the slow-release fertilizer around the surface of the rose bush and then water well to stimulate the decomposition of the granules. On poor soils, or if there are already symptoms of deficiency, such as yellowing of the leaves, a second fertilization should be carried out after about three months.

Wild roses in pots, on the other hand, need regular watering all year round and fertilization more often. The nutrients in the potting soil are used up after a few months and have to be supplied from outside. When planting the rosehip bushes in the planter or when repotting, a predominantly organic long-term fertilizer should therefore be mixed into the substrate. A second fertilization takes place after three months, which provides your wild roses with all the important nutrients for the rest of the year.

Cutting wild roses: instructions and timing

Wild roses are generally easy to care for and require little or no pruning. As a rule, it is sufficient if you lightly thin out your wild roses in spring or summer. However, they are very tolerant of pruning and will reliably sprout again even after severe pruning. Therefore, they can also be used as hedges. These wild rose hedges should be cut once a year in spring so that they become more branched and opaque. If the wild roses grow too tall or overgrow, they can be cut back deeply in early spring between March and April. The same applies to older rose bushes, which over time will bare the inside. A strong rejuvenation cut of the shoots to about 50 centimeters promotes new growth and ensures that your wild rose produces many flowers and rose hips again.

Tip: The shoots of wild roses are usually very heavily covered with thorns. To avoid injuring yourself or damaging your clothing, be sure to wear thick gloves and old clothes when pruning roses.

In our special article on the subject, we explain the best way to proceed when pruning climbing roses, standard roses and the like cutting roses.

propagate wild roses

Wild roses are propagated from the seeds of rose hips. You belong to the cold germination, so they need a longer cold period to germinate. In autumn you can remove the seeds from the fruit and sow them about two centimeters deep in pots filled with soil. Put the pots outside over the winter. In the spring, after the winter cold spell, the first seeds will begin to germinate and form tender shoots. After a few weeks, you can transplant the robust, young wild roses into pots or directly into the bed.

Alternatively, true-to-breed cuttings can be cut from young, non-lignified shoots of existing wild rose bushes in summer. They should be about 10 - 15 cm long and, after removing the leaves, are planted in nutrient-poor, moist potting soil half enriched with sand, up to the tip of the shoot. Our Plantura Organic Herb & Seed Soil is particularly suitable for the vegetative propagation of wild roses. It stores moisture after watering and releases it again when needed, preventing the cuttings from drying out. The young wild rose shoots will soon form roots in a bright, shady location at room temperature. These young rosehip bushes can be planted out in autumn as they are completely hardy.

Harvesting and using rose hips

The rosehip harvest season begins in mid-October. Depending on the type, the fruits slowly become soft and mushy well into the winter. Now they can be harvested and enjoyed fresh or processed. Rosehip jam, puree, cider or wine are particularly popular, as is liqueur. In the dry state, leaves and fruits can be prepared into aromatic teas.

You can find more information about the ingredients and uses of rosehip in our article "Rose hip: 7 questions & answers about the fruit of the wild rose“.