Rose hips give autumn gardens a colour boost
It’s their flowers that make roses so immensely popular. But did you know that many garden roses form beautiful shiny rose hips after flowering? With a little luck, you will be enjoying these little gems well into winter.
Autumn is the perfect time to plant roses.
A choice to make
Many roses are able to form rose hips after flowering. Wild roses in particular, but also many cultivated shrub and climbing roses are proper hip artists.
The colour of these shiny pearls varies from blue-green, yellow, orange and red to purple or black. The shape can be round to elongated.
Wild roses can simply be allowed to go to seed, but otherwise every gardener has a choice to make: deadhead the roses so that all the energy goes into making new flower buds or leave them for the hips?
How to plant?
Plant your garden rose in a spot with at least 4 hours of sun, preferably more. The soil must be well-drained, as roses do not like to get their feet wet. Dig a large deep planting hole. Many roses consist of a (wild) rootstock and the rose variety itself. Plant them so that the thickening above the roots with the first branches protrudes 3 to 5 cm below the ground. Mix some organic fertiliser through the top soil and press down gently. Water generously. You can enjoy rose hip splendour as early as the first year; it will get bigger and bigger every year!
Did you know that…
a rose hip is not a real fruit but a false fruit? The real fruits are the seeds, which are inside the hips.
itching powder is made from the hairs on the seeds from the hips? They irritate the skin.
the pulp of wild rose hips can be used to make foods such as chutney, jam and wine, chock-full of vitamins and minerals?
at roses4gardens.com you can find more information about garden roses?