For those of us that enjoy using roses for natural remedies and recipes, the wild varieties are what we turn to first. Wild (or species) roses are more hardy than their highly bred cousins, and with their abundance of big red hips, they are a foragers delight! And with their wafer thin petals, they make excellent rose petal tea, much better than any of the common garden roses.
Just because these are “wild”, doesn’t mean you can’t plant a few in your garden, if you have the room. The Rugosa makes a wonderful garden plant, and has the benefit of cross breeding easily, and growing well from seeds and cuttings.
About The Wild or Species Roses
These native flowers can be found under many different names, including: Pasture Rose, Prairie Rose, Eglantine, Sweetbriar, and Scotch Briar.
The technical and scientific name for wild roses is the species rose. This means that its a naturally occurring breed, no hybidizing or cross breeding. So even though there are in excess of twenty thousand breed types, only slightly over 100 are wild. Authentic wild roses are (usually, but not always) single blooms, with only five petals. More petals means its a hybrid. They are mostly pink, although you will find some occasional white, yellow, and reds. They can be native to North America, Europe, and Asia.
Even those old roses you see on old farms are most likely not wild. They are just very hardy hybrids. You pretty much need to get out to some undeveloped countryside meadows to see native species.
One reason why wild roses are not as popular in gardens is because they tend to have limited bloom times. In most cases its only for about two weeks, in the early summer. While it can look spectacular when you are there, it makes your garden or meadow a little bare the rest of the year! Most meadow landscapers now cross breed with rugosa roses to get repeating blooms and hardy roses. One great version is the aptly named Nearly wild rose.
What Garden Roses Owe to Wild Roses
Wild roses are the starting point for all the garden roses we grow today. Breeders used different species roses to bring in useful traits, then crossed and selected from them over many generations.
Some species gave roses stronger growth or hardiness. Others brought fragrance, hips, disease resistance, climbing or rambling habits, repeat flowering, or new colors. The China roses were especially important for repeat flowering, while species such as Rosa foetida helped bring stronger yellow tones into rose breeding.
That is why wild roses are more than just simple five-petalled flowers. They are part of the genetic background behind Hybrid Teas, Floribundas, Ramblers, Climbers, Old Garden Roses, and many modern shrubs. Even the most highly bred rose still carries something from those earlier species.
Trivia:
I have been told the name “dog rose” comes from an old belief that the rose hips offered some protection against the bite of mad dogs. I can’t find anything to support this, but it seems reasonable considering the high levels of vitamin C and anti-oxidents in the hips.
Here Are Some Common Natural Species By Area:
Wild roses are found across much of the Northern Hemisphere, and different regions have their own well-known species. Some are still seen growing in hedgerows, woodland edges, riverbanks, and rough country, while others have spread far beyond their original home.
Europe
Some of the best known wild roses in Europe are dog rose (Rosa canina), sweet briar (Rosa rubiginosa), burnet rose (Rosa spinosissima), and field rose (Rosa arvensis). These are the kinds of roses that have been part of the countryside for centuries, and many old garden roses trace some of their ancestry back to them.
Asia
Asia is especially rich in wild rose species, and many important garden roses ultimately came from this part of the world. Well-known examples include Rosa rugosa, Rosa multiflora, Rosa moyesii, and Lady Banks’ rose (Rosa banksiae). China, Japan, and surrounding regions have contributed enormously to the development of modern roses.
North America
North America also has a good range of native wild roses, including Virginia rose (Rosa virginiana), Carolina rose (Rosa carolina), prairie rose (Rosa arkansana), swamp rose (Rosa palustris), and Nootka rose (Rosa nutkana). These tend to be hardy, useful shrubs, often with simple pink flowers followed by hips.
Australia and New Zealand
Neither Australia nor New Zealand has a large tradition of native wild roses in the way Europe, Asia, and North America do. Most of the wild roses seen there are introduced species that have naturalized, especially sweet briar (Rosa rubiginosa) and sometimes dog rose (Rosa canina). In places such as New Zealand’s Mackenzie Country, sweet briar has spread so widely that it is now regarded as an invasive pest.
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