Rosa Carolina – Carolina Rose

General Information: Rosa carolina, or pasture rose offers an abundance of dramatic, fragrant, single-flowered 5-petaled pink roses (up to 2.5″) that appear against a dark lush green backdrop in May. A low-maintenance, showy shrub with three season appeal. Be sure to allow space for the shrub to fill in. Spring blossoms, lush foliage, and rose hips later in the summer all add visual appeal to the landscape. The shrub provides year round cover for wildlife. Rosehips are a food source for songbirds, quail and wild turkey. Native bees nest in the dead, hollow stems, so it is advised to cut back plants to just 12-24″ in the fall, letting them disintegrate on their own. Flowers attract bees and butterflies, and Carolina rose is the host plant for the Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus), which is widespread in Massachusetts. 

Pasture rose is a native shrub naturally occurring in dryish or wet soils. It can be found in open woods, prairies, along streams, swamps, and along roads. Typically reaching just 1-3′ tall (occasionally 6′).  Rose hips form in late summer.  Rose hips are edible and plants have medicinal uses. 

Cultivation Details: Suckering, semi-low growing rose, with thorns, that can spread, so is better for an area it can fill in with abundant sun for best blossoming. Use in native plant gardens, hedges, or in a recreational area for edible, pollinator, and childrens’ play, along borders, rose gardens, meadows or naturalized areas. Plant anywhere you want to have fragrant, showy flowers that will attract birds, butterflies and wildlife. Effective for erosion control and soil stabilization.

Potential insect problems include aphids, beetles, borers, scale, thrips, rose midges, leafhoppers and spider mites.  In wet and humid seasons fungicide use may be necessary, however, this species of rose has better natural resistance to diseases than most of the hybrid roses. Planting in full sun can mitigate disease issues. Prune in late winter to early spring. Mulch to keep the roots cool, water from beneath, do not water from above. Remove and destroy diseased leaves and clean up dead leaves from the ground around the plants, during the growing season and in the fall. 

Edible Uses: Fruit can be consumed both raw or cooked, often used in teas, syrups and jellies. Fruits are somewhat sour. Hairs surrounding the seeds can be an irritant when eaten, so care must be taken to remove hairs, as well as seeds. Flowers can be used in salads, the petals are delicious, be sure to only use the petals, not the white base as it is bitter. The seeds are high in Vitamin E, and can be ground as a supplement. (Information courtesy of PFAF). 

Growing Requirements: Plant in full sun for best flowering, though partial shade is acceptable. Plants prefer medium to wet soil, that is well draining. . Will tolerate partial shade as well, but will exhibit better disease resistance in full sun.