Shining rose

Shining rose: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low, dense shrub about 0.6 m tall and 1 m wide, spreading by suckers.

Stems

Thin and red-brown, covered in many fine, bristle-like prickles rather than large thorns.

Leaves

7–9 small, glossy, finely toothed leaflets; red to crimson in autumn.

Flowers

Single, bright pink flowers of about 5–6 cm, in June–July.

Fruit

Small, round, red hips in autumn.

Flowering: June–July · Harvest and fruit: June and September–November · Plants: March–April and October–November · Pruning: March

Why grow it?

• Glossy leaves and brilliant red autumn colour: two seasons of interest in one plant.
• Single pink flowers in June–July, attractive to bees.
• Red hips in autumn as food for birds.
• Low and ground-covering: forms a dense mat that suppresses weeds.
• Also tolerates damp, acid and peaty soil, where many roses fail.
• Very hardy (to about −35 °C) and low maintenance.

Shining rose: where does it grow best?

• Sun to partial shade; in sun it flowers best and the autumn colour is finest.
• Sand, loam, clay or peaty soil, acid to chalky. It tolerates acid soil better than many other roses.
• Normally moist to damp; it also tolerates wet soil. Water in long dry summers.
• Sheltered or open: it is very hardy.
• Set ground-cover plants 50–70 cm apart; they knit together after a few years.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam, clay or peat

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal or wet

Size

0.6 m tall, 1 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -35 °C)

Goes well with

• Heather: Also likes acid soil and colours the autumn and winter.
• Purple moor grass: A graceful grass for damp, acid soil, with golden autumn colour.
• Hardy geranium: A low, flowering plant for the base of the shrub.
• Lady’s mantle: A soft, yellow-green edging that fills the ground between the stems.

Shining rose: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and October–November.

1. Plant in March–April or in October–November, when the soil is neither frozen nor waterlogged.
2. Clear the spot of weeds: young plants cope poorly with competition.
3. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and just as deep and mix in compost.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as in its pot, fill in with soil and firm it well.
5. Water in generously straight away, even if it is raining.
6. Spread a layer of bark or compost between the plants against weeds; set ground-cover plants 50–70 cm apart.

Care

Water

In the first year give a good can of water weekly in dry spells. After that it manages on its own, except in long dry summers.

Feeding

A spadeful of compost in spring is enough.

Mulching

A layer of bark or compost keeps the soil moist and suppresses weeds until the plants knit together.

Weeding

Weed for the first two years, until the plants have closed up. After that they suppress weeds themselves.

Suckers

Cut off with a spade any suckers that come up outside the area you want.

Tip: Plant it in groups on a sunny or partly shaded bank and let it spread freely: the autumn colour is finest in sun.

Shining rose: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March.

When: It needs little pruning. Do a tidy-up in March, before it comes into leaf.

How:

• Remove dead and weak stems.
• Every few years take out some of the oldest stems at the base to make room for new shoots.
• Cut off with a spade any suckers that come up outside the area.
• Wear gloves: the fine prickles sting.

Caution: Do not prune in autumn: you would lose the autumn colour and the hips.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Separating suckers

In spring or autumn, cut off a rooted sucker with a spade and replant it at once. This is the easiest method.

Seed

Take the seeds out of ripe hips in autumn and sow them at once in a pot that you leave outdoors. They need cold and often germinate only after one or two winters.

Shining rose: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −35 °C.

• Very hardy to about −35 °C: in Belgium no protection is needed.
• The red-brown stems and the red hips decorate the winter.
• In a pot: choose a wide pot with acid, moist potting compost and wrap it in hessian in severe frost.

Diseases and pests

• Spreading: It gradually widens by suckers. Cut off suckers where you do not want them.
• Drought stress: The leaf edges dry out in a very dry summer. Water generously and mulch the soil.
• Aphids: On young shoots and buds in May–June. Rinse them off with water or let ladybirds do the work.
• Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves in a dry, stuffy spot. Provide air and water at the base and cut away affected shoots.

Through the year

• March: Tidy-up. Plant. Give compost.
• April: Plant. Spread mulch.
• May: The buds form. Watch for aphids.
• June: Flowering begins.
• July: Flowering. Water in dry weather.
• August: The hips colour.
• September: The leaves begin to colour.
• October: Red autumn colour. Plant.
• November: Plant. Leave the red hips.
• December: Rest.

Edible and useful

Flowers (June)

In June, on a dry morning, pick some of the pale pink petals; leave plenty of flowers for hips and insects. They are edible and give a light rose scent to syrup, sugar or a salad.

Fruit (September–November)

Harvest rose hips from late September, when they are bright red and still firm, or after the first frost, when they are softer and sweeter. They are rich in vitamin C and make tea, syrup, purée and jam. The seeds and their itchy hairs must always be removed.

Storing

Dry halved, deseeded hips on a rack or in the oven at 40–50 °C until hard, and keep them in a closed jar. Whole hips can be frozen, which also softens them. Dry petals spread out on paper in the shade.

Fermenting

Rose hip wine is an old country recipe: the hips are fermented with sugar, water and yeast.

Caution: The seeds sit in a layer of fine hairs that irritate the mouth, throat and gut (children once used them as itching powder): remove them carefully and strain teas and syrups through a fine cloth or coffee filter. Only pick hips from wild or unsprayed roses, away from busy roads. Do not confuse the red hips with the poisonous berries of spindle, yew or honeysuckle, for example.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Rose hip tea (Tea · 1 teapot (± 4 cups) · 5 min + 10 min simmering)
• Rose hip syrup (Syrup · ± 750 ml · 1 hour + 2 rounds of draining)
• Rose petal sugar (Other · ± 250 ml · 20 min + 1–2 days drying)
• Rose hip soup (Dish · 4 servings · 1 hr)

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Birds

Berries, seeds or insects as food, or a place to nest.

Did you know?

• The species name nitida means ‘shining’, after its glossy leaves.
• In the wild it grows in eastern North America in damp, peaty soil: a rose that also tolerates wet, acid ground.
• The stems carry no large thorns but fine, bristle-like prickles.