Plant Profile

Rosa sp. (Rose)

One of the oldest cultivated ornamentals, Rosa is a genus with over 100 species and thousands of cultivated varieties. Roses are woody shrubs or rambling climbers. They are either deciduous, evergreen or semi-evergreen, and all have stems lined with sharp woody thorns. Roses have been grown for their beauty, food, perfume and medicine for nearly 5000 years. Rose cultivation hit a higher level of intensity in Victorian times and today scores of new, often patented, varieties are introduced each year. Rose habit and size varies widely. They can be shrub forming, upright, climbing or scrambling and large or miniature. All have compound leaves that are most commonly glossy and dark to medium green, Most lose their leaves each season, but some are evergreen. Bloom time is variable. Most old cultivars of European heritage bloom with intensity for a short window of time in spring, summer or fall, depending on origin. Everyone is familiar with rose flowers. They are either single, semi-double or double and species, with sweet fragrance. Flower color varies widely and comes in hues of red, orange, yellow, pink, lavender, white and coral with many bicolors. The fruit is a berry-like hip, which is edible, high in vitamin C and used for tea and sometimes compotes or jam. Rose-hips also provide important winter food to wildlife. Roses prefer full to partial sun, moderate temperatures and perfectly drained, slightly acid soil with average to good fertility. They often grow best in places with slightly dry climates, because such climates disfavor the fungal diseases that plague roses. Roses are a landscape must—particularly newer disease resistant ever-blooming cultivars. Beyond landscape use, roses are used for perfume, medicine and food by cultures worldwide.

  • Landscape Information
  • Botanical Description
  • Horticulture Management
  • By A. Barra (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
  • By Hamachidori (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.1 jp (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.1/jp/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons
  • By Ananta Bhadra Lamichhane from Kathmandu, Nepal (Berry in the autumn) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
  • By Nadiatalent (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
  • By Nadine Modad
By A. Barra (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

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  • By A. Barra (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
  • By Hamachidori (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.1 jp (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.1/jp/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons
  • By Ananta Bhadra Lamichhane from Kathmandu, Nepal (Berry in the autumn) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
  • By Nadiatalent (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
  • By Nadine Modad
By A. Barra (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

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  • By A. Barra (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
  • By Hamachidori (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.1 jp (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.1/jp/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons
  • By Ananta Bhadra Lamichhane from Kathmandu, Nepal (Berry in the autumn) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
  • By Nadiatalent (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
  • By Nadine Modad
By A. Barra (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

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