Dog rose

Sun

Full sun or partial shade; flowering and hip production are best in sun.

Water

Water regularly during the first growing season. Established plants tolerate some drought but benefit from deep watering during prolonged dry spells.

Soil

Well-drained clay, loam, chalk or sandy soil; tolerates a broad pH range, including alkaline soil. Avoid permanently waterlogged ground.

Height

6-10 ft (1.8-3 m), sometimes taller when supported by nearby vegetation

Spread

6-10 ft (1.8-3 m)

Flowers

Late spring to early summer; single, five-petalled flowers in pale pink to white, usually with yellow stamens. Flowers once rather than repeatedly.

Foliage

Green, divided leaves, usually with five or seven toothed leaflets; deciduous.

Growth

Fast once established

Care needed

Medium

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen
• Fragrant

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   4 ft (1.1 m)

3. After 2 years

   5 ft (1.7 m)

4. After 3 years

   7 ft (2.3 m)

5. After 5 years

   8 ft (2.4 m)

   full size

About 3 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

the UK

Invasive in

the US, Canada and Australia

In the garden

Spreads vigorously: plan to contain it.

Growth rate

Fast

• Water deeply during dry weather in the first growing season rather than giving frequent light sprinklings.
• Mulch in spring with compost or well-rotted manure, keeping it clear of the stem bases.
• On poor soil, apply a balanced rose fertiliser in spring at the labelled rate; avoid heavy nitrogen feeding.
• Allow space for arching stems, or tie them loosely to a sturdy fence with soft ties.
• Remove unwanted suckers and seedlings while small, especially near natural habitats.

Pruning. In late winter, remove dead, damaged and crossing stems, and cut a few of the oldest stems to ground level when renewal is needed. It flowers on older wood, so avoid shortening every stem; leave spent flowers if you want hips.

Late autumn

Plant bare-root roses while dormant, provided the ground is neither frozen nor waterlogged.

Late winter

Remove damaged wood and thin congested older stems; wear thick gloves and long sleeves.

Spring

Mulch, feed if needed, and check ties before new stems lengthen.

Late spring

Check young shoots for aphids and dislodge heavy colonies with water.

Summer

Water young plants during dry spells and leave faded flowers to develop hips.

Autumn

Enjoy the hips, leave some for birds, and remove unwanted seedlings.

• Include in a mixed country hedge with hawthorn, hazel and blackthorn for flowers, fruit and dense cover.
• Place at the back of a large informal border, with hardy geraniums beneath its arching stems.
• Train loosely along a strong boundary fence for a natural-looking screen.
• Use at a sunny woodland edge where its stems can mingle with other shrubs without obstructing paths.

Garden styles it suits: English country, Cottage garden, Wildlife garden, Native hedgerow, Rewilded and Romantic rose garden.

Plant it with: Hawthorn, Hazel, Blackthorn, Hardy geranium, Foxglove and Oxeye daisy.

Wildlife: Open flowers provide pollen for bees and other insects. Hips feed birds and mammals, while the dense, prickly growth offers shelter and nesting cover. Its strongest ecological fit is within its native range.

• Aphids cluster on soft shoots: encourage ladybirds and other predators, or wash colonies off with a firm jet of water.
• Black spot causes dark leaf patches and early leaf fall: collect fallen infected leaves, water at soil level and thin congested growth.
• Powdery mildew coats leaves and shoots: prevent drought stress, improve airflow and remove badly affected shoot tips.
• Rose rust produces orange pustules on leaves: remove affected leaves and fallen debris, and avoid wetting foliage when watering.

Not known to be toxic to cats, dogs, horses or people. The flesh of ripe hips is edible, but the hairs surrounding the seeds can irritate the mouth, skin and digestive tract and should be removed before use. Prickles can cause puncture injuries; avoid eating hips from plants treated with unsuitable pesticides.

Where it spreads. Spreads by bird-dispersed seed and sometimes suckers. It is invasive in parts of southeastern Australia, including Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia, and in parts of western North America, including the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. Check local weed guidance before planting outside its native range, particularly near bushland, grassland or woodland.

• Sweet briar (Rosa rubiginosa)

  Its leaves have glandular hairs beneath and a strong apple scent when rubbed, especially in warm or damp weather; dog rose lacks this distinctive scent.

• Multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora)

  Usually carries large clusters of small white flowers and has conspicuously fringed stipules at the leaf bases; dog rose has larger flowers, singly or in small groups.

• Field rose (Rosa arvensis)

  Usually has white flowers with the styles joined into a projecting central column, and a more trailing habit; dog rose has separate styles and generally more upright, arching growth.

Rosa is the Latin word for rose, and canina means 'of dogs', reflecting an old belief that the plant could treat bites from rabid dogs.

Propagation. Take hardwood cuttings in late autumn or winter, or detach rooted suckers while dormant. Seed needs a prolonged sequence of warm and cold conditions and may take two years or longer to germinate.

Accepted botanical name

Rosa canina

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Austria, Baleares, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Is., Central European Rus and Corse.

Measured

Soil pH 5.5 to 6.5. Average height 192 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.