Gardening Guides
Flowers and Plants
Smooth Rose’s Arching, Not-So-Thorny Canes Provide Beauty All Year
Plant Rosa blanda, native from the Great Lakes eastward, for its long bloom season, pollinator food and attractive red hips in autumn
Smooth rose (Rosa blanda) is a large native rose that occurs along the edges of woodlands or in open, sunny sites in prairies or fields from the Great Lakes region to the East Coast. This attractive rose can be used in a formal garden supported by a trellis, naturalized on the edge of a woodland or planted along a fence.
Although its pink flowers are nectarless, the rose is still an important source of pollen for native female bees and other pollen-foraging insects, such as flies and beetles. As a bonus, the bright red hips (fruit) provide interest in the autumn garden and often persist into winter.
Although its pink flowers are nectarless, the rose is still an important source of pollen for native female bees and other pollen-foraging insects, such as flies and beetles. As a bonus, the bright red hips (fruit) provide interest in the autumn garden and often persist into winter.
Water requirement: Low; no additional watering needed once established except during extreme droughts
Light requirement: Partial sun to sun
Mature size: 4 to 8 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide
Benefits and tolerances: Tolerates partial sun and dry, well-drained soil
Seasonal interest: Light to dark pink flowers in late spring; red hips beginning in late summer or autumn
When to plant: Spring or fall; potted plants available from native plant nurseries in areas where it occurs
Light requirement: Partial sun to sun
Mature size: 4 to 8 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide
Benefits and tolerances: Tolerates partial sun and dry, well-drained soil
Seasonal interest: Light to dark pink flowers in late spring; red hips beginning in late summer or autumn
When to plant: Spring or fall; potted plants available from native plant nurseries in areas where it occurs
Distinguishing traits. This native rose is less thorny than other wild rose species because the new growth lacks thorns. A profusion of large, open flowers bloom from mid-May into June. The bright red hips persist on the plant into late fall and sometimes winter. It can be a tall rose, producing long stems that may need support. If given the room, the stems often arch, producing a mounding habit.
A female mining bee (Andrena sp.) forages on the flower for pollen.
How to use it. Plant along the edge of a woodland, in a sunny perennial garden, naturalized in prairie or along a fence. Smooth rose is a tall rose with long stems. If the stems don’t have support from neighboring plants, they will arch, forming a medium-size mounding plant. You can use a trellis in formal plantings to support the stems if needed.
Planting notes. This native shrub is easy to grow and get established. Water the soil and not the foliage to prevent any foliar diseases. Deer usually leave it alone.
How to use it. Plant along the edge of a woodland, in a sunny perennial garden, naturalized in prairie or along a fence. Smooth rose is a tall rose with long stems. If the stems don’t have support from neighboring plants, they will arch, forming a medium-size mounding plant. You can use a trellis in formal plantings to support the stems if needed.
Planting notes. This native shrub is easy to grow and get established. Water the soil and not the foliage to prevent any foliar diseases. Deer usually leave it alone.
Pollinator notes. The pink flowers are nectarless and offer only pollen to visiting insects, which include flies, beetles and bees.
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Common names: Smooth rose, smooth wild rose, meadow rose, early wild rose
Origin: Native to North Dakota eastward to Maine in the north and from Kansas eastward to Virginia in the south; in Canada, native to southern Manitoba eastward to Nova Scotia
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 45 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 42.8 degrees Celsius (USDA zones 2 to 6; find your zone)
Typical plant communities: Woodland edges, old fields, field margins, prairies, near lakes