Rosa rugosa
Rugosa rose

• Hardiness: USDA Zone 2. 

• Water use: Low.

• Light: Full sun or partial shade.

• Size: 3-6 feet tall, with similar spread. 

• Plant habit: Deciduous, thorny, dense, mounding shrub.

• Leaves: Bright, glossy green, compound leaves with a crinkled (rugose!) appearance. May develop attractive fall color, including red, orange, yellow, and bronze.

• Flowers: Bloom begins in early summer and continues throughout the season until frost. May bloom continuously or with brief rest periods. Flowers may be white, pink, reddish purple, or yellow, depending on cultivar. Some cultivars have doubled blossoms. Most are highly fragrant and attract bees. Flowers are 2 to 4 inches wide.

• Fruit: Most cultivars produce showy fruit called "hips." The hips are bright reddish orange and can be more than 1 inch across. Plants can have both fruits and flowers at the same time.

• Culture: Grows well in a wide range of soil types, including sandy ones. Withstands difficult conditions, including salt, drought, and extreme cold.

• Maintenance: Rugosa roses don't require the specialized pruning that the more traditional roses, such as hybrid teas and grandifloras, need. An occasional branch may need to be removed to maintain overall shape and appearance.

• Pests/Diseases: Relatively insect- and disease-free, depending on cultivar. May get aphids.

• Other: Try to find plants grown on their own roots, to avoid problems with winter injury at the graft union.

• Cultivars: We have had success with these rugosas:
• 'Frau Dagmar Hastrup'
• var. rubra