Are You Hip?

‘Ballerina’ Rose Hips

When you don’t remove the spent blossoms and stop pruning certain roses in late summer, such as Rugosa and Hybrid Musk cultivars like ‘Ballerina‘, you encourage the plant to produce rose hips.

Fruits that are high in vitamin C and natural sugars, rose hips provide a nutritious food source for wildlife such as birds, squirrels, turkeys, and chipmunks. Rose hips and other berries are especially important in winter when the ground is frozen and food is scarce.

We do not harvest rose hips and other bright red berries for decorative arrangements and holiday wreaths because that would be wasting a vital food source for our wildlife friends.