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Resources < Wildlife Habitats < Native Plants < Native Plant Database <Rosa carolina

Carolina Rose
Pasture Rose
Rosa carolina

Carolina rose is the wild rose you picture in your mind’s eye; it fits perfectly with that romantic notion. It’s delicate-looking but tough, with a carefree, rambling habit and a preference for sunny old fields and pastures. Compound leaves and sparse, almost soft little prickles decorate the slender, unbranched stems. Bloom time is in May. Delightfully fragrant and charmingly simple, each flower is composed of a tuft of yellow stamens surrounded by a single layer of pink petals. The blossoms are followed by plump little hips that turn tomato-red in early fall and persist through the winter—or until the birds eat them. Humans can eat the hips, too (they’re high in vitamin C and great in teas and jellies), but I prefer to let mine be: They’re so bright and surprising in my winter garden, surrounded by ghostly dry grasses, spent seedpods, and faded wildflowers.

FAMILY: Rosaceae (Rose Family)

DESCRIPTION: Small deciduous shrub with pinnately compound leaves composed of 3 to 7 small, toothed leaflets. Fragrant 2-inch pink flowers are effective for several weeks in late spring. In early fall, leaves turn yellow and drop and small round hips ripen to bright orange-red.

SIZE: One to 3 feet high; 3 feet wide and spreading.

HABIT: Low-growing, semi-erect; spreads by underground runners.

GROWTH RATE: Moderate.

LIGHT: Full sun.

PLANTING AND CARE: For best results, plant in well-drained soil and plenty of sunlight. No spraying, pruning, or any other special maintenance is required! This rose is a tough one!

ORNAMENTAL VALUE: Assets include pink spring flowers, yellow fall color, and bright orange hips that persist into winter.

LANDSCAPE USAGE: Carolina rose is a terrific addition to the meadow, bird, or butterfly garden.

WILDLIFE BENEFITS: Flowers are a good source of nectar for bees. Hips persist long into winter and provide late-season food for mockingbirds, catbirds, brown thrashers, American robins, and eastern bluebirds.

NATIVE HABITAT: Found throughout Georgia in dry, rocky, sunny spots, including dry meadows, pastures, roadsides, and the edges of dry woods.

PROPAGATION: Seed, semi-hardwood cuttings. Seed requires 90 days’ stratification.

Text and photo by Leslie Kimel, Georgia Wildlife Federation