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Common Wild Rose

Rosa virginiana (ROH-sah ver-jin-ee-AY-nah)

Family: Rosaceae Native Shrub

Virginia rose is a woody, deciduous, perennial shrub in the rose family (Rosaceae). It is native to eastern North America and rapidly grows 4 to 6 feet tall. Virginia rose likes full sun to partial shade and sandy or loamy, acidic to neutral soil with good drainage. It is salt resistant. Propagate this rose by seed or stem cutting. Its pink flowers bloom from June to August, and the stems have numerous hooked prickles. The leaves turn color in the fall. Look here for a guide to pruning shrub roses. Native bees nest in the dead, hollow stems, so gardeners are encouraged to cut back dead stems to 12 to 24 inches and allow them to remain standing until they disintegrate on their own. Read more about best practices for stem-nesting bees in this NC Extension publication . This easy-to-grow rose provides food for wildlife. It attracts songbirds, bees, butterflies, and hoverflies. Use it in a native or pollinator garden. Its salt tolerance makes it a good choice in coastal areas. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Blackspot, powdery mildew, aphids, thrips, and mites. VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Rosa .

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 59 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 3 - Shrub Optimal soil pH Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Often confused with Rosa carolina

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Rose; Shrub
Life cycle
Perennial; Woody
USDA zones
3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Multi-stemmed
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green; Orange; Purple/Lavender
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Pinnate compound leaves with 7-9 glossy green leaflets 1" to 2.5" long. Purple to red-orange to yellow fall foliage.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Pink
Flower form
Solitary
Flower shape
Cup; Saucer
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
2 to 2.5 in. single pale pink flowers with yellow stamens in summer, usually from June into August. 5 petals each
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit size
1-3 inches long
Fruit detail
Edible shiny scarlet hips that persist into winter
Stem color
Green; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Reddish canes with curved prickles
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern North America
Distribution
AL , CT , DC , DE , GA , IL , MA , MD , ME , MO , NC , NH , NJ , NY , PA , RI , TN , VA , VT Canada: NB , NL , NS , ON , PE , QC
Wildlife value
Attracts birds, bees, butterflies, and hoverflies. Rose hips are edible. Dead stems are used by stem-nesting bees.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Pollinators; Small Mammals; Songbirds
Play value
Attracts Pollinators; Easy to Grow; Edible fruit; Wildlife Food Source
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Drupe

Edibility

Rose hips can be used to make jellies and jams.

Landscape Use
Landscape location
Coastal
Landscape theme
Butterfly Garden; Cottage Garden; English Garden
Design feature
Barrier; Border; Foundation Planting; Hedge; Mass Planting; Small groups
Garden tags
#deciduous #fall interest #bird friendly #deciduous shrub #native perennial #edible fruits #pink flowers #wildlife friendly #pollinator plant #bee friendly #butterfly friendly #nesting site
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Roses for North Carolina; Rose Chafer; Rose Pest Management Calendar; Japanese Beetles on Ornamental Landscape Plants; Pests of Rose
Other problems
White-Tailed Deer
Problems
Spines/Thorns
Resistant to
Salt
Propagation
Seed; Stem Cutting

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.