Now, I don't often get on a soap box, especially about plants, but I think that I'll rant a second about roses, in specific, species roses. As I'm sure most of you are aware, species roses are unhybridized roses that can be found in the wild. Where I live, we see Rosa carolina and R. palustis all over the place. Actually, we also see R. rugosa (perhaps the most commonly planted species rose) all over the place too but that one's not native. Species roses have several qualities that make them different from the plants most often refered to as roses. First off, they rarely require pruning, pest mamagement, or fertilzation. They are the same, in that respect, to most flowering shrubs. As the maxin goes, "Right plant, right place", a properly sited rose will perform very well. Secondly, species roses rarely bloom more than once per year. This is one reason that pest management in lowered. There are no flowers around when the Japanese Beetle is out and chomping on all the other roses. This single bloom usually results in some swell fruiting called, hips. I consider the hips to be one of the ornamental qualities of a species rose. Whether they are sexy and curvaceous as with R. moyesii and R. pendulina, yellow and pineappley as with R. roxburghii, or black and lusterous as with R. pimpinellifolia, you're usually going to get something that'll make the birds happy and satisfy all you all Martha Stewarts out ther who are looking for that special little something for the Thanksgiving centerpiece. Thirdly, as with most deciduous plants, you'll get some nice fall color with a species rose. I've seen yellows, oranges, reds and purples. And lastly, they often have a very nice, if tumbleweedish, architecture that fits nicely into the winter landscape. I might continue with this thread later and tell you all about some of my favorites and where to find them. In the mean time, I'll leave you with the Sweet Briar. Rosa eglanteria is the Sweet Briar and old English poetry. I can't say that it's my favorite but it has one quality that is just extraordinary, the leaves are fragrant and smell like apples. When they are young leaves in the spring of the year and the air is moist and cool, I'll often get a whiff of apple in the air that is fresh and perfect for the spring. (For those of you who might be unaware, apples are in the rose family) That suprise fragrance in the air as I'm walking around in my garden with my eyes to the ground, scanning for any new signs of growth, always brings a smile to my face and a curl to my toes. I will admit to not finding much else to be particularly noteworthy about the Sweet Briar but that one quality is so pleasant and such a treat that it bears mentioning.
Currently Rosa rubiginosa rather than R. elganteria. Smells nice but wickedly thorny and a reseeding pest in parts of North America. Flowers have same wild rose prettiness as R. canina (another pest species in North America).
Buckthorne - roses have their own forum, so that's why I've moved this out of Woody Plants. I like your rant!
