Virginia Rose

Rosa virginiana

Native to: All New England

Life cycle: Perennial Shrub

Light: Full/Partial Sun

Soil Moisture: Dry to Medium

Height: 2-4’
Spacing: 3-6’

Blooms: Summer
Bloom Color: Pink

Fruits: Summer
Fruit Color: Red

Natural Habitat: Dry, sandy, or gravelly meadows and roadsides

Pairs Well With: New Jersey tea, downy goldenrod, wild bee-balm, foxglove beardtongue, small bayberry, sweetfern, and rosy meadowsweet

Benefits: Fall Foliage, Host Plant, Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Songbirds, Pollinator Powerhouse Plant, Benefits Other Pollinators/Wildlife, Attracts Bees, Drought Tolerant, Deer/Rabbit Resistant, Urban Environment, Salt Tolerant, Fragrant, Low Maintenance, Erosion Control/Soil Stabilization

“Virginia rose is a great species to start with when you’ve been told too many times that roses are difficult to grow. This is a drought-tolerant, disease-resistant species that works beautifully in hedges, masses, or for naturalizing.”

– Native Plant Trust

“In mid-summer, lovely pink, single flowers with yellow centers cover this mounding shrub, attracting many species of bees. Foliage is dark green and shiny. In the fall, red fruits provide beauty and food for overwintering animals. Hips make a nice tea high in vitamin C.”

– Wild Seed Project

Featured image by Alvesgaspar - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27748986