Roses are often reserved for formal gardens, forgetting that they are originally civilized brambles that were so popular with the first gardeners that they were selected and then hybridized, to the point of arriving at cultivars that no longer have much in the way of wildness, some even have no thorns!
Natural gardeners also have their roses. Here is a selection of natural roses that are easy to find and easy to live with, without treatment, without complication.
Natural roses for a hedge
The first of all in Europe is of course the rose hip, rosa canina, which serves as a rootstock for many roses. This hardy shrub with an arching habit supports well a calcareous or heavy soil, and it even grows in the shade!
The rosehip can be used as an open hedge, associated with hazelnut or dogwood trees. In spring, its simple flowers with golden stamens are a delight. In autumn it attracts birds with its red fruits full of vitamins, do not cut them: they are a food guard for the winter!
The rough rose or rosa rugosa comes to us from Asia, more precisely the North East of China and Japan, hence its name of Japanese Rose. It is often disliked, used to roundabouts and freeway service areas on the pretext that it tolerates pollution and sea spray very well, we forget that it can make very pretty rustic hedges. Its embossed foliage is particularly covering. When not pruned, it quickly reaches a height of 1.5 to 2 meters. Its delicately scented petals are used for rotting pots. Its large fruits are also very decorative. A tip: install a plant every 1.20m and mix white and pink colors. The first two years, prune to obtain a dense hedge. If you have an oceanic climate, be careful to contain this very strong plant which is considered invasive on the coast. Calcareous soils do not suit it and make its leaves yellow.
The fruits of rosehips or Rosa rugosa are used for rose hip jam.
Natural roses for the bottom of a bed
The botanical rose Rosa glauca is perfect for the bottom of a bed. It is the only rose cultivated for its foliage! This shrub reaches 3 or 4 meters high if it is at its ease. Its foliage is wonderful at the bottom of a bed to bring out pink flowers for example. Its young leaves are purple, then they turn to metallic blue gray if the exposure is shaded, or keep their purple reflection if the exposure is sunny. Its mountainous origins make it a good candidate for dry and stony soil. Combine it with perennial geraniums and foxgloves to accentuate its country side. The English use it as a background for their rose beds in shades of pink or cream. Its small bright pink flowers are followed by small red fruits in autumn.
For a wild place we associate it with a small willow called red osier, the Salix purpurea nana.
Climbing roses
As for climbing roses, the 'New Dawn' is an easy rose that can colonize a fence or wall under its vegetal ardor. It gives off natural pearly pink flowers with a light fragrance. It blooms all summer long. This undemanding rosebush can climb to a height of almost 5 meters and can even withstand northern exposure. Place a few columbines and bistort knotweed at its feet, or mix it with a honeysuckle.
