While the bloom is off the rose right about now, there’s still plenty of beauty to behold. Fall ushers in the season for rose hips, those red to orange colored, round and fleshy little jewels. These hold seeds for future plants. A close relative of the apple, rose hips are bright, colorful and useful in crafts and cooking. They're also very high in linoleic acid and antioxidant vitamin C. This is why they're so often used in supplements and in cosmetics.
We see rose hips less and less in our own gardens because many of us dead head spent blossoms. In doing so, cut off the potential for them (literally). Perhaps seeing a few examples of how pretty they are. Also how much you can do with them might make us rethink pruning some of those blooms.
Here are four ways to use use rose hips for fall decorating and a few tips for harvesting. (Find excellent information on how to prepare rose hips for edibles and good recipes here.)
Gather fresh rose hips. (Forage from a variety of roses–heirloom to modern to beach–for different sizes and colors). Then slip the stems into a pre-made willow wreath from a craft store. Give them a spritz with hair spray if you’d like them to remain plump a bit longer.
Hips from Rosa rugosa (also known as “beach rose”) are among the largest. They are easy to find if you live along the coast. Cut longer stems and insert them into a knotted string for a most unusual seasonal napkin ring decoration. How simple is this!
Though they're not especially fragrant, rose hips make a lovely candle filler. This spans the seasons from harvest to Thanksgiving to Christmas. They’ll begin to dry and soften as they age. Easy, natural decorating that also looks elegant.
If you have lots and lots of rose hips, perhaps the most dramatic way to use them is this. Just to grab a bunch and then insert them into a vase. Mix in other seasonal elements. For instance, fresh or dried leaves, seed pods, and branches for a "fresh from the garden" vibe.
THREE ROSES TO GROW FOR HIPS
Seaside Swirl™ Rugosa Rose Series
Zone: 3 – 9
This tamer take on cold-hardy Rugosa roses offers plenty of rose hips in a smaller, 3 x 3 foot package. Available, in pink, red, and blush.
Flower Carpet® Amber Groundcover Rose
Zone: 4 – 10
While you might not think "rose hips" when considering Flower Carpet roses, they produce a huge crop. From small-to-medium sized bright red hips on longer stems.
Eau de Parfum™ Rose Series
Zone: 5 – 10
Fragrance is back with these richly petaled beauties, followed by wonderfully large rose hips come fall. Choose any of five fantastic colors.
Good to Know:
- Autumn is an ideal time of year to harvest rose hips.
- Harvest hips when they become a nice bright red or orange color, depending on species.
- Three ripe rose hips have more vitamin C than one orange.
- If using rose hips for food, be very careful. Make sure to use rose hips from roses that have not been treated with any form of pesticides. Do not use ones that are not specifically labeled as okay for food producing crops.