Roses🌿 Native to the NetherlandsVery hardy — tolerates frost down to -20°C

Dog Rose

Rosa canina

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The Dog Rose is the most well-known wild rose in the Netherlands and a true classic for the native garden. With its light pink to white flowers and large red rose hips, it is both decorative and ecologically valuable. The rose hips contain twenty times more vitamin C than oranges.

Year calendar

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
🌸Blooms
🐝Provides nectar
🍓Bears fruit
🍂Has autumn colour

Pruning period

✂️Best pruning period: Feb–Mar

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
✂️ Pruning period

Best pruning period

Prune the dog rose lightly in late winter or early spring. Remove dead, old, or crossing branches. Leave young shoots for blooming and hips.

Botanical profile

Site & soil

Sun, Half shade

Soil type: Clay, Loam, Sand, Clay, Sand, Loam, Humus-rich

Moisture need: Moist, Moderately moist, Dry

pH: Slightly acidic (5.5–6.5), Neutral (6.5–7.5), Chalky (>7.5)

Nutrient richness: Moderately nutrient-rich, Nutrient-rich

Humus content: Moderately humus-rich, Humus-rich, Humus-poor

Water drainage: Well draining, Moisture-retentive

Appearance & season

Mature height: 150-500cm

Bloom: Jun-Jul

Autumn colour: Yellow-green to yellow. Its ornamental value lies mainly in the white to pale pink flowers, arching branches, and red hips in late summer and autumn.

Properties

Salt sensitive: No

Edible: The ripe rose hips are edible after proper processing. They have a fresh-sour to slightly tart taste and can be used for tea, syrup, jam, or jelly; remove the hairy seeds.

Scent: The flowers have a light, soft rose scent. The leaves do not give off a clear apple scent when rubbed; that distinguishes the dog rose from the sweet briar rose.

Ecological value

Most common native rose; host to 100+ species

Food web & Biodiversity

🐛 Caterpillars & mothsUseful

🐝 Bees & bumblebeesVery useful

🪰 HoverfliesUseful

🦋 ButterfliesVery useful

🪲 Beetles & insectsVery useful

🐦 BirdsUseful

🐿️ MammalsUseful

🐞 Other animalsUseful

The open flowers provide pollen for wild bees and hoverflies, while the rose hips are a vital food source for blackbirds, thrushes, and small mammals during autumn and winter.

Distribution in the Netherlands