Dog Rose Hedge

Flowers and hips

In late spring and early summer Dog Rose is covered in simple, lightly scented five-petalled flowers in shades of pale pink and white. These are followed by oval rosehips that ripen to orange-red in autumn and often hang on into winter.

Wildlife value

The open flowers are easy for bees and other pollinators to feed from, the hips are eaten by birds through autumn and winter, and the thorny, tangled stems give small birds safe cover for nesting. That is why it is a staple of traditional British hedgerows.

A thorny, informal boundary

Dog Rose grows long, arching, prickly stems, so it makes a loose, natural-looking barrier rather than a tight formal hedge. It is at its best woven through a framework plant such as Hawthorn hedging or planted as part of our native mixed hedging.

Soil and position

Dog Rose grows in most soils, including clay and chalk, as long as the ground is not waterlogged. It flowers and fruits best in full sun or light shade and copes well with wind, exposed sites and coastal gardens.

Dog Rose or Rosa Rugosa?

Dog Rose is the native choice for wildlife and country hedges. If you want a denser, more ornamental rose hedge with large fragrant flowers through summer, especially near the sea, compare our Rosa Rugosa hedging.

Planting

Plant bare-root Dog Rose while it is dormant, when the ground is not frozen or waterlogged, in a weed-free strip. Protect young plants with rabbit guards where rabbits are about, and water through the first dry spring and summer.

How fast does Dog Rose grow?

Once established, Dog Rose typically grows around 30–60cm a year and can reach several metres if left untrimmed. Cutting new plants back after planting encourages more stems from the base.

Pruning

Prune selectively rather than clipping hard, because Dog Rose flowers on older stems and close trimming removes next year's flowers and hips. Remove a few of the oldest or untidy stems in late winter, once birds have taken most of the hips, and avoid cutting while birds are nesting. Our Dog Rose care guide covers planting, feeding, pruning and common rose problems in detail.