Gardening

Stop and eat the roses? How to select & use edible roses in your garden.

Stop and eat the roses? How to select & use edible roses in your garden. thumbnail
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Edible roses are a delicious, nutritious, and beautiful addition to your edible landscape. In this article you’ll discover how to use the edible parts of a rose plant, which rose varieties are best for edibility, and how to grow roses organically!


Table of contents:

Read the whole article or jump right to the section you’re interested in:

I. Our introduction to edible roses
II. Edible parts of a rose plant and how to use them
III. Selecting the best edible rose varieties
IV. How to grow edible rose plants organically
V. Frequently asked questions about edible roses

I. Our introduction to edible roses

The Tyrant and I love growing interesting and unusual varieties of food in our edible organic landscape. Gardens don’t have to be designed as ugly rows of plants.

Ideally, gardens can perform multiple functions. We think providing a relaxing, beautiful environment for humans is one such function.

Given our somewhat limited garden space, there is usually quite a bit of spousal bickering that has to take place before we agree on any given plant that will be added into our system, especially if it’s a long-lived perennial plant.

My primary consideration: is it edible? The Tyrant’s primary consideration: does it produce beautiful flowers?

Luckily, there are plenty of plants that match both these criteria, so our marriage has managed to stay intact throughout many years of gardening and plant trials.

Edible roses - Freshly harvested Cardinal de Richelieu roses ready to be made into delicious fermented drinks (link to recipe below!).

Freshly harvested Cardinal de Richelieu roses ready to be made into delicious fermented drinks (link to recipe below!). This plant also produces marital bliss. 

Our first edible rose plants

One such plant that we initially squabbled about years ago was roses. When The Tyrant informed me that we would be putting in roses that year, I initially protested.

Why should we waste garden space on perennial plants that: a) don’t produce food, and b) are typically very disease-prone? Just because rose plants are pretty and smell good wasn’t a good enough justification for me.

However, once The Tyrant educated me on the fact that plenty of rose varieties do in fact make wonderful edibles, I acquiesced. Between us (don’t tell her), I’m glad I listened to her “voice of reason” because roses are actually one of the most multifunctional plants we grow. As I now know, roses aren’t simply edible, they can be downright delicious.  

A saucepan full of processed rose hips being cooked down for rose hip preserves at Tyrant Farms.

A saucepan full of processed rose hips being cooked down for rose hip preserves at Tyrant Farms.

The rose family’s many celebrities 

It shouldn’t be too surprising that roses produce edible parts. That’s because roses are part of a famous family chock full of celebrities, plant family that is: Rosacaea.

Roses are closely related to almonds, apples, apricots, cherries, peaches, pears, plums, and other fruit you’ve probably eaten countless times. And some roses produce gorgeous hips (the fruit) with curves that would fit right in on a Kardashian Instagram page. (No, roses are not closely related to the Kardashian family.)       

Rose hips ripening on our Rosa Rugosa plants. Can you see their resemblance to apples, their close relative? Edible roses / Are roses edible?

Rose hips ripening on our Rosa Rugosa plants. Can you see their resemblance to apples, their close relative?

II. What parts of a rose are edible and how do you use them?

Don’t let those thorny branches fool you: nearly every part of a rose plant is edible. Here are the parts of a rose plant you can consume: 

This photo shows all the edible parts of a rose at various stages in development: leaves, flower bud, petals, and immature rose hip.

This photo shows all the edible parts of a rose at various stages in development: leaves, flower bud, petals, and immature rose hip.

1. Edible rose leaves

Yes, rose leaves are edible.

Rose leaf harvesting tips

Pick rose leaves when they’re young for best flavor. Pluck them off with your fingernails or use clippers and gloved hands if you’re harvesting from a thornier rose variety.

How to eat rose leaves

You don’t want to eat rose leaves as a salad green, but they are good in a tea leaf mix. On their own, they have a flavor similar to black tea, but they don’t contain caffeine. (There are plenty of other plants you can grow in your garden that do contain caffeine.)

Use rose leaves raw or dried in an herbal tea mix.

2. Edible rose buds 

Yes, rose buds (the unopened flowers) are edible and LOADED with rose flavor, assuming you’re using a fragrant variety.

Rose bud harvesting tips

We like to pick unopened rose buds on our domesticated plants throughout the spring and summer months. Cut the whole bud off at the base using clippers when the bud is full and just about to begin opening.

We also find small-budded wild roses growing near us that produce a flavor that’s perhaps even better than our large, domesticated varieties. Unlike some of our domesticated varieties that produce throughout the warm months, the wild roses in our area only produces one round of buds in early spring.

Just be sure to leave enough buds on your rose plants so they can produce petals and hips!

How to eat rose buds

We lay our freshly harvested rose buds out in a single layer on a plate or tray to dry indoors under a ceiling fan. After they’re completely dry (2-4 weeks) they can be stored in jars or bags.

Rose buds make an excellent tea, but can also be used as flavoring in other dishes as well. 

Mmm, dried rose buds from our Rosa rugosa plants. 2-3 rose buds is all it takes to make a strongly-flavored cup of rose bud tea.

Mmm, dried rose buds from our Rosa rugosa plants. 2-3 rose buds is all it takes to make a strongly-flavored cup of rose bud tea.

3. Edible rose petals & whole flowers

Yes, rose petals are edible. They’re probably our favorite edible part of the plant due to their unique flavor and vibrant color potential (although there are good edible white-petaled roses). 

Rose petal harvesting tips

The nice thing about rose petals is you don’t have to harvest the whole flower to obtain petals. You can simply pull them from the flower head before they begin to brown and fall off the plant.

Yes, this means you can harvest rose petals and still get rose hips!

Our fermented rose cordial is made with the whole rose flower head and the glasses are rimmed with fermented rose petal powder.

Our fermented rose flower cordial is made with the whole rose flowerhead — and the glasses are rimmed with fermented rose petal powder.

How to eat rose petals

There are lots of ways to eat rose petals. One thing you might enjoy doing is googling a particular country, region, or ethnic group + “rose petal recipe” to find culturally unique rose petal recipes.

Rosa rugosa 'Alba' flowers in the foreground plus a rose bud (top middle). Both rose petals and buds are edible, but some varieties are better than others.

Rosa rugosa ‘Alba’ flowers in the foreground plus a rose bud (top middle). Both rose petals and buds are edible, but some varieties are better than others.

A few of our favorite ways to eat fresh rose petals include:

  • add fresh rose petals to a salad,
  • chop rose petals and put them in honey to be used as a spread (popular in Greece),
  • chopped into a summer sorbet,
  • candied rose petals,
  • add rose petals as a colorful dessert garnish.

You can use dried rose petals in teas as well, but they don’t pack nearly the flavor of rose buds.

4. Edible rose hips

Yes, rose hips are edible.

What has more Vitamin C than oranges and tastes like a tangy apricot? Ripe rose hips. That’s why rose hips are probably our favorite edible part of the rose plant.

Are rose hips a fruit? Like apples, rose hips are technically a “false fruit” since the edible part is actually a swollen part of the stem (receptacle), not a developed ovary.

One of our Rosa rugosa plants. As you can see, a good rose bush can produce quite a few hips. Pick them once they're uniformly ripe (orange or red, depending on the variety). Unlike apples or pears, they'll continue to produce all season until first frost.

One of our Rosa rugosa plants. As you can see, a good rose bush can produce quite a few hips. Pick them once they’re uniformly ripe (orange or red, depending on the variety). 

Each variety of rose produces different sizes, colors, and flavors of hips (see section below for the best varieties). The hips we grow ripen to certain hues of red and orange.

Rose hip harvesting, preparation, and cooking tips

Harvest rose hips when they’re fully orange or red in color (no green remaining). Clip the hip at its base with clippers to remove from the plant.

Cut the hips in half and scrape out the seeds with a blunt knife or your fingernail.

Remove the seeds before using rose hips in recipes.

Remove the seeds before using rose hips in recipes.

If you don’t have many rose plants, you can store the fresh hips in a freezer bag in your freezer until you’ve collected enough for a recipe (jam, sauce, etc). Or you can dry and reconstitute the rose hips for use in tea, jams, puddings, sauces and more when the need arises.

Making rose hip fruit leather at Tyrant Farms.

Making rose hip fruit leather at Tyrant Farms.

Rose hips truly are delicious in the above applications, with a flavor most proximate to a tangy apricot (their close relative).

Can you eat raw rose hips? Yes, you can eat raw rose hips, but we think they’re better cooked and made into specific rose hip recipes.

A pile of ripe rose hips ready to be processed.

A pile of ripe rose hips ready to be processed.

III. Edible rose plants: variety selection

As mentioned above, not all roses are created equal in the flavor or easy-to-grow categories.

Over the past 50+ years, roses have been bred/hybridized primarily for ornamental purposes, not edibility. Older rose varieties often have very good rose hips since they were often used/bred for food production as well as ornamental qualities. 

When it comes to selecting for edible rose FLOWERS, the intensity of fragrance is key to variety selection. The better the smell, the better the taste. 

Clusters of large rose hips ripening in our front yard.

Clusters of large rose hips ripening in our front yard.

Own-root versus grafted roses

In addition to edibility and breed, another critical factor in selecting good edible rose plants is own-root vs. grafted roses:

  • Own-root roses – As the name implies, own-root roses have their own roots, rather than being grafted on to rootstock of another variety. The entire plant, from root to flowering top, is the same variety.
  • Grafted roses – Grafted roses are the tops of a particular rose variety you’re buying grafted to the root stock of another variety, likely selected for being resistant to certain soil-borne diseases.

We highly recommend getting own-root roses! To save space, we won’t provide a lengthy explanation why here, but instead advise you to read more on this topic from Heirloom Roses if you’re curious.

Best edible roses

Based on our growing experience, research, and discussions with other edible rose enthusiasts, we also highly recommend you get David Austin roses (born 1926 – died 2018). Why?

First, Austin’s incredible breeding work produced robust, disease-resistant plants. Second, he bred for traits that are important for edibility, namely:

  1. highly aromatic flowers,
  2. large hips (usually), and
  3. repeat flowering ability. 

Amazon has a good selection of David Austin roses you can purchase online. 

Rose buds and petals harvested at Tyrant Farms.

Rose buds and petals harvested at Tyrant Farms, including some David Austin varieties.

Recommended edible rose varieties 

It’s important to note that roses are self-fertile, so you don’t need more than one plant to get edible rose hips. The following varieties are each excellent, depending on the edible parts of the rose you most desire and the growth habit you want:

A. David Austin varieties best for edible rose HIPS

  • Rosa moyesii ‘Alba’ Growth habit: bush/shrub | David Austin (DA) description: Large, single, white flowers of silky texture, quickly followed by exceptionally large, orange-red hips. There is a strong Old Rose fragrance. A healthy shrub with vigorous, spreading growth.
  • Rosa rugosa, ‘Blanc Double de Coubert’ Growth habit: bush/shrub | DA description: More than 100 years after its introduction in 1892, this rugosa is still treasured in gardens everywhere. It continuously produces pure white semi-double flowers almost all season without a break. Renowned for its intense fragrance. Displays red hips in the fall that are both decorative and useful for vitamin C rich tea, jam and jelly. The plants are tough, vigorous, naturally disease-resistant and hardy through Zone 3. Flower size: 4-5″. 
  • Rosa filipes ‘Rambling Rector’Growth habit: climber/rambler | DA description: Bears large heads of small, creamy white, semi-double flowers which eventually fade to white. They have a powerful musky clove scent and are produced in great abundance on strong, dense, twiggy growth. The flowers are followed by masses of small hips in the autumn. 
  • ‘Generous Gardener’ – Growth habit: climber | DA description: A rose of delicate charm with beautifully formed flowers, which nod gracefully on the stem. When the petals open they expose numerous stamens, providing an almost water lily-like effect. The flowers are a soft glowing pink at the centre, shading to palest pink on the outer petals and eventually fading almost to white. There is a strong and delicious fragrance with aspects of Old Rose, musk and myrrh. The leaves are a pale, almost greyish green, typical of the Musk Rose group and they stay on until late into the winter. If it is not dead-headed, it produces large, orange hips in the autumn. An extremely healthy variety.

B. Best David Austin varieties for edible rose FLOWERS (buds and petals): 

Our personal favorite rose variety for: a) vigor, b) ease of growing organically, and c) delicious, fragrant, and colorful flowers is ‘Cardinal de Richelieu‘. This is a large rose plant (ours is about 7′ tall x 7’ wide). David Austin’s website describes this rose as “lightly scented,” but we can smell ours from 20 feet away – and the smell is wonderful, as is the flavor.

We’ve found that the gorgeous purple flowers of our Cardinal de Richelieu make delightful drinks with vibrant red-purple color and exceptional flavor. This variety is also extremely hardy and disease-resistant. The only downsides: 1) it’s not an ever-blooming variety, and 2) it doesn’t produce great hips. 

Easiest edible rose to grow organically. Our personal favorite rose for edible flowers is Cardinal de Richelieu, which produces gorgeous bright pink drinks with wonderful flavor. The plant is also incredibly hardy and disease-resistant, as evidenced by the fact that we've been growing it 100% pesticide-free in our southeastern landscape for over a decade.

Our Cardinal de Richelieu rose in bloom (late April in South Carolina Zone 7b). This is our favorite rose variety for edible flowers. The plant is also incredibly hardy and disease-resistant, as evidenced by the fact that we’ve been growing it 100% pesticide-free in our southeastern landscape for over a decade.

Granted, we only have so much growing room in our gardens so we haven’t tried every rose variety. Here are some other good contenders to consider for edible rose flowers: 

  • ‘Lady Shallot’Growth habit: large, bushy shrub | DA description:  One of the most reliable and hardy roses in our collection – an ideal rose for the inexperienced gardener. (Tyrant note: we’re very experienced gardeners and LOVE our ‘Lady Shallot’.) It is highly resistant to disease and will bloom with unusual continuity throughout the season. The young buds are a rich orange-red that open to form chalice-shaped blooms, filled with loosely arranged petals. Each petal has a salmon pink upper side, which contrasts beautifully with the attractive golden yellow reverse. The flowers have a pleasant, warm Tea fragrance, with hints of spiced apple and cloves. It quickly forms a large, bushy shrub with slightly arching stems. The mid-green leaves have attractive, slightly bronzed tones when young. 
Our 'Lady Shallot' rose (left) growing near an elderberry (back) in our front yard.

Our ‘Lady Shallot’ rose (left) growing near an elderberry tree (back) in our front yard.

  • ‘Golden Celebration’ Growth habit: large, bushy shrub | DA description: This is one of the largest-flowered of all our English Roses, excelling in all climates. The rich golden yellow flowers are in the form of giant, full-petalled cups. These are initially tea-scented but often develop a wonderful combination of Sauternes wine and strawberry. The flowers are held beautifully poised, slightly nodding on long arching branches. The ample foliage is large, glossy and light green, resisting disease well. *Winner of the best shrub and most fragrant variety from the Royal National Rose Society in 2. Grand Champion, South Australia Rose Society Show (another favorite at Tyrant Farms)
  • ‘Graham Thomas’ Growth habit: climber | DA description: Bears medium-sized, cupped blooms. Their color is an unusually rich, pure yellow that would be hard to match even among modern roses, and is entirely missing among Old Roses. There is a medium-strong, fresh tea rose fragrance, with a cool violet character typical of its color group. It has attractive, smooth green foliage. Good repeat-flowering from early summer onwards. *Voted the World’s Favorite Rose
  • ‘Teasing Georgia’ Growth habit: climber | DA description:  A very refined yellow rose of great beauty and value – a superb example of the Leander Group at its best. The rosette-shaped flowers are particularly attractive. The centre petals are in the form of rich, deep yellow cups, while the outer petals fall back and fade to palest yellow providing a most pleasing two-tone effect. There is a lovely medium to strong tea rose fragrance. It is extremely healthy and repeat flowers well.
  • ‘Crown Princess Margareta’ – Growth habit: climbing | DA description: Bears quite large flowers in a lovely shade of apricot-orange, which shows up well across the garden. The flowers are in the form of neatly arranged rosettes filled with many petals, which mingle to excellent effect in the centre of each bloom; the outer petals falling back and becoming paler. There is a strong, fruity fragrance of the tea rose type.
  • ‘Jubilee Celebration’ – Growth habit: shrub | DA description: We were honored to name this rose in commemoration of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. The large, domed flowers are a lovely rich pink with tints of soft gold on the underside of the petals, each bloom being elegantly held well above the foliage. Despite the size of the flowers, they are produced with exceptional freedom and continuity. The growth is vigorous, building up into a fine shrub. Very healthy and reliable. It has attractive, glossy foliage. The scent of the young flower is almost pure lemon zest, later becoming a delicious, fruity rose fragrance with hints of fresh lemon and raspberry. Excellent throughout the US including the challenging hot and humid climate of the south east.


IV. How to grow edible roses organically

Warning: It’s pretty well impossible to find a commercial rose plant that has not been treated with pesticides, including David Austin roses. However, if you wait 1+ year between the time you purchase your rose plants and the time you eat anything from your rose plants, any pesticide exposures will be virtually nonexistent. 

While you can’t control how your rose plants were grown before you got them, you can grow them organically after you get them. Here’s how:

1. Select own-root rose varieties.

Select the best edible, own-root varieties. Ideally get roses from a breeder such as David Austin who breeds extremely vigorous, hardy rose varieties. (See the David Austin rose varieties we recommend in the section above.)

2. Use compost and mulch. 

Amend the soil with good compost or worm castings before planting. After planting, top-dress around your roses with a 2-3″ thick layer of wood chip mulch or pine straw. 

Don’t pile mulch or soil against the trunk, or you’ll cause it to rot. Instead, taper down to ground level as you near the trunk. 

3. Pay attention to first year and ongoing irrigation needs. 

During the first year as your rose plants are getting established, you’ll need to make sure they’re getting at least 1″ of water per week, if you don’t get rain. After the first year, your rose plant might not need any supplemental irrigation so long as you get an inch of rain every 1-2 weeks.

4. Pre-emergent, yearly care.

Before your rose plants break dormancy in late winter-early spring, prune out any dead branches using sharp, sterilized pruners. (Here are good rose pruning tips.)

Top-dress a 2″ layer of compost or worm castings underneath the rose plants and then top-dress another 2-3″ mulch layer on top of the compost/castings. (Don’t pile mulch or soil against the trunk, taper down.) The previous year’s mulch layer should be pretty much broken down by this point so leave it as-is before applying the new compost/mulch.

Plant health starts with soil health and this is an easy, effective way to build great soil for your roses. The compost + mulch serves to both feed the rose plant (biological soil fertility), suppress any pathogens/diseases in the soil, and prevent soil splash that promotes foliar diseases.

Aphids are a common pest insect that we see on our rose plants on new leaves in the spring. Since we grow our roses organically, we've learned to late nature do the pest control work for us on our roses. The black and orange insects are ladybug larvae, which are voracious predatory insects. In this photo, they're going leaf-by-leaf, eating the aphids off of our rose plants.

Aphids are a common pest insect that we see on our rose plants on new leaves in the spring. Since we grow our roses organically, we’ve learned to late nature do the pest control work for us on our roses. The black and orange insects are ladybug larvae, which are voracious predatory insects. In this photo, they’re going leaf-by-leaf, eating the aphids off of our rose plants.

V. Frequently asked questions about edible roses

Since we get a lot of emails and questions about edible roses, we’ve added an edible rose FAQ question to this article!

Are all parts of all roses edible?

The leaves, buds, petals, and hips of all roses are edible.

Even though all rose plants produce edible parts, some varieties are better than others and some varieties are bred to produce better edible rose hips or flowers.

(See sections above detailing how to use each edible part of a rose plant plus recommended edible rose varieties.)

A 'Lady Shallot' rose produces great edible buds and petals, but isn't a great hip producer.

A ‘Lady Shallot‘ rose produces great edible buds and petals, but isn’t a great hip producer.

Are all rose hips edible?

Yes, all rose hips are technically edible and safe to eat. However, there is a huge difference in fruit size, flavor, and overall quality between different rose cultivars.

Are roses safe to eat?

Yes! Rose leaves, buds, petals, and hips are safe to eat. Two caveats:

  • Food allergies – As with any new food that you’ve never eaten before, it may be a good idea to only consume a small amount of rose your first time out to make sure you don’t experience any allergies. If you happen to be allergic to other plants in the Rosacaea family (almonds, apples, apricots, cherries, peaches, pears, plums, etc), then you may also be allergic to roses.
  • Pesticides – It’s not a good idea to eat edible rose parts from bouquets, store bought roses, or rose plants growing in a park, etc. Why? They weren’t grown with the intention of somebody eating them, and there’s a very high likelihood that they have concentrated pesticide residue on them.
Edible rose hips ripening.

Edible rose hips ripening.

Are rose petals toxic to humans?

No, rose petals are not toxic to humans. As mentioned above, rose petals are edible and are made into delicacies by cultures around the world. If your child ate rose petals and you’re terrified, fear not! Join them in eating rose petals, just be sure your family isn’t consuming rose petals contaminated with pesticides.

How do you keep deer off of roses? 

Unfortunately, deer love eating rose plants. If you’re having trouble with deer eating your roses, read our article Dad’s trick: How to keep deer out of your garden or yard. We detail multiple, simple and inexpensive methods we’ve used to deter deer and know to be effective!


Last thing: even if you don’t want to use roses as food, they’ll still provide gorgeous flowers, delightful smells, and your pollinators will love you for planting them.

We hope this article helps you grow a more beautiful edible home landscape! 

Edible roses? Yes! This in-depth edible rose article will teach you how to use each edible part of the rose plant, best edible rose varieties, and how to grow roses organically. #growyourown #rosehips #rosebuds #eattheroses #tyrantfarms

Also be sure to check out the video summary of this article via our Edible Roses Google Web Story!

KIGI,


 Other edible flower articles from Tyrant Farms that you might enjoy:

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27 Comments

  • Reply
    Lisa
    November 10, 2023 at 9:35 pm

    Hi there,
    I’m interested in planting the roses as a hedge in my backyard. I’d like to plant a mix of varieties so I would have some that are the best for each edible part. My question is, which varieties would be best to form a nice privacy hedge? Thanks so much!

    • Reply
      Aaron von Frank
      November 15, 2023 at 6:55 pm

      Hi! For a hedge of roses, I’d go with rose varieties that have climbing and/or rambling growth habits. Five good contenders mentioned in this article are:
      -David Austin’s ‘Generous Gardener’ (climber)
      -Rosa filipes ‘Rambling Rector’ (climber/rambler)
      -‘Graham Thomas’ (climber)
      -‘Teasing Georgia’ (climber)
      -‘Crown Princess Margareta’

      Ideally you can provide some sort of structure underneath the plants to provide support and shape. Hope this helps!

      • Reply
        Lisa
        November 17, 2023 at 7:26 pm

        Wonderful, thanks so much for the info.

  • Reply
    A. Wikman
    February 20, 2023 at 9:25 am

    Thank you for this useful blog! In your view is the Generous Gardener also good in terms of buds/flower use? I can only find space for one climber and I’d like to harvest both petals and hips if possible.

    • Reply
      Aaron von Frank
      February 20, 2023 at 2:10 pm

      Thank you! Yes, David Austin’s ‘Generous Gardener’ rose is an excellent variety for both edible flowers and hips. Rose flower fragrance translates into flavor, and Generous Gardener’s flowers are described as “a delicious fragrance with aspects of Old Rose, musk and myrrh.” Sounds like this would be a great choice for your single climbing rose!

  • Reply
    Ken Murano
    March 6, 2021 at 11:14 am

    Dear Tyrant and the Rose expert.
    The whole article about which roses and rose hips were the best, biggest and sweetest was great except for one critical price of missing information…Which Rose hips are the biggest and sweetest/ flavorful rose hips.
    As I read the wonderful descriptions of lots of roses, some without even a mention of anything regarding large, sweet rose hips, I kept reading, hoping that part would be discussed, sooner or later, but by the time I arrived at the end of the article….there was still really nothing specifically discussing which roses produced the largest, sweetest flavorful rose hips.
    I was also wondering why mention David Austin roses specifically grown for delicious rose hips ( again no mention of specific rose ) then reading comments stating David Austin strongly recommends against eating their roses because they grow them in a toxic chemical environment.
    So at the beginning of your article you said you’ll tell us which roses produced the most delicious rose hips, but never did… only leaving a reader of the entire presentation wondering, why did I just spend all this time reading this article supposedly going to tell me which roses produce the biggest, most delicious rose hips, and be right back to square one, trying to find which roses produce the largest, sweetest flavorful rose hips.

    • Reply
      Aaron von Frank
      March 6, 2021 at 1:13 pm

      Of all the roses we’ve grown or tasted hips from, we’d recommend Rosa rugosa for best rose hips. As the article also details, all parts of the rose plant have edible uses so hips are just one edible consideration. R. rugosa produces really fragrant tasty flower/buds as well. There may be another type of rose that produces better hips, but we don’t know what it is if so. Hope this helps you narrow down your list of options if it’s rose hips you’re after.

  • Reply
    JoRene Byers
    March 3, 2021 at 4:20 pm

    ORGANIC OWN-ROOT ROSES for alllll of you!! Stargazer Perennial Farm and Nursery!!! I’ve ordered here, my roses have been Wonderful! Pre-Order For Spring 2021 http://www.stargazerperennialscatalog.com
    Organically grown, pesticide-free roses grown and shipped in 4 inch containers or 5 inch deep root pots are a value for the rose lover. Our roses are all grown on their own root for increased hardiness, superior bloom production and increased vigor. Varieties available in this growing program include floribunda roses, hybrid tea roses, ground cover roses, miniature roses, grandiflora roses, hardy Canadian roses and shrub roses. These healthy roses are ready to plant in the garden during the growing season, or can be planted in a larger container to grow on for a season.
    Free Shipping on all container grown roses.
    I am thrilled I happened across your article ~ I’m hoping you can feature these 2 wonderful companies in one of your future articles! Especially with the concern for bees and pollinators, and that neonicotinoids can last for 5 years or longer. Stargazer (in Oregon) is a TREASURE for all of us and the bees too! 🙂
    I have one more! MOUNTAIN VALLEY GROWERS if you’re into ORGANIC herbs, vegetables and perennials and Miniature ORGANIC ROSES (adorable rose buds for teas): https://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/lsearch/?zoom_query=roses They’re in California – the plants I ordered were beautiful!
    Ohhh, I dearly hope you will write about these two opportunities! I was over-the-moon happy when I found I could have pesticide-free beautiful roses and plants! Thank you for all the wonderful information you share! Sending you and your readers my very best!

  • Reply
    Lindsay Grega
    January 3, 2021 at 11:51 pm

    Hi- after reading this post I contacted David Austin roses to suggest some edible varieties and was sent this response:

    Thank you for your email.

    We do not recommend our roses for consumption of any kind. They are treated in our growing fields with pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizer. Because they are not grown organically, we cannot recommend them for food or drinks.

    If you have any further questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

    Best regards,

    Shellie Reese
    David Austin Roses
    15059 State Hwy 64 W.
    Tyler, TX 75704
    1-800-328-8893 Toll Free
    903-526-1800 P
    903-526-1900 F

    • Reply
      Aaron von Frank
      January 5, 2021 at 12:12 pm

      Ugh, good (or bad?) to know, thanks Lindsay. Something to consider: if alternative organically grown edible rose cultivars are hard to come by, you can always grow David Austin varieties for a couple of years prior to using them for consumption. That time window should be more than adequate in letting any pesticide residues degrade, even systemics.

    • Reply
      Nancy Parris
      June 6, 2021 at 9:28 am

      Thank you for this. I was ready to purchase the David Austin rose d/t this article. It mentions them frequently. Your information is valuable.

      • Reply
        Aaron von Frank
        June 6, 2021 at 10:41 am

        Happy to hear this rose information was helpful, thanks Lindsay!

  • Reply
    Erica
    October 1, 2020 at 5:50 pm

    Hello,

    I am in Phoenix AZ, zone 9. Roses do pretty well here in containers and raised beds, but they’re always grafted to root stock that can tolerate our less-than-1%-organic-matter soil. I actually contacted David Austin’s for a recommendation on roses for my climate and received a stern ‘do not eat our roses’ reply. 🙁

    So….can you suggest a variety with edible characteristics that would be suited for zone 9 arid climate?

  • Reply
    Hadassah Rosida Widyastuti
    August 22, 2020 at 9:14 am

    Hi I am Rose from Indonesia, thank you for writing such interesting article. I love roses, and I am planning to plant ones, especially the edible ones. But I am just wondering what type of roses are edible? And does every rose has their buds? I am just totally in the dark about it.
    Since I am living in tropical area, could you please suggest me the best type of edible roses that are adjustable with my area.
    Looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you

    • Reply
      Aaron von Frank
      August 22, 2020 at 3:34 pm

      Hi Hadassah! Technically the petals and hips on all roses are edible. Some are just better than others, as we detail in this article. Indonesia being a tropical climate, I’d hate to even begin to guess which rose varieties/cultivars might grow best for you there. You’ll probably be better off going to a local nursery and inquiring about varieties bred for your specific climate with edibility in mind. For the flowers/petals, the best way to determine quality of edibility is with your nose. Generally, the better they smell, the better they’ll taste in teas and other recipes. However, that won’t tell you much about the quality of the hips/fruit. Hope this information helps and best of luck finding edible roses that grow in your area!

  • Reply
    Hadassah Rosida Widyastuti
    August 22, 2020 at 9:14 am

    Hi I am Rose from Indonesia, thank you for writing such interesting article. I love roses, and I am planning to plant ones, especially the edible ones. But I am just wondering what type of roses are edible? And does every rose has their buds? I am just totally in the dark about it.
    Since I am living in tropical area, could you please suggest me the best type of edible roses that are adjustable with my area.
    Looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you

  • Reply
    Shaun Daniel
    July 2, 2020 at 1:39 pm

    What are your thoughts on the persistence of synthetic chemical insecticides and fungicides on nursery-bought roses? I contacted David Austin Roses about when their Generous Gardener would be available again and received this note as part of their reply:

    “Just to make sure, though, I do want to let you know that they are not recommended for consumption of any kind as they are not organic. Our roses are treated with insecticides and fungicides during the growing process.”

    As far as I can tell, there are virtually no organic rose suppliers, so that doesn’t leave many other options anyway. But since it would take at least a year or more for a rose like Generous Gardener to establish, does it seem reasonable to assume that few if any insecticides and fungicides would remain on the new growth – especially if the plant were washed back to bare root before planting?

    • Reply
      Aaron von Frank
      July 6, 2020 at 8:03 am

      Hi Shaun! Great question. Yes, pesticide residue would long since have washed off the plants after one year in an outdoor environment. The persistence of systemic pesticides (that actually enter the plant’s cells) depends on the exact pesticide. Research I’ve read says they persist for about 90 days.

      • Reply
        Shaun Daniel
        July 6, 2020 at 11:19 am

        Makes sense. There would be no need to reapply such chemicals if they stuck around indefinitely (persistence of byproducts in soil may be another story, but at least we can start with bareroot from vendors). Looking forward to growing some beautiful climbing roses next year! Thanks for your thoughts, Aaron, and for putting together this great guide.

        • Aaron von Frank
          July 7, 2020 at 11:34 am

          You’re very welcome, Shaun! Best of luck with your roses.

  • Reply
    Kathryn Willoughby
    November 30, 2019 at 10:47 am

    I would like to plant rosa rugosa in the same bed with blueberries. Is this a practical combination?

    • Reply
      Aaron von Frank
      November 30, 2019 at 2:20 pm

      Yes, we have a Rosa rugosa in a bed with blueberries and this works perfectly well. The only warning is making sure you leave enough space between your rugosa and your blueberries because the rugosas are quite thorny – you don’t want to make blueberry picking a painful experience!

  • Reply
    Sherry
    August 27, 2018 at 11:24 pm

    I have several rose bushes that I planted in my yard (I don’t remember the names), so I was just wondering if all roses are safe to consume?

    • Reply
      susan von frank
      August 29, 2018 at 1:30 pm

      Hi Sherry! This is Susan @ Tyrant Farms. Yes, all rose petals are edible and each offers a slightly unique flavor. Rose hips are edible too, but some are too small to make the effort worthwhile, while others just don’t taste that great. The variety we like best for rose hips is Rosa Rugosa, as mentioned in the above article. (The article also includes a link where you can buy them on Amazon.)

  • Reply
    Britt
    March 28, 2018 at 4:48 pm

    How much is the yield of flowers and hips per plant? I’m in love with roses and thinking of selling the flowers for edible purposes, but not sure if it would be profitable!

    • Reply
      Aaron von Frank
      April 8, 2018 at 9:19 pm

      Hi Britt! Sorry to say that we’ve only grown rose hips for personal consumption, not for market. So we haven’t measured the rose hip yields, just used them immediately to make preserves, sauces, etc. Each hip is fairly large (probably the size of a large cherry) with a thin edible outside flesh with lots of seeds inside (perhaps useable in high quantity to press into oil). My best guess would be that a mature plant could produce 3-5 pounds of hips per year, but most of that weight would be seeds, not actual fruit. If you’re going to grow Rosa Rugosa for profit, it might be more valuable to harvest the rose buds and sell them as tea, depending on the market value of that product relative to the hips. Sorry I can’t be of more help on this topic!

      • Reply
        Britt
        April 8, 2018 at 9:56 pm

        No that’s great, thanks so much for the info!

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