Rose Hip Cultivation
One of my all time favorite Fall activities for a couple of years now has been collecting Rosehips. There are certain places where I know certain varieties of roses grow and I will go and collect the hips for food and medicinal uses. One of the last times that I did this, I made the decision to collect a couple of sample cuttings to bring home so that I could attempt to grow some for us to have here. To be honest, I wasn’t hopeful that they would “take”. The growing conditions are somewhat different, and honestly I don’t know enough about varieties of roses to know whether or not they are privy to certain climates. But I was hopeful!
Somewhat haphazardly, I threw my cuttings into a tub of soil, covered them up, and wished for the best. And proceeded to forget about them. The watering only took place if I happened to remember that they were there under the soil, which wasn’t very often. But this morning when I was paying closer attention to some plants that were growing nearby, I was delighted to see that a small plant had emerged and seemed to be happy enough to grow quite a few leaves. I’m thrilled with this discovery. Not only are the flowers of this rose beautiful and fragrant, but the hips are something wonderful to behold! They grow in small clusters of bright red-orange, and are much like Christmas decorations when you see them from afar. My excitement is a bit ridiculous if you consider that it’s about a plant.
So why are Rosehips useful?
Rose hips get their red-orange color from carotenoid pigments known as lycopene and beta carotene. These pigments have been shown to promote skin and eye health (2Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source).
They’re also rich in disease-fighting antioxidants, such as vitamin C, catechins, quercetin, and ellagic acid. A diet rich in these compounds can help lower inflammation and oxidative stress in your body (2Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source).
Furthermore, vitamin C plays a key role in collagen synthesis and immune health (7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source).
(Above sourced from Healthline.com)
Not only are they good for you, but they are just as aesthetically pleasing. The Blooms, which can also be used for teas, baking, making bath and body products or just enjoying alone are worth the small effort to try cultivating from cuttings as well. It costs next to nothing to find a beautiful wild rose and bring a few cuttings home. If you have some rooting hormone this can help them to develop quicker. My suggestion would be to collect more than one sample because this will give you more opportunity for getting one that will succeed. I’ve had some wonderful success with laying cuttings in a container with moist sand, covered in plastic wrap. It may take a few months, but it’s definitely worth the wait.
