ROSA POMIFERA – pink landscape shrub rose
Botanical Rosa pomifera offers uniform, bushy own-root structure for dense, thorny hedging and landscape shrub use, with a project-focused landscape profile that supports fast, even coverage from 1.5–2 L production. Its pollinator-friendly, single pink flowers with open centres and mild, apple-fruity fragrance align well with thematic and collection gardens, while hips provide additional seasonal interest for orchard-style, food-forest and rose-hip harvesting projects. As an own-root NEONATAL tray-raised cutting it supports predictable, large-scale project supply, with a practical development arc where roots establish in year one, framework builds in year two and full ornamental effect is expressed by year three under nursery conditions. With documented disease resistance and medium drought tolerance it suits professional UK schemes where summers are getting warmer and drier yet winters remain cold and exposed in northern regions, giving you a reliable, sustainable resource for long-lived, low-replacement landscape and public-realm planting.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- Project hedge line 2 L – uniform, bush-trained 1.5–2 L plants for fast-establishing, moderately thorny hedges in public and residential boundaries, built from own-root NEONATAL stock for long-term stand stability – landscape contractor / project wholesaler
- Pollinator strip collection – 1.5–2 L shrubs in themed “bee and butterfly” assortments, leveraging single, open flowers and botanical identity for show gardens and municipal pollinator corridors – public-realm and thematic-garden supplier
- Hip-harvest hedge unit – 2 L plants specified for food-forest edges and productive hedges, highlighting large, edible hips and robust shrub structure for orchard-style landscape projects – orchard, agroforestry and educational-site planner
- Disease-resilient park shrub – own-root 1.5–2 L landscape units focused on disease resistance and drought tolerance for low-input park and streetscape planting, easing maintenance budgets – municipal and infrastructure landscape supplier
- Botanical rose collection block – NEONATAL-based 1.5–2 L range curated for botanical and species rose displays, emphasising stable own-root identity and long service life in thematic and educational rose gardens – botanic garden and collection manager
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Rosa pomifera is marketed as a botanical, pink landscape shrub rose; an unregistered species-type cultivar with no listed registered name, supplied here as verified, own-root propagation material for professional production. |
| Origin and breeding |
Historical species-type shrub rose of unknown breeding origin, introduced to commerce in 1897 by George Brunning of St. Kilda Nurseries, Australia; parentage and breeder data are not provided in current references. |
| Awards and recognition |
Listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators garden plants list (2025) and included in the Green Cities for a Sustainable Europe Swedish selection as a drought-tolerant, insect-friendly rose for sustainable urban and landscape use. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Bushy, upright shrub with dense, matte foliage ranging from bluish-green to grey-green and moderate prickliness; supplied as own-root NEONATAL cuttings for onward production into uniform, bush-trained finished plants. Height and spread data not provided. |
| Flower morphology |
Medium-sized, single, five-petalled flowers, typically 4–5 cm across, produced singly on short, glandular-hairy stalks from carmine-red buds; non-remontant, flowering once per season, with no data on self-cleaning behaviour or precise flower shape form. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Simple deep to clear pink flowers (ARS mp, RHS 65C outer, 65D inner) with yellow stamens creating a classic wild-rose effect; colour holds well, later dulling slightly as stamens shift from golden-yellow to ochre-yellow and brown, without noted stripes or spots. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Light, restrained fragrance described as apple-fruity with a slightly wild-rose character; flowers are single and open, combining modest scent with high ecological value due to exposed stamens and accessible nectar for pollinating insects and other invertebrates. |
| Hip characteristics |
Produces spherical, red hips around 15–30 mm in diameter, noted for ornamental impact and high vitamin C content; hips are edible and can be harvested for jam or tea, adding a productive dimension to landscape and food-forest style plantings. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Rated resistant to powdery mildew, black spot and rust, supporting low-input management; hardy approximately to -20 to -15 °C (RHS H6, Swedish zone 3, USDA 4a), with medium heat and drought tolerance where irrigation is mainly needed only in extreme drought. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Indicated for natural hedging, mixed shrub borders, park and landscape planting, wildflower and pollinator gardens, and orchard or food-forest rose-hip production; medium maintenance, with regular monitoring, pruning and plant protection advised as for most roses. |
Rosa pomifera offers disease-resistant, pollinator-friendly, hip-producing shrubs on a predictable own-root base, supporting durable, uniform stands for large-scale landscape use; please contact us to align on volumes, timing and long-term project supply.