Carolina rose is a native, low-growing perennial shrub of eastern North America, forming thickets up to about a metre tall with fragrant pink flowers in early summer. It thrives in full sun, well-drained soil and regular watering.
Family
Rosaceae (Rose family)
Grows as
Shrub, Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water regularly, especially in dry spells, while keeping soil well drained.
Soil
Well-drained soil; tolerates a range of soils from dry to moist.
Temperature
Hardy in cold temperate climates; native from Nova Scotia to Florida and Texas, so it tolerates cold winters.
How easy
Easy
Safety
Not known to be toxic
Native range
E. Canada to NE. Mexico
Climate
temperate
About
Rosa carolina, commonly known as the Carolina rose, pasture rose, or prairie rose, is a perennial shrub in the rose family native to eastern North America. It can be found in nearly all US states and Canadian provinces east of the Great Plains. It is common throughout its range and can be found in a wide variety of open habitats, from thickets and open woods to roadsides and along railroads.
How to grow it
The Carolina rose can be cultivated. It needs full sun to moderate shade, well-drained soil and regular watering to thrive. The rose hips are edible, although very tart in flavor. The plant is attractive to several species of bees and also provides nesting materials to them.
Where it grows
The Carolina rose is frequently found in a wide range of habitats, including dry soils, at the border of prairies, woodlands, and savannas, in thickets, in upland forested areas, and dunes. It also grows in wet soils along stream beds, swamps and low grassy areas. It has a wide range, from Nova Scotia, Canada, south to Florida, west to Texas, and north to Ontario.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Rosa carolina by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.