I didn’t see this topic discussed previously. Can rosehips be harvested from all varieties of roses? What variety has the biggest rosehips?
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Yes, hips can be harvested from all the varieties of roses which form them. Not all do. And, per a Google search…
For the largest rose hips, the top variety is Rosa rugosa (Japanese Rose), known for its huge, tomato-like, vitamin C-rich hips, but Rosa macrophylla ‘Master Hugh’ (Himalayan Rose) also produces exceptionally large, long, orange hips, while the wild Dog Rose (Rosa canina) yields classic, firm, crimson hips for teas and jams.
Top Choices for Large Hips
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Rosa rugosa: Famous for producing the biggest and most abundant hips, often described as large and sweet, perfect for teas and jellies.
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Rosa macrophylla ‘Master Hugh’: Offers the largest hips of any readily available rose, which are distinctively long and orange, notes the Columbus Park of Roses.
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Rosa canina (Dog Rose): A classic, wild European rose with firm, deep crimson hips, excellent for traditional herbal remedies and jams, says Grow Create Sip.
Many roses, including modern HTs, floribundas and shrubs can produce large hips. Doris Day routinely forms golf ball sized hips in my garden. When my nephews were small, they wanted to help their dad carve the pumpkins at Halloween. I would cut large hips from Cl Winifred Coulter and the old floribunda Orangeade to take for them to paint while dad used the knives. He was jealous because we had more fun painting rose hips than he did making his mess.
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Hi Laura,
Were you thinking to use the hips as edibles or were you looking for seeds?
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In my garden, ‘Carefree Beauty’ produces the largest and most plentiful hips. Hint, roses must be pollinated to produce hips (seeds). Roses with fewer petals are easier for insects to reach the center for successful pollination. Often, varieties with high petal counts make pollination very difficult, thus, no hips.
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