Rosa villosa L.
apple rose
A vigorous species shrub rose about 1.8m tall, with lightly aromatic, grey-green downy leaves, and bearing fragrant, single blooms of clear pink to 5cm across, opening from carmine buds, once-flowering in summer, then followed in early autumn by large, apple-shaped, bristly crimson fruits (hips)
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Size
Ultimate height
1.5–2.5 metresTime to ultimate height
2–5 yearsUltimate spread
1–1.5 metresGrowing conditions
Moisture
Moist but well–drained, Well–drainedpH
Acid, Alkaline, NeutralColour & scent
| Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit | |
| Spring | Grey Silver Green | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Pink | Grey Silver Green | ||
| Autumn | Grey Silver Green | Red | ||
| Winter |
Position
- Full sun
- Partial shade
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing or East–facing or North–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered Hardiness
H6Botanical details
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Native to GB / Ireland
- Yes
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Bushy
- Potentially harmful
- Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling
- Genus
Rosa can be deciduous or semi-evergreen shrubs or scrambling climbers, with usually thorny stems bearing compound pinnate leaves and solitary or clustered flowers. Flowers may be followed by showy red or purple fruits in some varieties.
- Name status
Correct
How to grow
Cultivation
Grow in full sun or part shade and moderately fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil. For best flowering apply a balanced fertiliser and mulch in late winter or early spring and a balanced fertiliser again in early summer. Good for a woodland or wild garden. See rose cultivation for further advice
Propagation
Propagate by softwood cuttings in early to mid spring, hardwood cuttings in late summer to autumn or by chip budding in summer
Suggested planting locations and garden types
- Cottage and informal garden
- Wildlife gardens
- Cut flowers
- Flower borders and beds
- Hedging and screens
Pruning
See pruning group 20 (shrub roses), do not deadhead flowers if fruits (hips) are required
Pests
May be susceptible to aphids, rose leafhopper, glasshouse red spider mite, scale insects, caterpillars, large rose sawfly, rose slugworm sawfly and rose leaf-rolling sawfly. Deer and rabbits can cause damage
Diseases
May be susceptible to rose black spot, rose rust, replant disease, rose dieback, and rose powdery mildew and sometimes honey fungus. May also be susceptible to disorders rose blindness and flower balling
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