This is for you Karl - Re: Strawberry Crush-OSO Easy. She was the very last to wake up & get moving, of the 10 OSO Easy babies I planted last season (under this similar heat~wave situation) Peachy Cream & Honey Bun were the eager beavers getting visited by Jap Beetles only occasionally! They are all doing great despite the ~~heat~~wave~~ blooms are just fading faster as expected. Late bloomer-Strawberry Crush once decided to get moving, developed many longish stems all around (3ft+), where I suspect large clusters of blooms are developing which thrills me ~ however they are not growing upright & I wish she didn't need stakes/wires to harness her stems. I decided to prune a few to see what happens. From your experience, is this SC's habit & will I have to install a few stakes & wire up to keep her more upright? Appreciate your thoughts!!! TIA

Does Rosa virginiana produce hips worth using? Oh, and the York Rose, Rosa x alba semi-plena produces hips that could be used. Its white is tinged with peach-pink, so it looks more milky white than pure white, but it's lovely in bloom! Some people don't care for the colors of Rosa rugosa's later flowers against the color of the ripening hips. If you're sensitive to such things you'll have to consider whether you like the idea of scarlet/tomato red hips adorned with lavender-pink roses. If the idea of that color pair bothers you, go with Rosa rugosa alba. Then you'll have scarlet against pure white.

We sure did not know triple_b ! You would be welcome Florence. You can just pick a little amount of rose petals during the summer (Zephy is a good choice!) and keep them in small bags in the freezer until you have enough to make the jam). Btw Here is another great link for all the rose products one´s heart can desire. (Including the Rose Petal Jam). Best Rose Oil, Water (Get the little atomizer!). I use the Rose Oil in aromatherapy lamps and it scents the house those winter days when I long for roses and summer and read rose books. Do check this link there is lots of information and pictures about the production of Bulgarian rose products. Here is a link that might be useful: Bulgarian Rose Oil and products

Prolific hip bearing doesn't make the hips tasty. Obviously you cannot spray any kind of pesticide and then eat the hips. Do a tasting. I don't need to warn adults that any wild fruit must be washed and picked over to remove damaged fruit. You'll find that many very large hips are pulpy, starchy, and not flavorful. This may be apparent only if you have a few kinds of hips to compare. Good rose hips are firm, crunchy, and have a plum/apple flavor. The texture must not be pulpy or starchy. That is the time for harvest. Canina is favored because, in addition to good flavor, the hips are easy to clean. Ease of removal of the seeds and hairs is the paramount concern after flavor. Canina hips can be dried first and cleaned later, with the hairs even easier to clean once the hips are dried. It's a matter of choice. I remove all seeds. Rugosas are also favored, but I haven't cleaned enough to know if they are easy to clean. I assume they must be. Some Rosa californica hips are delicious. In milder climates, rose hips ripen much earlier and need to be watched. The earlier the hips are set, the sooner they ripen. Here is a link that might be useful: How to clean and dry rose hips