Not all wild roses have the mites. I don't know how many states have Rose Rosette disease, but it is a serious problem. I have seen nurseries selling infected roses. I have it my yard now....so am afraid I will lose several of my favorite roses. There are many sources on the internet about it. Ann Peck is considered to be the premier expert and her web book contains a wealth of information: http://www.rosegeeks.com/index.htm For a shorter read, you can try this brief explanation: http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=0016232 I was excited to think I had "wild roses" on my property! If only I had known back then. I have multiflora bushes that are 20 or 30 feet tall and have been fighting losing battle for years..... I also want to mention that Round Up drift can cause similar damage to roses....as I have accidentally gotten it on a few roses several years ago even though I thought I was being careful. Here is a link that might be useful: multiflora

Thank you all for sharing your experiences with Buck roses and enticing me to other varieties. You, evil rose people, you! I am very pleased to hear about PS. As I mentioned, it was an impulse buy and never thought about it or never paid any attention to it. I was so fascinated with the large 4 inch bloom with intoxicatingly sweet fragrance. The bush was in a 2 gallon container and about 1 ft tall. When I go back to the nursery and see the roses, I have a better idea about how they are. My garden contains some Buck roses also - Carefree Beauty, Earth Song, Aunt Honey, and Blue Skies. All the roses are indeed carefree except BS. BS had very strong citrus fragrance and acted like HT, but he decided to not grow.

Any of the roses are going to produce "rose hips" (the fruit). The quality of them for any purpose is going to vary (from individual plant to plant as well as species). Rosa cannina is NOT a native US plant. If you have any places that you feel free to wander, I'd just wander about in Sept/October and see what you find. No rose hip is going to be toxic (by nature), though the amount of vitamin C will vary. Here is a link that might be useful: Rose Hips

Zone 7? You must be near the city (guessing.) I have one in the yard. It's actually the first rose I ever grew. I found it growing wild out in a sandy/marshy area when I was quite young, and brought it home to 'tame' it. It's quite attractive, but limp and sprawling, and suckers like mad. Not sure how far away you are. Digging you out a sucker ought to be a simple affair, and perhaps you're even within driving distance. In fact, by coincidence, I'll be in Manhattan on Saturday...