Perhaps goji would be a good compromise? Alternatively (not that I have myself) for rose hips, I understand "Madame Gregoire Staechelin" has large, pear shaped hips (not to mention having strong fragrance & disease resistance). Not sure on the flavor, though. Rosa Rugosa Alba is also a good choice, but talk about invasive! Ok taste; so far my favorite rugosa for hips (as far as taste/quantity) is "Snow Pavement". Alba Semi-Plena (which I just planted last year, we'll see on the hips) is supposed to be a cross of Rosa Canina with Rosa Gallica; hadn't given much thought to its edibility until now, but am now intrigued with possibility of such a cross (considering also lore of the "Apothecary Rose", a gallica). I originally bought "Dart's Dash" for the hips, but for me, although hips so far have been large, they've also been few & far between. Verdict still out on "Moje Hammarberg". Perhaps "Scabrosa" or "Hansa" (rugosas)? I've also heard rosa canina has the best tasting hips, but aren't they also somewhat small? A lot of work, if you have to watch out for the seeds/hairs? And wouldn't heating (i.e.-jelly) sort of defeat the purpose, as far as vitamins, flavonoids, etc? Wine sounds good, though.

Now that I'm becoming a beginner at keeping roses alive through drought, I can report that my spring blooming species roses make good to great hips. But the summer droughts are a problem for R. rugosa. In great rain conditions, I get a midsummer crop of big fat rugosa hips and a second crop in fall. Except, when drought starts in May, the rugosa hip crops fail. Canina hips seem more drought tolerant, they grow to be good sized hips in spite of lengthy drought for the six months when they mature. R. carolina, R. alba semiplena also make hips when the sun shines too, too much. And I disagree with the beauty merits of rugosa and canina. My rugosa spp. get crowded. I can't stand back and see elegant lines. Canina, on the other hand, makes a tall, V-shaped open vase. I'm even using canina over some other roses, because it gives a third dimension of light airy height to the garden.

What fun to see all these! Of the new introductions, I think the hybrid rugosa 'Wild Spice' rates a mention! I once had a hedge of Rosarie de l'Hay, one of my earliest to bloom, and it also had a glorious clove-spiked fragrance. Most rugosas share a unique quality to their scent. Glad to see 'Parole' on the list--a Kordes also sold as Buxom Beauty, a rose which leaped onto my wish list the first I heard of it!

Bonjour, Les rosiers greffés sur R.Canina et R.Laxa tiendront sans problème, mais pas sur R.Multiflora inermis. Plus important, éviter les Hybrides de Thé, les Thé, Chinensis et Noisette.Galliques, Damas, Portland, Alba, Centifolia, Mousseux, Hybrides remontants et Rugosa s'en sortiront très bien. Les rosiers francs de pied ne se vendent qu'aux U.S.A. et au Canada. La vraie raison, c'est que les porte-greffes en usage là -bas sont des hybrides, à multiplier de bouture.Conséquence: des virus à la pelle... Pour moi, l'avantage c'est surtout une plus grande longévité et une reprise mieux garantie.En effet, tous les rosiers n'acceptent pas les porte-greffes standard.Exemple: "Empereur du Maroc" ne donne rien sur R.Laxa. J'importe ces rosiers-là des Etats-unis pour les avoir francs de pied, si le bouturage ne marche pas. Bien à vous, Pete.