the times Saturday January 1 202216
Joe’s favourite varieties
Rosa moyesii
A vigorous large species rose for summer
and winter. It has single dark red
flowers in summer and then masses of
urn-shaped orange-red hips in autumn
and on into winter. R. moyesii ‘Geranium’
has scarlet flowers with prominent
yellow stamens and an excellent display
of hips too. Height 3m x spread 2m.Winter is a
fine time to
buy and plant
bare-root roses
My favourite
rose hips for
winter colour
From classic red to chic
pink and deep purple
— here’s what to plant
for an eye-catching
display, writes Joe Swift
their as yet unformed hips. I think Septem-
ber 1 is a good cut-off point (excuse the
pun!) to stop deadheading, to let those
roses form hips and for you to see what
they’re like. Maybe experiment with them
one year and leave them to see what kind
of hips they form.
Winter is a fine time to buy and plant
bare-root roses (as long as the ground isn’t
frozen), so consider those that will produce
hips too.I
n deep December, to keep fully
engaged with the garden, I often
reach for my “winter goggles”. These
metaphorical glasses not only have
the ability to focus on the more subtle
aspects of plants (such as their
shapes, densities and stem colour),
but fortunately, with the winter garden
rarely being as glamorous as the other
seasons, have a built-in setting to control
my expectations too.
Roses are a case in point. They are
primarily grown for their flower and scent,
but at this time of year their persistent
jewel-like hips add a little gloss and always
draw one in closer to admire. They evenadd a little festive cheer when incorporat-
ed into a Christmas wreath.
Almost all roses — from wild roses,
climbers and ramblers to highly bred
hybrid teas — will produce hips in the
autumn if allowed. Most are brightly
coloured in shades of shiny reds and oran-
ges, but a few carry deep maroon and
glossy purple ones. They’re great for wild-
life too, attracting birds into the garden to
munch on them.
To keep hips on roses you may need to
plan ahead a little. The main reason for
this is that if the flowers are deadheaded
too late in summer, in search of last-min-
ute blooms, you’re likely to be cutting offRosa glauca, foreground, left