Monday, September 13, 2010

Rose Ross Rambler, Rosa roxburghiana, Rosa henryi.....nice hips

Hips, heps, haws...whatever you call 'em I like them. And they're chock full of vitamin C and used to make jams, jellies, marmalades, pies, syrups, and all sort of confections, even wine. The back cover of Timber Press/Sagapress compendium of Graham Stuart Thomas on roses (all three books in one) is a reproduction of a GST painting of a selection of interesting heps. I love it. It's too dark to photograph it but I have noticed that my negligence in deadheading has allowed the yellow Knock-out rose too set fruit. They're pretty nice looking. Most modern ornamentals, excepting R. rugosa and its close progeny, aren't much for hep production.

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