rosa gymnocarpa

[Anonymous]

Is Rosa gymnocarpa any more garden-friendly than R. californica?</p>

[Anonymous]

Julie - For growing California native roses, it depends on where you live. For example, I live on the Mendocino Coast, and have never tried to grow Rosa californica here. I suspect it wants more warm, sunny days than we have here. On the other hand, the two native roses that grow here, R. nutkana and R. gymnocarpa, do just fine.

Rosa gymnocarpa certainly grew in abundance in the forested parts of the SF Bay Area. It grows at the edges of the woods, and in forest clearings where it gets part or filtered not deep shade. It doesn't seem to do well with strong winds, preferring a sheltered spot. Of course, any rose must be protected from deer.

The old Munz flora is useful in that it gives counties where plants occur naturally. For R. gymnocarpa, it lists San Diego, Humboldt, Fresno, Modoc and Monterey Counties. Since I know it also occurs in San Mateo and Mendocino, that's quite a range! On the other hand, Rosa Californica seems also to be widespread. Perhaps you could explain more about the difficulties you have had with R. californica in your garden. Both R. californica and R. nutkana do well with a fair amount of water, while R. nutkana seems to tolerate somewhat drier conditions though not bone dry, of course.

It is also true that wild roses will sucker from their roots, and must be placed in a spot where they can roam about without impinging on anything too much. This is part of their character and charm.

Pruning of once-blooming roses is different than for repeat-bloomers. As I recall, once is supposed to prune them right after they flower if one must prune them at all. Other than that, the only difficulty I'm aware of with R. californica is that it is probably not adapted to drought conditions.

Hope this helps,

Lori Hubbart </p>