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Rosa chinensis

China rose

Rosaceae Central and southwestern China

Attracts Pollinators Fragrant (light)Container Friendly

SunFull Sun

WaterMedium

HardinessZones 7–10

Overview

Rosa chinensis is a semi-evergreen shrub rose reaching 3-6 feet (0.9-1.8 m) tall and 3-4 feet (0.9-1.2 m) wide, with slender green canes carrying scattered hooked prickles about 0.2 inch (5 mm) long. Leaves are pinnate with 3-5 leaflets, against the 5-7 leaflets of most European species roses; each leaflet is ovate, 1-2.5 inches (2.5-6 cm) long, glossy above, and flushed red-bronze on emerging growth. Flowers are 2-2.5 inches (5-6 cm) across, borne singly or in loose clusters of 2-6 at the shoot tips, and the wild form carries five petals that deepen from pale pink to crimson over about three days rather than paling. Garden forms carry 20-40 petals. Flowering repeats in flushes of 5-6 weeks from late spring until frost, a trait carried into the Hybrid Perpetual and Hybrid Tea groups when the species was crossed with European roses after reaching Britain in 1792. Hips are orange-red, 0.4-0.8 inch (1-2 cm) long, ripening September to November. Canes are killed to the ground below 0F (-18C), which holds the species to USDA zones 7-10, and black spot strips the foliage by midsummer in humid regions where no fungicide is applied.

Native Range

Rosa chinensis is native to central and southwestern China, where wild populations of Rosa chinensis var. spontanea grow on cliffs and scrub slopes in Sichuan, Guizhou, and Hubei between 1,000 and 4,900 feet (300-1,500 m). Cultivated forms were grown in Chinese gardens for centuries before reaching Europe, with Slater's Crimson China arriving in 1792 and Parsons' Pink China in 1793. The species is now grown through warm-temperate and subtropical regions worldwide.

Suggested Uses

Planted at 3-4 foot (0.9-1.2 m) spacing in mixed borders, as a low informal hedge, and in courtyard gardens across USDA zones 7-10. Container culture in pots of 7 gallons (26 L) or larger holds plants for 4-5 years before the roots fill the volume. Single-flowered forms are worked by bumblebees and hoverflies for pollen, and the hips are taken by birds from October onward.

How to Identify

Leaves with 3-5 leaflets on a slender green cane separate Rosa chinensis from most European species roses, which carry 5-7 leaflets on stouter, greyer wood. Petals darken from pale pink to crimson as the flower ages, so one cluster holds several shades at once, while petals of R. gallica and R. damascena pale with age. Prickles are scattered, hooked, and held mostly on the lower cane rather than crowded along the whole stem. Flowering continues in repeat flushes through summer, against the single early-summer flush of R. gallica.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height3' - 6'

Width/Spread3' - 4'

Reaches mature size in approximately 4 years

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~22 weeks

Spring Summer Fall

Flowering starts in late April or May in USDA zones 8-10 and in mid-May to June in zone 7, then repeats in flushes of 5-6 weeks until temperatures fall below 40F (4C). Each flush follows about 6-7 weeks after the last, on growth made since the previous bloom. Individual flowers hold 4-6 days, opening pale pink and deepening to crimson. In zones 9-10 scattered flowers open through winter.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

Pale pink deepening to crimson

Foliage Description

Glossy medium green, red-bronze on new growth

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun

Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range6.0 - 7.0(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam clay sand

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

3-4 years

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Six or more hours of direct sun carries full flowering; below 4 hours the canes stretch and flower counts fall by about half. Loam at pH 6.0-7.0 with steady moisture suits the roots, and free drainage matters where winter rainfall exceeds 30 inches (760 mm). Water at 1-1.5 inches (25-38 mm) per week through the growing season, applied at the base rather than over the foliage, since leaves that stay wet overnight develop black spot. A balanced fertilizer at 1 ounce per square yard (30 g per square meter) after each flush carries the next one, with the final application 8 weeks before first frost. Aphids build on shoot tips in spring, black spot and powdery mildew appear in humid summers, and rose rosette virus, spread by eriophyid mites, kills infected plants in North America within 1-3 years. Canes die back below 0F (-18C), and a 6-8 inch (15-20 cm) mound of soil or compost over the crown carries plants through zone 7 winters.

Pruning

Pruning in late winter, once buds swell and before growth extends, removes dead and crossing canes and shortens the remainder by about one third. Cuts are made 0.25 inch (6 mm) above an outward-facing bud. Flowers form on new growth, so this cut does not remove the coming season's bloom. Canes older than four years carry fewer flowers and are cut to the base, leaving 4-6 main canes on a mature plant.

Pruning Schedule

early spring