Woods' Rose, Rosa woodsii

About Woods' Rose (Rosa woodsii) 31 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Woods' Rose is a native shrub that grows in Northern, Southern and Central California, primarily in mountainous areas including the Cascades, Sierra Nevada and Transverse Ranges. It is fast growing and long-lived, grows in an upright form to a height of 3 feet, with active growth during the spring and summer. Flowers are pink, striking and very fragrant, and bloom in the late spring. Leaves are medium green and deciduous. It tends to grow in moist places, at elevations from 3500-11500 feet. It has straight sharp thorns. Birds love it.

Taxonomically, there is one recognized subspecies and one recognized variety, but for garden purposes they can be treated the same. A related species, Rosa gymnocarpa, sometimes referred to as Wood Rose, is found in more coastal mountains.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

3 - 9 ft tall
15 ft wide

Form

Upright, Spreading

Growth Rate

Fast

Dormancy

Winter Deciduous

Fragrance

Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color

Red, Pink

Flowering Season

Spring

Wildlife Supported

Birds are attracted to the fruits
Bird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 58 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Variable Checkerspot Euphydryas chalcedonaEuphydryas chalcedona

Hoary Comma Polygonia gracilisPolygonia gracilis

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Polyphemus moth Antheraea polyphemusAntheraea polyphemus

Alfalfa Looper Moth Autographa californicaAutographa californica

Elegant Sheepmoth Hemileuca eglanterinaHemileuca eglanterina

Painted Tiger Moth Arachnis pictaArachnis picta

Landscaping Information

Sun

Part Shade, Full Sun

Moisture

Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 31

Ease of Care

Very Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to -10° F

Soil Drainage

Medium, Slow

Soil Description

Tolerates clay but does best in moist loamy soil. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Common uses

Groundcovers, Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants

Use with other plants of moist areas and high elevation, such as Dogwood (Cornus sp.), Oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor), Honeysuckle (Lonicera sp.), Currant (Ribes sp.), and Western Serviceberry (Amelanchier utahensis).

Maintenance

Because of the spines and its tendency to sprawl, it can be pruned annually in winter to shape

Natural Setting

Site Type

Moist places and streambanks of higher elevations, typically with cold winters

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 4.9" - 94.7", Summer Precipitation: 0.21" - 3.54", Coldest Month: 21.9" - 52.1", Hottest Month: 42.6" - 77.3", Humidity: 0.50" - 30.14", Elevation: 198" - 11144"

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Woods' Rose

Rosa woodsii

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Woods' RoseRosa woodsii

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Woods' Rose

Rosa woodsii