Dog Rose is a fast growing very prickly native shrub with arching stems. A deciduous wild rose species which is native to western Asia, northwest Africa and Europe it is a popular variety often found in native hedgerow mixes. Dog Rose or Rosa Canina to give it the Latin name has stems covered in tiny hooked thorns which help it to climb, pale pink flowers and red hips in autumn. The name of this species is said to derive from the fact that in the time of the Greek Empire and classical mythology the root was used as a cure for the bite of mad dogs which also transcended to the 18th and 19th centuries when it was used for that very purpose. It can be a long-lived plant since the Thousand-year Rose which grows up a wall of Hildesheim Cathedral is said to have been planted in the year 815AD.
The hips of Rosa Canina are very high in vitamin C and are often used to make Rose Hip Syrup, tea and marmalade, especially in countries like Bulgaria where it is quite prolific and is also used to make a sweet wine. Occasionally a form of Dog Rose is used as stocks for grafting some of the cultivated roses and for holding the soil in land reclamation.
Rosa Canina is a hardy shrub that will tolerate most situations with reasonable soil and drainage. The flowers provide a good source of nectar for insects and hips for the birds if there are any left after picking for the kitchen! As a rose hedge Dog Rose can be planted as a single row at 3 plants per metre or a double staggered row at 5 plants per metre and growing up to 2.5 metres at a rate of 30-60cm per year. Trimming should be carried out in winter.
Dog Rose is generally supplied as bare root plants which are the most economical if planting to a budget. They come in various sizes so depending on your patience you can start with a smaller size or if time is of the essence then choose larger ones.
If you have any questions you would like answered on Dog Rose or any other variety of rose hedging, please phone one of our team and we will endeavour to help.
We are now taking orders for January delivery.
Delivery is free for most orders above our free delivery thresholds, these are displayed above our prices in the product listings and summarized below. If you don’t need that many plants it’s not a problem, you can choose to pay our delivery charge and only order what you need.
Delivery is convenient – no signature is required so you don’t need to wait in, we will leave your parcel in the safe place that you nominate.
Delivery is fast – because we pick orders daily from our own growing beds your plants only travel the small hop to our packing shed before being sent to you, they are usually delivered within 3-7 days.
Delivery is reliable – we have been selling and delivering Hedging Plants to our customers nationwide since 1992. We have a lot of experience in packing them safely and only use tried and tested delivery partners.
Smaller Plants (Parcel Delivery)
Location | Order Value | Price |
UK Mainland excluding Highlands | Up to £90 | £15.00 |
UK Mainland excluding Highlands | Over £90 | Free |
Scottish Highlands and Isle of Wight | All orders | £24.00 |
Heavy Plants (Pallet Delivery)
Location | Order Value | Price |
UK Mainland excluding Highlands | Up to £420 | £72.00 |
UK Mainland excluding Highlands | Over £420 | Free |
Scottish Highlands and Isle of Wight | All orders | £72.00 |
Tall Plants 2.5m+ (Specialist Delivery)
Location | Order Value | Price |
UK Mainland excluding Highlands | Under £1800 | Please call us |
UK Mainland excluding Highlands | Over £1800 | Free |
Scottish Highlands and Isle of Wight | All orders | Not available |
Exceptions to our delivery charges are Scottish Highland and Isle of Wight delivery areas where we need to charge a little extra to cover the cost of deliveries to these outlying areas. We don’t currently delivery to other offshore addresses including Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland.
Tall plants over 2.5 metres have to be delivered by our own specialised transport, our delivery area is limited to mainland England and Wales only.
Please note there is a minimum order value of £50 for orders containing smaller plants and £250 for orders containing heavier plants
Complete delivery information can be viewed on our Delivery Information page