Scientific Name
Rosa blanda Aiton
Common Name(s)
Smooth Rose, Meadow Rose, Wild Rose, Prairie Rose
Synonym(s)
Rosa blanda var. blanda, Rosa rousseauiorum, Rosa subblanda, Rosa williamsii
Scientific Classification
Family: Rosaceae
Subfamily: Rosoideae
Genus: Rosa
Origin
Rosa blanda is native to North America.
Flower
Color: White to pink
Bloom Time: Early summer
Description
Rosa blanda is a thornless or near thornless wild rose that occurs as a colony, forming a shrub that grows up to 3.3 feet (1 m) tall. Leaves are alternate and compound with 5 to 9, usually 7 leaflets. Flowers are perfect, having both stamens and carpels, and vary from white to pink in color. They appear in early summer borne singly or in corymbs from lateral buds. The central flower opens first, containing no bract and an up to 1.6 inches (4 cm) long pedicel. The five large petals are shaped either obovate or obcordate, up to 1.2 inches (3 cm) long and up to 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide. The petals are white to pink with streaks of red, the anthers are yellow, the stigma is yellow or orange, and the filaments are white.

Hardiness
USDA hardiness zone 3a to 7b: from −40 °F (−40 °C) to 10 °F (−12.2 °C).
How to Grow and Care
When growing roses, it's important to choose a site receiving at least 6 hours of sun each day. Rose bushes must also be located in well-drained, fertile soil. Plant dormant roses in early spring (or fall). Potted plants can be planted between spring and fall, but preferably spring.
If you're planting bare-root roses, presoak them in water for at least 24 hours before placing them in the ground.
Both bare root and potted rose bushes need to be planted about 2 feet (60 cm) deep, with the hole large enough to accommodate the roots. Backfill the hole with soil, adding some well-rotted manure in with it and water thoroughly. Then mound up additional soil around the base of the plant. Note that this is not necessary for actively growing roses.
Caring for rose bushes is important to their overall health and vigor, especially when it comes to watering. Roses require at least an inch (2.5 cm) of water weekly throughout their growing season, beginning in spring or following spring planting.
See more at How to Grow and Care for Roses.
Links
- Back to genus Rosa
- Plantpedia: Browse flowering plants by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, or Origin
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