MRS FAQs Post: Oct. 14, 2002 and July 21, 2004

Date: Sunday, October 14, 2001 Time: 8:50 AM EST Submitted by: Phil Kur Subject: Thank you for contacting Maine Rose Society! Comment: While vacationing on Mount Desert Island, I saw a bulky, shrub-like rose with a small pink blossom similar to a pasture rose. That part I really liked was the fall display of enormous rose hips. They seem to be wild and plentiful near the shore. I live in Childs, NY, Hardiness Zone 5. Can you help with a name so I might try to purchase one and try it here? Thanks,Phil Kur

Date: Wednesday, July 21, 2004 Submitted by: Tom Downs Hello, What is the name of the rose that grows wild on Mt. Desert Island(Acadia National Park)? Is it available in nurseries? Thank you. Tom

From: "Vaughn Hardesty" vhardest@maine.rr.com To: addicus@eznet.net Sent: Sunday, October 14, 2001 7:23 PM Subject: Roses Dear Sir: My best guess re. the your rose question, is that it is one of the common Rugosa roses that are very prevalent along our coast. There are many varieties of Rugosas. Most are quite hardy, very fragrant and form hips in the fall. Any rose supplier usually has quite a few for ordering. I order many fine roses from Pickering, in Canada. Hope this has been helpful. If you have further questions, I would pleased to try and answer them. Vaughn At 08:13 AM 10/15/01 +0100: Joan Gotlibson wrote Hello Mr. Kur, The roses you saw at Mt. Dessert are Rosa Rugosa. A very hardy, pretty disease free rose, and there is a bonus of great fragrance also. They can be pink or white. There are a large variety of Rugosa roses, because they are so hardy, they have been hybridized with a variety of roses to make wonderful hybrids. "THE" book on the subject of Rugosa roses is Rosa Rugosa, written by Suzanne Verrier of Phippsburg Maine. Your library may carry it. You can do a web search at www.find my rose.com or net. Or go to the American Rose Society website, there you will find oodles of info on these and all roses. Good luck, hope you decide to get some rugosas, and that they will peak your interest in growing roses. One word of warning, however, they can be addicting. Joan Gotlibson Maine Rose Society member also Mid-Maine Rose Society member Mr. Kur wrote back: Thanks so much for response. You may think this strange, but the reason I am so attracted to them is the fall display of the largest rose hips I've ever seen and I only get to appreciate them on my annual October trip to Mount Desert Island. The foliage and blossoms will be a bonus. After receiving your email, I checked the index of Fine Gardening and found a very thorough article (issue 51 Sept/Oct 1996) on Rosa Rugosa. The author writes of them with the same passion as your email. I will also check out the book you recommended. Thanks again, Phil Kur At 06:19 AM 10/16/01 -0400, Jerry Cinnamon wrote: Dear Mr. Phil Kur: In answering your question I overlooked the obvious- that is you may have seen a Rose Rugosa. These are common along the shore with small bright pink flowers about 2.5 inches across and large red hips. They are often called the Japanese rose, since that is the part of the world that they originally came from - or at local nurserys people ask for the beach rose, since they have been naturalized on many beaches in Maine. They tolerate salt or sea spray and work well along roadways that are salted in winter. They are fragrant and attract not only your attention, but also that of Japanese Beatles who feed on them. Again you can look these up in Bontanica's Roses on page 63. Rugosa's can commonly be found in nurserys in Maine or by mail order from nurserys. There are also many Rugosa hybrids in different shapes of flowers and colors from bright red to white. They are large plants and tend to spread by themselves by growing from the roots (suckering), so you need a large space or a plan to keep them in bounds. Most nurserys in Maine, at least, can tell you about rugosas and their hybrids. Thanks again. Jerry Cinnamon MRS member Re: Shore Roses Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 06:44:26 -0400 From: addicus@eznet.net To: Jerry Cinnamon Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I believe this is indeed the rose I saw while in Maine. Thanks for the tips on their common name, and about the beetles too. Your organization is quite amazing. Within 24 hours of my post, I received 5 e-mails from rose enthusiasts. Thanks again, Phil To add your post to this discussion, please send your email to MRS Discussion List at MRSlist@unity.edu and indicate the date of this post.