17/06/2026
🌸 Rosa rugosa is easy to recognise in the Park’s hedgerows once in flower. Its blooms, cerise pink or white, sit open and flat above thick, deeply wrinkled leaves. On warm, still days they carry a light fragrance, and bumblebees regularly visit - you can often hear them loudly buzzing from within the flowers in the hedgerow🐝.
The hips appear early, are rich in vitamin C, and have long been used in jellies and syrups. The hips have a nickname “sea tomato” earned because of their size and shape.
Native to coastal northeast Asia 🌏, this rose grows on sandy shores and exposed dunes, which explains the common names Japanese rose and beach rose. Introduced to Britain in the late eighteenth century, it became widely used in amenity planting schemes for its tolerance of poor soils, salt and exposure. However, it spreads quickly, and we’ve discovered it is listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act ⚠️, meaning it must not be planted in the wild or allowed to spread. Though it still provides pollen and cover, its invasive status is important to keep in mind.
Wrinkled foliage, open pink or white flowers, a light scent on warm days, and early hips make it one of the easiest roses to spot 🌿.
👀 Keep an eye out along hedgerows this week and see if you can catch its scent.
