The Scotch rose is a lover of sandy soils and, despite its name, is usually found in coastal districts all over Europe. It produces a wide variety of highly coloured flowers.
The Scotch rose (Rosa pimpinellifolia) is also known as the burnt rose or Scotch brier. It is usually grown as an informal bush or as a flowering hedge.
Planting
Plant out new bareroot specimens in the autumn to get the rose well established before the winter. Container-grown Scotch roses are sometimes available in spring and early summer from good garden centres. Plant these out immediately.
Incorporate some organic manure, such as garden compost, into the soil before planting. Dig a hole deep enough to spread out the roots. Firm down the soil around the stem with your heel and water well. Mulch with a layer of compost over the roots to feed and prevent drying out.
Planting schemes
The Scotch rose is not a very tidy bush, so it is best grown next to other shrubs. Evergreen shrubs are good companions which provide colour when the rose is bare in winter.
TIP - PROPAGATING
The common pink and white forms can he propagated easily by separating off and planting out the suckers. Suckers are new stems which grow directly from the roots. Sever well-grown suckers from the parent plant with a sharp spade in early autumn and plant out immediately.
As sucker-forming plants such as this can become very invasive, cut down any unwanted suckers.