Burnet Rose Rosa spinosissima

Burnet or scotch rose is a small, hardy suckering shrub in the Rosacea family native to Europe and Asia. Its Latin name is Rosa spinosissima. Spinosissima means “most spiny” which describes the abundance of prickles and spines of various sizes on the stem.

It has a profusion of single cup-like 2-inch creamy white flowers in late spring and early summer. The compound leaves are bright green. In autumn, spherical, purplish-black fruit are produced, and the leaves drop in the winter. The shrub can grow up to 4 feet tall and wide.

The burnet rose can be grown in partial sun, but flourishes in full sun. It can tolerate a variety of poor soils (chalk, clay, loam, and sand) if the drainage is moist but well-drained. The plant is drought and salt tolerant. It can be used as a ground cover or low hedge under difficult conditions as an alternative to junipers. In full sun, the plant is disease resistant, and the blooms can be fragrant. To encourage flowering, apply a balanced fertilizer and mulch in late winter/early spring. Late winter pruning is encouraged to prevent the suckers from spreading.

The burnet rose attracts pollinating insects, butterflies, and birds, and can be planted in meadows and borders to attract these pollinators. Due to its hardiness, it is useful as a large-scale ground cover and for mass planting. The plant can also be used in coastal gardens where the soil is sandy, and there is exposure to dry, windy, salty conditions. Propagate with hardwood cuttings in autumn, or by division of the suckers in the dormant season. Propagation by seeds can take two years.

Immigrants to North America probably brought the burnet rose here. They have been found growing wild in Wisconsin and Michigan along the roadside, at abandoned farms, along fences, and meadows. The scotch rose can also be found at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate.  There is a renewed commercial interest in the old wild roses due to their resistance to drought and diseases.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: The plant is usually insect and disease resistant in full sun. Under other conditions, it may be susceptible to black spot, rose rust, and powdery mildews. It may also be affected by aphids, leafhoppers, glasshouse red spider mites, scale insects, caterpillars, and rose leaf-rolling sawfly. Pruning in the late winter will help control the suckers.

VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.