'Big Hip' Apple Rose

Rosa villosa

Origin: Europe (via Michigan)

Improvement status: Cultivar

Seeds per packet: ~10

BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED

Life cycle: Perennial

We're very excited to be offering our first culinary rose-hip rose here, thanks to our friend Ken Asmus of Oikos Tree Crops in southwestern Michigan. Ken tried to retire a few years ago, but the plants apparently kept calling him back! He's still selling seeds and plants, but now he's only selling bulk amounts of seeds, pricing out the smaller customers who just want to try a packet-sized amount. So we're happy he's willing to have us buy a few things from him in bulk so we can offer them at a smaller size to all of you!

Here's what Ken says about 'Big Hip':

"Selected from Apple Rose, Rosa villosa [sometimes still called Rosa pomifera], 'Big Hip' has produced the most fruit in the smallest amount of plant. Even small 1 ft tall plants can be packed with fruit. Best in full sun in exposed sites. Thorny but not overly dangerous either, the fruits reside at the end of the branches and short branchlets off a main leader. These plants do not runner like rugosa rose. Instead canes are produced near the base of the plant.

Each plant grows up to 4 foot tall with side branches extending 2-3 ft. in either direction. Flavor of the hips is very good — much superior to other hips from other species roses. The yields are also greater. The hips tend to turn to a paste as they ripen on the plant, which is the best time to eat them in their raw state. The flavor far exceeds Rosa rugosa and the yields are at least triple a rugosa plant.

Over time I was planning to select an individual plant that was the highest yielding. But as time went on they were all equally high yielding plants. As a result, [selecting to] the cultivar level was not as practical, as all the seedlings seemed just as good. To be sure, I further selected the most precocious seedlings in my plantings which flowered and fruited at two years of age. These were put out in my plantings. They appeared to be slightly heavier bearing, but not noticeably so.

As rose hips ripen and begin to get to a soft consistency, the flavor is greatly improved. This occurs about a month or so after the hips 'look' ripe with their normal coloration. The seed casings and the [large] amount of seed is not as important, as these are processed out in cooking and straining the fruit. The size of the hip and the amount of flesh is critical. The seeds could also be used for oil extraction [rose-hip seed oil is much in-demand as a natural skin treatment]. No one has tested this yet.

As far as other species or types of roses, I will say this: After a forty year search, this is the best overall species so far. The yields are high. Yes, there are a lot of seeds, but that too could be used for oil extraction, and its the thick outer rind that you are interested in anyway, so the seeds are a byproduct that could be valuable.

FOR HARVEST: 'Big Hip' produces a very usable and clean fruit when it ripens, starting in mid-to-late August. It is important to harvest at this time as the fruit should be firm yet not hard. The fruit ripens on the bush and the flesh turns a clear orange with a paste-like consistency. If you leave it on too long, the fruit breaks down and begins to spot and turn brown. You want to avoid that to get the best flavor.

GERMINATION:

Outdoor method - Rose seeds have a tough shiny seed coat, so normally germination occurs over a period of 1-2 years. Fall planting should be done as early as possible to help with the scarification and stratification of the seeds. Plant 1/8 inch deep. Tamp hard into the soil and lightly mulch. Seeds will sprout usually in the following spring and summer and then again the following year. Consider them as having a two-year dormancy period in propagation. You can put them in a propagation flat, cover with screen to protect against mice and wait.

Indoor method - Basically, do the usual cold/moist stratification in the fridge, keeping between 33-38 F for 60-120 days. Rose seeds sprout in the fridge very easily. Put them in slightly moist peat moss and then refrigerate for 60-120 days. Some sprouting will occur in the fridge. Some seeds will need an additional warm period to sprout fully, so then plant outside and they will come up the following year in the spring. Easier to grow outside as soil bacteria works on the seed coat. Few animals seem to eat the seed once it is in the ground. You can also put it in a propagation tray outside, cover it, and then let them sprout in the tray in the coming springs ahead. You can then pluck them out and put them in pots."