Roses are probably the most popular flower grown by organic gardeners, given their beauty, scent, and hardiness. However, all too often we ignore the opportunity to take advantage of a simple method of propagation, opting instead to cut their flowers and put them in vases.
A bit of restraint and patience can result in tons of seeds that will allow you to propagate your roses for next to nothing. Or, if you’re looking for an interesting hobby, to hybridize your own new varieties. Many famous rose cultivars have come from the gardens of amateur breeders.
How to Collect Seeds from Roses
Most roses will go to seed naturally, given the opportunity. Let them. What you’ll end up with is a large bulge behind the flower that, after about four months, will turn orange. This is essentially an ovary, better known as a rose hip.
Collect it and cut it open, and you’ll find that it’s packed with seeds. Remove them from the flesh, clean them and dry them to prevent mold, and store them for planting during the next available season. If you put them in a plastic baggie and keep them in your refrigerator’s vegetable crisper, they’ll be just fine.
Want to learn more about growing roses from collected seeds?
Processing Rose Seed PDF from Texas A&M University
Germination of Rose Seeds from Texas A&M University Agriculture and Life Sciences
How to Grow Roses
That is very interesting! I will give it a try.
I like to know where on the rose do you pick the seed
While rose flower leave them there, untill the flower is wilted, then wait untill You will see green bulb starts to form in the place of a flower, still wait untill IT turns Orange, like on photos above. I just collected mine for future years to come 🙂
All roses,except for wild species roses, will not reproduce true to type from seed. It’s the proverbial ” box of chocolates”. You can grow roses from seed but you won’t know what you’re going to end up with until it flowers.
What a good idea, I might give it a go next season, but would the seeds grow to a true form like the original plant? Many thanks.
Love your video I learned something new i did not now roses gave seeds I am going to try this I always cut the stem and put hormones and from there I would get new rosebushes
You need to weed you roses! Grass grows inside poor shrubs and pulls nutrients
I’ve been searching for, and can’t seem to find the answer to this question. Can you take too many hips from one bush? I know some plants need their fruit to re-grow, or re-propagate, like fiddleheads, you shouldn’t pick them all. I’m new to all of this so I hope it doesn’t sound like a silly question.
No. Rose bushes will come back next season, regardless.