Gardening Plants & Flowers Flowers Roses

Redleaf Rose Growing Profile

By

Updated on 06/21/21

The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

The redleaf rose (Rosa glauca) is a deciduous shrub rose that features pink flowers and leaves that can be anywhere from bluish-green to purple. The canes are reddish-purple. This is not a hybridized rose and you can save the seeds since they will grow into new roses with the same characteristics.

Latin Name

The scientific name for this shrub is Rosa glauca and it is part of the large Rosaceae family, which also includes the red tip photinia. You may also see this listed as Rosa rubrifolia. The species name of glauca refers to the bluish-green coloring found on many of the leaves.

Preferred USDA Hardiness Zones

The recommended zones for this rose species are 2 through 8. It first grew in central and southern Europe.

Size and Shape

At maturity, this rose shrub will be five to nine feet tall and four to seven feet wide. The branches arch and this forms into an upright vase shape.

Exposure

You can help this shrub grow stronger and produce more flowers by choosing a planting location with full sun. It can tolerate a site with partial shade if needed.

Foliage/Flowers/Fruit

The leaves can be light blue-green, purple or copper. The leaves are pinnately compound and each one contains five to seven leaflets.

The little flowers are pink and made up of five petals. They are formed in small clusters and will have a light scent at best. The orangish-red fruits are called hips. They can help add color during the winter since they can take a while to fall off. You can also cook with them and use them in alternative medicine.

Rose Hip Recipes and Crafts You Can Try

Design Tips

This is a great choice for those in cold regions since it is a flowering shrub that can grow down to Zone 2. The Redleaf rose has four-season interest between the reddish canes, pink flowers, blue-green/reddish leaves, and orange hips. You can use this as a hedge or privacy barrier. The canes do bear some thorns.

The 'Carmenetta' hybrid rose is the product of crossing the Redleaf rose with the rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa). It puts on an improved flowering and fruiting display.

Growing Tips

This plant may be propagated by taking cuttings or germinating the seeds. This is a species rose, not a hybrid, so you can plant the seeds and get the same type of shrub.

The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

Maintenance/Pruning

You should prune roses at the end of winter, but before any of the buds start to open. During the spring and summer, you can deadhead spent flowers to keep the appearance tidier and encourage a second flush of blooms. Cut back at a 45-degree angle just above a node so that the stem does not stick out. This practice also helps the plant stay healthier since there is less of a chance that insects or diseases will be present. Some suckers may form but are usually not too invasive.