Eggarton Cottages, Eggarton Lane, Godmersham, Kent, CT4 7DY
Tel/Fax: 01227 730242
Also known as Wild Briar. Pretty tree which can grow to 9 ft or so (3 m). Large pale pink or white flowers from June to July followed by scarlet fruits (hips) from August to November.
Any plant given the name "dog" was christened so because it meant that it did not smell or was inferior to other plants.
The fruits make rose hip syrup, which is full of Vitamin C. It was believed that the root was effective against the bite of a mad dog. In the time of Henry VIII, Dog Roses were the symbol of the monarchy.
Dog Rose is the food plant of the caterpillars of the following moths - V-Pug, Little Thorn, Shoulder Stripe, Barred Yellow and Streamer.
The plant can be trained over a trellis, arbour or a dead tree to good effect. Host to many insects, including a gall-forming wasp which produces balls of crimson "moss", known as Robin's pin cushions, on the leaf stalks. Hips are eaten by blackbirds.