Prickly wild rose
Rosa acicularis
The northernmost wild rose; pink flowers and pear-shaped hips from Finland to Siberia and Alaska.
Hardiness: zones 1 to 6
Light: full sun to part shade
Size: about 5 ft tall, 4 ft wide
Harvest: September to October
From: Right around the Northern Hemisphere
Drought-hardy once established
Here: Hardy in the Lake Erie shore climate (zone 6b to 7a), so it can live outdoors in the ground.
Good for: food, wildlife, pollinators.
Native to: Northern Europe & the taiga, Central Asian steppe, Alaska, Western Canada, Eastern Canada, Rockies & Great Basin, Midwest & Great Lakes. Hardy in zones 1 to 6.
The story
The prickly wild rose is Alberta's flower and grows across the whole boreal north, where Cree, Dena'ina and Gwich'in families ate the hips in winter, steeped the petals, and used the roots for eye medicine; its hips hold through the snow.
Planting
Full sun or part shade, any drained soil; extremely hardy. Plant in spring; a 3-foot suckering shrub.
Growing
Water the first year, then nothing. Cut back every few years to renew.
Harvest and use
Hips ripen red in autumn and soften after frost; scrape out the seeds and use the flesh for tea and jelly. Petals in early summer.
What to watch for
Nothing of note.
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More native and wild plants
General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home