Carolina rose

Questions about Carolina rose

Does Carolina rose need sun or shade?

Carolina rose grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).

It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.

What zones does Carolina rose grow in?

USDA zones 4 to 9. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).

Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.

When does Carolina rose flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers early June to early July. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.

Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.

How far apart should Carolina rose be planted?

3½ ft (100 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 5 ft (150 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 3½ ft (100 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many Carolina rose plants do I need?

At 3½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:

• 1 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
• 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
• 3 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own

In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.

In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.

Is Carolina rose poisonous to dogs and cats?

No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension and the ASPCA.

"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.

Is there a native plant like Carolina rose?

Carolina rose is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:

• Ninebark 'Little Devil': the same size, the same flowering time and the same colour; an anchor, not a drift.
• Shrubby cinquefoil 'Goldfinger': the same job in a bed; belongs in the middle, not at the back, 4 in narrower.
• Snowberry: the same flowering time and the same colour; an anchor, not a drift, 8 in taller.

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

Do deer eat Carolina rose?

They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.

Will Carolina rose spread?

It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads by suckers into a wider clump. Remove the outer shoots to contain it.

What flowers after Carolina rose?

Carolina rose is over by early July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Wild bergamot: from early July to late August, 3½ ft tall (a recorded partner).
• Daylily: from late June to early August, 2½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.

What does Carolina rose look like in winter?

Carolina rose drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.

Is Carolina rose good for bees and butterflies?

Carolina rose is visited by pollinators, specialist bees, butterflies, moths and songbirds.

It is a host plant: the caterpillars of polyphemus moth feed on its leaves. A butterfly can only lay its eggs on its host plants, so these do more for it than any nectar flower.