This suckering deciduous shrub is native to eastern North America from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, south to Florida and west to Arkansas and Ontario where it occurs along stream banks and in swamps, marshes, and floodplains. It belongs to the rose family, Rosaceae, that also includes cherry, lady’s mantle, and photinia. Swamp rose is upright, grows 3-6′ tall and wide, and has arching branches with stout curved prickles. The pinnately compound leaves have 5 to 9 (usually 7) finely toothed leaflets that are broadly elliptic or ovate, 1.25- 2.5″ long, and pointed at both ends. They are medium to dark green during the growing season and often turn red in the fall. Single, 5-petaled pink flowers with conspicuous yellow stamens appear from late spring to mid summer and last 6-8 weeks. They are 1-2″ across and very fragrant so attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. The red pea-sized fruits that follow (hips) are fleshy, filled with seeds, and eaten by birds and small mammals. Swamp rose is an excellent choice for use in native plant, pollinator, butterfly, wildlife, bog and rain gardens. The genus name, Rosa, is the Latin name for the plant. The specific epithet, palustris, is the Latin word meaning swampy and refers to the plants favorite habitat. Photo Credit: SB Johnny Wikimedia Commons
Type: Flowering deciduous shrub
Outstanding Feature: Fragrant showy flowers
Form: Upright, arching
Growth Rate: Rapid
Bloom: Single, 5-petaled, fragrant, pink flowers from lates pring to mid summer
Size: 3-6′ H x 3-6′ W
Light: Full sun to part shade but best flowering is in full sun
Soil: Organically rich, moist to occasionally wet, well drained, acidic; tolerates occasional periods of dry soil
Hardiness: Zones 4-9
Care: Prune in late winter if needed
Pests and Diseases: Generally healthy and resistant to black spot, powdery mildew, rust, aphids, beetles, borers, scale, thrips, rose midges and leafhoppers.
Propagation: Seed (with scarification followed by warm and cold stratification)
Photo Credit: Malcolm Manners, Wikimedia Commons
Karen Meyers