Rugosa rose
Rosa rugosa
A tough, exceptionally salt- and cold-hardy species rose forming a dense, suckering thicket of upright, very thorny stems clothed in deeply wrinkled (rugose) dark-green leaves. From late spring through summer it carries large, fragrant single flowers in magenta-pink to white, followed by big, tomato-shaped red hips that are edible and very high in vitamin C. NC State Extension lists it for USDA zones 2a-7b. Its toughness is also its drawback: it spreads aggressively by suckers and seed-bearing hips and is invasive on coastal dunes in parts of the northeastern US and northern Europe.
Climate fit: moderate (47/100)
Structure
Pollinator
Edible
Light
Full sun
Water
Consistent moisture
Mature size
48-72" tall · 48" apart
Hardy in zones
2a-7b
brutally cold to cold winters
Native in Illinois
No
Related products
Sponsored
Shop gardening supplies for Rugosa rose on Amazon ->
Plotwright may earn a commission from purchases made through this link, at no extra cost to you.
The open, accessible blooms are readily visited by bees, which improve fruit set; leaving the hips on the plant feeds wildlife but also fuels its self-seeding spread.
Cold hardiness
These values are location-based: this location's current hardiness is the baseline, and the 2050 value is a projected future climate for this same location.
Now
Zone 6b
Plotwright
USDA Zone 6b
-5°F to 0°F
Well-suited
Zone 7a
Plotwright
0°F to 5°F
Well-suited
In plain terms: This location has cold winters. Its winters are projected to keep warming through 2050.
✓
Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.
Heat tolerance
Heat tolerance values are location-based too: heat days today are observed at this site, and the 2050 value projects this same location under a future climate.
Loading AHS heat-zone data for this location...
Where this plant fits
Suitable across 34 ecoregions — 26 climate-resilient through 2070 · 8 suited today. Best matches first.
Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests
›
Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests
›
Arizona Mountains forests
›
Blue Mountains forests
›
Canadian Aspen forests and parklands
›
Central Tallgrass prairie
›
Central-Southern Cascades Forests
›
Colorado Rockies forests
›
Cross-Timbers savanna-woodland
›
Eastern Canadian Forest-Boreal transition
›
Similar plants
Browse lateral options with similar roles, light needs, size, or native-range overlap; these are not filtered for a better climate fit.
Rubus allegheniensis
Allegheny blackberry
A native eastern + central North American thicket-forming shrub producing arching thorny canes + clusters of large sweet black berries in mid-to-late summer. Among the most important wildlife fruit producers in eastern forests — birds, mammals, + insects all depend on the fruit. Like raspberry, biennial-caned (primocane year 1, fruits in year 2 as floricane, then dies back). Spreads via root suckers + tip-rooting cane tips; manage with annual pruning.
Sambucus canadensis
American elderberry
A fast, suckering native shrub of streambanks and moist thickets across eastern North America, grown for huge flat-topped cymes of tiny lemon-scented white flowers in early summer and the clusters of dark elderberry drupes that follow. Spreads by root suckers into naturalized colonies 5-12 feet tall and wide; the flowers feed butterflies and the showy fruit feeds birds. The raw berries are not eaten fresh — they are cooked into jelly, pie, and wine.
Prunus maritima
Beach plum
A low, densely branching coastal shrub of northeastern dunes, smothered in white spring blossom and prized for the tart blue-purple plums that follow. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents it native from New Brunswick down the Atlantic seaboard to New Jersey, growing in sand and gravel near the sea, where it is both salt tolerant and drought tolerant. It carries Special Value to Native Bees, feeds birds with its fruit, and is self-incompatible — a second seedling is needed to set a real crop.
Aronia melanocarpa
Black chokeberry
A drought-and-flood-tolerant native shrub of eastern North America with brilliant three-season interest — spring white-pink flowers, glossy black antioxidant-rich late-summer berries, and brilliant wine-red fall foliage — plus an extraordinarily wide cold-hardiness range (USDA 3a-8b). The berries are astringent fresh but the basis of a small but growing commercial industry (juices, wines, jams, supplements) for their exceptionally high anthocyanin content. Spreads by suckers; site where colony formation is welcome.
Ribes aureum
Golden currant
An upright, multi-stemmed, rhizomatous deciduous shrub of the western U.S. and Canada, named for its showy, fragrant yellow-to-orange spring flowers. Glossy lobed leaves turn reddish-purple in fall, and the spring bloom gives way to edible black currants by mid to late summer. Tough and adaptable — it tolerates dry to seasonally flooded soils, poor and clay soils, drought, and erosion, and the flowers and fruit feed hummingbirds, butterflies, and birds.
Vaccinium corymbosum
Highbush blueberry
A deciduous edible shrub for acidic soils, spring flowers, summer berries, pollinator value, and strong fall color.
Sources & citations
Cite this page
For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.
Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa). Retrieved 2026, June 24, from https://plotwright.com/plants/rosa-rugosa
Sources for every fact
Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited - 18 source-backed.
NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
University extension service
Backs 17 fields
Identity
Summary
Plant type
Light
Moisture
Hardiness
Heat zone
Size
Spacing
Habit
Design roles
Seasonal interest
Growth stages
Lifecycle
Regional guidance
Success tips
Designer notes