Nootka Rose (Rosa nutkana) is one of two wild roses native to Utah that brings a soft, natural beauty to the landscape. Nootka Rose features gently arching stems covered with attractive compound leaves. In late spring and early summer, large single blooms with golden centers appear against fresh green foliage, creating a simple elegance that feels perfectly at home in native plantings. As the season progresses, bright red rose hips add lasting color and texture well into fall and winter, giving the shrub year-round interest. Its relaxed habit works beautifully in hedgerows, native garden beds and borders, restoration-style landscapes, cottage gardens, and wet meadows where it can weave naturally among grasses and other perennials. Nootka Rose differs from the other native rose, Wood's Rose, in it's more variable height (can be a bit shorter or significantly taller), larger solitary flowers (rather than clusters), larger rose hips and thorns, and preference for a moist habitat. Nootka Rose can spread quickly to form thickets, especially when given ample moisture. To restrict this spread, install rhizome barriers, restrict moisture, or plant in large planters or containers.
Nootka Rose
Irrigation Requirement: Low (1/2" every 10-14 days) to Moderate (1/2" every 7-10 days)
Mature Size: 6 - 10' tall and 3 -4' wide
Spacing: 4' apart
Bloom Colors: Pink/Purple
Bloom Season: June - July
Hardiness Zone: 5 - 9
Light Requirement: Full sun to Partial shade
Deer Resistant: Yes, although the tender shoots may still be browsed by deer.
Salt Tolerant: Moderately
Soils: Adaptable to well-drained sandy, loamy, or clay soils.
Plants in the Rosa genus are host species for 64 known native pollinators in northern Utah. They also provide nectar for a variety of pollinators, fruits for birds and other animals, and habitat, cover, and nesting sites for birds and small mammals