Photo: Fairy Roses cling to the shingles and rooftops. Courtesy of Tina Waisman.
Cape Roses
Saltspray Rose
From the
edge of the beach grass and beyond grows a plant that's tolerant of salt spray
from the breaking waves. Your first encounter with this wonderful
rose--rosa rugosa--will be a wafting fragrance from its vibrant petals. Upon
nearing, you'll discover a very thorny, shrubby plant which often grows in
dense clumps several feet in diameter and 6 feet high. The compound leaves have
5 to 9 dark green leaflets; they are light beneath, with heavy veins on the
upper surface. The gorgeous, 5-petaled, rose-purple flowers are single and
often 4 inches in diameter, rising from short bristly stems. Oddly enough,
saltspray rose is a native of the Orient, arriving here a few hundred years ago
in the ballast of ships, now thriving on Cape shores. In the fall, blossoms
develop into big, juicy rosehips which make excellent jelly and tea.
Fairy Rose
The Fairy Rose
is an unusual Cape beauty, characterized by dense foliage and masses of small
blooms. Because it is an energetic climber, you will see this rose clinging
to the shingles and spreading out onto the roofs of Cape homes andcottages, and
along fences. It thrives in sandy, acid soil and grows wild throughout the
Cape.
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