Should You Cut Off Rose Hips? A Guide for Gardeners

If you’ve grown roses you’ve likely noticed the swollen round fruit that forms at the base of faded flowers. These seed-filled structures are known as rose hips. While rose hips have culinary and medicinal uses, most rose gardeners view them as a nuisance that detracts from new blooms. So should you cut off rose hips to promote more flowers? Let’s take a detailed look at what rose hips are, their purpose, and when to remove them.

What are Rose Hips?

Rose hips are the fruit that develops after pollination and fertilization of rose flowers They form from the swollen ovary below the petals As the fertilized ovules inside mature into seeds, the ovary wall enlarges to become the fruit enclosing the seeds.

Botanically speaking, roses belong to the genus Rosa within the larger Rosaceae family The hips are sometimes called “heps” or referred to as “haws”, especially for wild rose species Regardless of terminology, these seed-bearing fruits serve the same reproductive purpose.

While rose hips come in diverse sizes and colors like orange, red, or purple, they all share the same basic anatomy:

• Fleshy outer layer – Called the hypanthium, this enlarged base of the flower forms the bulk of the hip. It encloses and protects the seeds.

• Seeds – Each fertilized ovule matures into a hard seed containing the rose embryo and nutrients. The number of seeds per hip varies by cultivar.

• Sepals – Leaflike remnants of the flower calyx cap the tip of the hip and enclose it before maturity.

In addition to reproductive purposes, rose hips fulfill roles in seed dispersal, nutrition, and plant defense thanks to their vitamin C content and “hairs” that irritate herbivores.

Why Do Rose Hips Form?

As in all flowering plants, the ultimate biological objective of rose blooms is reproduction. Flowers contain the reproductive organs (stamens and pistils) that play a central role in plant fertility.

Pollination brings pollen from the stamens to the sticky stigma of the pistil. The pollen then fertilizes ovules contained within the pistil’s enlarged base, the ovary. Once fertilized, the ovules transform into seeds, prompting the ovary tissue to swell into the fleshy, protective hip fruit.

So in essence, rose hips develop to shelter and disseminate the seeds that will grow into new rose plants. The gorgeous flowers we enjoy are just the prelude to this reproductive process. Any successful pollination will initiate hip formation.

Should You Remove Rose Hips?

Since rose hips divert energy away from repeat blooming, most gardeners choose to remove them. Snipping off hips as they form channels the plant’s resources back into flower production instead of fruit and seed development.

Removing spent blooms before hips form is called “deadheading”. It’s typically done both for aesthetic reasons and to maximize further flowering. The presence of mature rose hips signals that it’s too late for deadheading. But removing them promptly can still promote additional blooms.

Benefits of Removing Rose Hips

• More flowers – With no developing hips to sap energy, the plant can focus on generating new blooms.

• Neater appearance – Deadheaded plants look cleaner than those with dried hips covering the stems.

• Eliminates unwanted seedlings – Prevents volunteer seedlings from germinating where not wanted.

• Avoids disease and pests – Ridding hips eliminates places where disease and insects can overwinter.

• Encourages repeat blooming – Roses bloom in cycles all season. Removing spent blooms and hips prompts faster re-blooming.

• Reduces unwanted spread – Deters certain roses like wild types from spreading invasively via seeds.

For most gardening purposes, the ideal outcome is continuous waves of blossoms, not fruit development. So regularly removing spent flowers before they can set hips is recommended.

When to Leave Hips

Occasionally gardeners do opt to leave hips on roses, either for specific reasons or out of neglect. Some situations where mature hips may be desirable include:

• Collecting seeds – Rose hips let you gather seeds for propagation or breeding purposes. But avoid hybridized types, as seeds won’t grow true.

• Crafting projects – Dried rose hips can be incorporated into floral arrangements, potpourri, wreaths, etc.

• Edible or medicinal use – Some hips can be used to make tea, jam, wine, flour, etc. due to nutrients, flavonoids, and vitamin C.

• Winter interest – The red hips and red-tinted foliage of some roses adds color to winter gardens after blooms fade.

• Wildlife food source – Birds and small mammals will forage on hips left over winter.

Unless you have a particular use in mind, however, removing spent blooms and hips regularly is typically the best practice.

How to Remove Rose Hips

Removing rose hips is a simple process:

Supplies Needed

• Bypass pruners, snips, or scissors
• Gloves (for protection from thorns)

Removal Steps

1. Visit roses frequently after blooms fade. This lets you remove spent flowers before hips can form. Target wilted blooms where the petals have dropped.

2. Locate any developing hips that have started swelling behind dead flowers.

3. Use pruners or scissors to snip off the dead bloom just above the uppermost leaves. Cut at a 45° angle about 1⁄4 inch above the topmost leaf axils.

4. Continue working your way around the rose bush, removing all dead flowers and observable hips.

5. Check again a week later for any new hips beginning to form and continue removing them promptly. Stay diligent!

6. Remove all hips again when pruning roses in early spring before new growth begins. This eliminates overwintering disease and insect eggs.

With some attentiveness and routine clipping, you can keep rose bushes looking their best and blooming freely all season long. Just don’t let those pesky hips get established or they’ll steal the show! Removing them as they appear helps sustain gorgeous, productive plants.

A Few Final Hip Tips

• Deadhead roses frequently, at least once a week. This prevents hips from ever forming.

• Cut hips off cleanly at their point of attachment. Avoid leaving stubs that can die back.

• Discard cut hips and flowers in the trash. Don’t compost, since diseases can persist.

• Wear gloves and long sleeves when removing hips to protect your skin from thorns.

• Time hip removal in fall to leave some for winter interest, wildlife food, etc.

• For medium or large rose plantings, use bypass loppers for easier cutting.

• Sterilize tools regularly in rubbing alcohol or diluted bleach to prevent disease spread.

Knowing when and how to properly remove rose hips will lead to healthier, more prolific rose bushes. A diligent deadheading regimen really pays off with prolific flowering and beauty all season long. Just stay on top of those hips!