Field Rose Hedge Plants

Rosa Arvensis Hedging

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Rosa arvensis, Field Rose, is a good country hedging plant, suitable for any soil. It is best used in combination with other native hedging plants which can include a range of wild roses if you wish. But a simple mix might be part hawthorn, part blackthorn, part hazel and part field rose for example. The field rose is one of the prettiest of the native British wild roses. It is under-used and not appreciated as much as it deserves and because it is so well suited for use in mixed hedges up to about 3 metres tall it should get more attention.

View our selection of rose hedging or see our full range of thorny hedging plants.

Spacing hedge containing Rosa arvensis:

If grown as a single species hedge, you should plant Rosa arvensis  at 3 plants per metre (i.e. 33cm apart) in a single row. Cut it back hard after planting and again a year later to encourage a thick hedge from ground level up.

However Field Roses are more usually grown as part of a mixed hedge - maybe making up 10% of the mixture. The whole hedge is then planted at 5 plants per metre in a staggered double row, with 33 cm between each plant along the row and 40cm between the rows.

General description of Rosa arvensis plants:

This dense growing native shrub is commonly found in country hedgerows. It is covered in single flowers in summer which are then followed in autumn by masses of shiny red hips. Grown on its own a field rose makes a rather mounded specimen, but it also rambles happily and so is an excellent addition to a mixed native hedge.

Rosa arvensis hedge plants are only delivered bareroot, during winter (Nov-March).
All our hedge plants are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

Growing Rosa arvensis plants:
These wild roses will grow on any well drained soils, including poorly fertile, sandy sites right by the coast and on chalky soil. They are suitable for clay soils in humid areas, but not for waterlogged places. Rose are generally shade tolerant, but won't flower much if they don't get enough sun.

Prepare your site before planting:
Native hedge plants like Rosa arvensis are very tough. The only essential preparation is to kill the weeds in a strip a metre wide along the planting site: improving the soil should not be necessary. If your soil is exceptionally poor and dry, then digging in some well rotted manure and/or compost is worthwhile.

Watch our video on how to plant a country hedge for full details.
Remember to water establishing plants during dry weather for at least a year after planting.

Hedge Planting Accessories:
Prepare your site for planting by killing the weeds and grass with Neudorff WeedFree Plus.
You can buy a hedge planting pack with sheets of mulch fabric and pegs to hold it down.
If your soil quality is poor, we recommend using mycorrhizal "friendly fungi" on the roots of new trees and shrubs.

After Care

After you have planted your Rosa arvensis hedge, the most important thing to do is water it in dry weather. You will also need to weed around the plants. Watering should be thorough, so the ground is soaked. Let the soil almost dry out before watering again. Watering & weeding will be necessary for at least a year after planting.

Trimming Country hedge plants:
Rosa arvensis is a vigorous, native hedging plant that benefits from being cut back hard right after planting, as shown in the country hedge planting video. In the following years, your young hedge should be trimmed lightly once in winter, until it is mature. When it is fully grown, you can clip it at anytime. Late winter is ideal.

Special notes on caring for Rosa arvensis hedges:
Rosa arvensis is a very tough hedge plant that shouldn't need special attention once it has established. If you didn't use a mulch fabric, it is beneficial to mulch around the base of the hedge each year.

Hygiene & Diseases:
Dead, damaged or diseased wood can be pruned off as soon as it appears.
Disinfect your pruning tools between every cut if there is any sign of disease.
Burn or dispose of any diseased material, do not compost it.