Scotch Burnet Rose Hedge Plants

• Variety: Scotch or Burnet Rose, the low, prickly native Rose
• Latin name: Rosa spinosissima (syn. Rosa pimpinellifolia)
• Sold as: Bareroot hedge plants, 40/60 and 60/80cm tall
• Hedge height: 0.5 to 1m, spreading 1 to 1.5m by suckers
• Spacing: 3 plants per metre, or 6 in a double staggered row
• Flowers: Single, creamy-white, sometimes flushed pink, once in early summer
• Hips: Round and black
• Thorns: Yes, the prickliest Rose we grow
• Position: Full sun. Exposed or sheltered
• Soil: Well-drained. Good on poor, sandy ground
• Native: Yes
• Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators
• Hardiness: H7, hardy in the severest British winter
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Scotch Rose makes a low, dense, very prickly barrier that spreads by suckers and tops out at about a metre. It is native, takes cold, wind and poor sandy soil, carries creamy-white flowers in early summer, and is the one wild Rose whose hips ripen black. It is on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list.

Scotch Burnet Rose Hedge Plants

The Scottish Burnet Rose, is a superb thorny hedging plant. Suitable for any soil with decent drainage.
Rosa spinosissima makes a low hedge, about 0.5 to 1 metre high. It builds a barrier by spreading sideways into a dense suckering thicket rather than by growing tall, which is why the RHS recommends it for low hedging.

A very thorny native rose that makes an excellent dense thicket; it's a natural-born secure hedge plant. It bears heavily scented white & pink flowers in summer, followed by inedible maroon-black fruit.
This rose is seriously thorny. If you don't own a pair of extra-thick gardening gloves, get some before you start handling this beast.

If you want a wild rose for dry soil, really cold or exposed sites, this is the one to go for.

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

Bareroot hedge plants are only delivered during winter (Nov-April).
All our hedge plants are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

Spacing a Rosa pimpinellifolia hedge:

Plant hedging at 3 plants per metre, 33cm apart.
You can also plant at 6 plants per metre in a staggered double row, with 33cm between each plant along the row and 40cm between the rows.

History & Trivia

You may also see the Scotch rose listed as Rosa spinosissima, which means the prickliest, a well deserved name.

Planting Companions

For a taller thorny run behind it, use Dog Rose or the apple-scented Sweet Briar. By the sea, Scotch Rose will do the job alone, and the rest of our coastal hedging is there if you want company for it. Dust the roots with Rootgrow as you plant.

Why Ashridge for Hedging?

Hedging is not a sideline here: your Scotch Rose is grown for us as hedging by specialist growers. Bareroot plants are lifted to order while dormant and guaranteed for 12 months. Ashridge has sold plants since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

How tall does a Scotch Rose hedge grow?

Up to a metre high, and rather wider. It makes its barrier by spreading, not by growing tall.

Does Scotch Rose spread?

Yes. It suckers freely and forms a thicket, which is what makes it such a good low barrier. Plant it where that is welcome, or mow round it.

Is it native?

Yes. It grows wild in Britain on dunes and dry, open ground.

What colour are the hips?

Black. Every other wild Rose in our range ripens red or orange hips, and this one ripens round black ones.

Will it grow by the sea?

Yes. It is as hardy as they come, likes poor, sandy soil, and stands up to an exposed site.

When do you prune it?

It needs very little. If you want the hips, leave the spent flowers on.

When are the plants delivered?

Bareroot only, from November to April, while the plants are dormant. You can order at any time of year and your plants are lifted and sent once the season opens.