Rose hips add colorful accents to the garden.Usually unnoticed until the prized blooms disappear, rose hips, the fleshy false fruit found on most old-fashioned varieties, are yet another reason to grow roses.
• The pods, as small as a ball bearing or as large as a grape, hold achenes (the true fruits, each containing a single seed).
• Hips start out green but usually ripen to rich orange red, shades of yellow or almost burgundy.
• Not all roses bear hips. Don't look for them on hybrid teas, for example.
• But profuse-blooming shrub roses generally are loaded with hips in winter.
• Rose hips dry very well and make a great addition to any bouquet or as a decoration on a wreath.
• The later you pick the hip, the drier it will be inside. Fresh hips from unsprayed plants can be used for jellies and jams, and dried ones for sachets, potpourri and teas.
• Or leave them on the bush, where they provide winter interest in a barren garden and nourishment for birds.
-- Homes & Gardens staff
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