A beach rose is still a rose

A beach rose is still a rose Oh, those glorious days at the beach in summertime. I can't tally the number of times I've spent weekends and occasional full weeks in Provincetown, Massachusetts and Ogunquit, Maine, usually with a group of friends and our partners. The main focus is always the beach. Some of my best memories are walking the paths through the dunes. Though the sun is beating down, there's usually a breeze at the crest of the dunes. The wind has swept the sand into graceful peaks. You stop to wonder how those graceful grasses can survive in seemingly nothing but sand. There's usually also some weathered fencing artfully leaning in a haphazard way… just part of the ongoing effort to save the dunes from eroding into the sea. And, of course, there's the beach roses. The scent they give off in the heat of the afternoon is strong and sweet. Though you might be in a hurry to scamper quickly along the path to find a restroom or take-out shack, how can you not help but take a moment to breathe in the beauty that surrounds you. Beach roses are formally known as Rosa rugosa and the ones we typically see on our New England coastline bloom in pink or white. They're a robust, spreading shrub that easily turn into entire hedgerows that will sprawl right alongside the established beach paths. Unlike the smooth leaves of traditional garden roses, rugosas have deeply veined leaves, almost wrinkly… hence the name "rugose" (wrinkled). I've always thought beach roses were native here in New England but, in fact, were introduced to the U.S. in the 1770s from Asia, according to nativeplanttrust.org. Due to their robustness, rugosa roses are sometimes regarded as invasive, but they don't cause the level of alarm that knotweed or bittersweet vine do. I've got a white variety here in Dublin I planted years ago. It is extremely popular with bees and other pollinator insects. The scent is intoxicating. It's not all wine and roses with the rugosas, though. I have never seen a more viciously thorny plant of any kind. If you ever want to prune a rugosa back, you'd better suit up. And I mean with a full leather outfit with even a face shield. And long-handled loppers. My goodness, I've probably bled pints the few times I've ever pruned these tough-as-nails beauties. But it's that toughness that lets the salt air and sandy soil welcome them at the beach. Rugosa roses are not picky about soil but in my experience they don't like dense clay since my Dublin rugosa has a lot of dieback every year and at times seems to almost struggle. If I were to plant another one here, I'd amend the soil with sand and peat to lighten it a bit. You can hard prune beach roses if you want to refresh them (remember your leather!) You'll sacrifice a season's worth of blooms and should do this pruning in late winter before they start to bud. Beach roses have big, plump hips (their fruit after blooming) which are used for teas, lotions and other apothecarial potions and lots of small mammals and birds count on those rose hips for nutrition. Hence, why they have spread outside cultivated bounds yet mostly to beachy areas. They seem to be drawn to the sand and the sun as much as us humans are.