Flower Friday – Rosa blanda

There’s a diminutive pink rose that you can spot this time of year at the side of country roads, where there’s a bit of shade from a tree line or woods. I’ve noticed it once or twice at the edges of my property as well, but just now and then…it hasn’t been spectacularly showy.

But this past week I spotted the easily identifiable rose foliage near the end of the driveway and discovered a few flower buds. It was blooming on Tuesday, when I took these shots after leaning in for a whiff (it has a delectable, delicate, green apple fragrance; bumble bees also find it attractive), and I did a little research. It seems that this rose is called Rosa blanda, aka Smooth Rose or just plain Wild Rose here in Ontario, where it’s a native shrub (one of more than a dozen roses native to Canada). This one is identified not only by its small, pink and sometimes white flower, but also by its thornless stems.

The flowers should magically transform into small rose hips later this summer, and the shrub spreads by suckering, I’ve read, so likely not ideal for a cultivated flower garden. It seems ideal where I’ve seen it growing wild – at the side of roads in semi-shade. I’m going to help this little one along, clearing away the buckthorn and wild raspberry that it’s crowded amidst, and hope for a few more blooms next year.