My "birthday Girl" rose tree in the front garden I've just half cut back for winter and noticed Green pods which I've found out are Rose hips and it's only been the last 2 years I've seen these occurring but in green. What are they actually for on a rose tree please?
Gail, those are seed pods. The hips are green, but will turn red. Some folks use them for tea since ripe rose hips are rich in vitamin C and other good things. If you dead-head your roses when the blooms are spent, you won't get hips. If not, you'll get hips on antique, own-root, roses. Hybrids don't hip. We let our roses hip since song birds come in during the winter and feast on them. I wouldn't advise harvesting the hips for seeds and trying to grow roses from the seeds. It could take years, and it's so much quicker and easier to propagate that type of roses from cuttings.
Hello @marlingardener mine haven't gone red in the 2yrs they've produced a few, they've just stopped green. I read about what they're good for but still wanted to make sure by posting to members I'm not sure if it's an hybrid https://www.countrygardenroses.co.uk/shop/view/705-Birthday-Girl-Floribunda-Rose I really appreciate you answering and your advice
