The ‘hip’ in rosehip is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word hiope. Botanically speaking, the hip is considered a false fruit, the true fruits of the rose being the small, dry, hard seeds (called achenes) found within the rosehip.

The best rosehips are produced by species roses, shrub roses and ramblers. Planted either as standalone specimens or as hedges in wilder areas of the garden, you can let these roses grow naturally without much pruning. Round or oval rosehips form on the pollinated roses in late summer and autumn. Depending on the rose species, they can grow in clusters (as in Rosa glauca), in small groups of three to four hips (as with the indispensable Rosa rugosa) or as a large, single display (as in Rosa ‘Cupid’ or Rosa ‘Meg’).

When rosehips first appear, they are hard and green. As the days shorten and the nights become cooler, they undergo a noticeable colour change, mainly turning to deep shades of red and orange. Some rosehips persist into winter, as in Rosa virginiana and Rosa rubiginosa, providing a nutritious food source for wildlife. Squirrels and birds eat the ripened hips, but cannot digest the achenes, which are dispersed in their droppings. In favourable conditions, at least a few new rose seedlings will emerge the following spring.

Roses are perhaps Sissinghurst’s most iconic flower. For Vita Sackville-West, who made the garden with her husband Harold Nicolson, roses were the embodiment of the romantic, particularly the old forms and the species roses with their wild exuberance and brilliantly coloured rosehips. Find out more about these beautiful, hip-producing roses and Sissinghurst in this video.