Key takeaways
- Seed never copies a named rose; take cuttings if you want another of the same
- Pick hips when fully coloured but still firm, usually October or November
- Clean every bit of pulp off the seed, and wear gloves, as the hairs itch
- Chill the seed in damp vermiculite in the fridge, not the freezer, for two to three months
- Seedlings come up slowly over weeks or months, so keep the pots for a second year
- Species roses such as Rosa rugosa and Rosa glauca come closest to their parent
Take a hip from a Peace rose, sow the seed, and you won’t get Peace. You’ll get a brand-new rose that nobody has grown before. It might be lovely, or it might be plain, and that surprise is the fun of it. Every named rose you’ve ever bought started life as a seedling just like this.
This guide covers how to grow roses from seed in the UK: picking hips, cleaning the seed, giving it a winter chill, sowing and growing on. If you just want another plant of a rose you already love, seed is the wrong tool, and the guide will point you to the right one.
Why your seedling won’t be the rose you picked
Named roses don’t come true from seed. Garden roses like Peace are hybrids, with a long mix of parents behind them. When they make seed, their genes get shuffled, so every seedling is different.
Sow a handful of seeds from one Peace hip and you’ll get a handful of different roses. Some may have single flowers, some may be pink rather than yellow. Most will be less special than Peace, which was picked out from many seedlings for being the best.
Rose breeders raise huge numbers of seedlings and keep only a few. At home, the same thing happens on a smaller scale. You won’t copy a favourite, but you will grow a rose that exists nowhere else.
Each hip holds a cluster of seeds. Every one of them will grow into a slightly different rose.
Want a copy of your rose? Take cuttings instead
If you want more of a rose you already have, take hardwood cuttings in autumn. A cutting is a piece of the same plant, so it grows into an exact copy. Nurseries also bud roses onto rootstocks, which copies the variety in the same way.
Want more of a rose you already love? Autumn cuttings like these grow into exact copies.
The guide to hardwood cuttings shows how. Come back here when you fancy growing something new.
Which roses are best to grow from seed?
Species roses are the wild roses, and they come much closer to their parents than garden hybrids. They are the best place to start.
- Rosa rugosa has big, fleshy hips that are easy to work with, and its seedlings look like rugosas. It’s often grown as a hedge.
- Rosa glauca usually passes on its blue-grey leaves, so the seedlings look good from early on.
- Rosa canina (dog rose) seedlings tend to look very like their mother, because of an unusual way this rose passes on its genes.
- Hybrid teas, floribundas and English roses are the biggest gamble, and the most fun if you like surprises.
| Rose type | Comes true from seed? | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Rosa rugosa | Close | A first try, hedging |
| Rosa glauca | Close for foliage | Blue-grey leaves |
| Rosa canina (dog rose) | Very close | Native hedges |
| Old garden roses | Loosely | Scent and character |
| Shrub and floribunda | No | A gamble on something new |
| Hybrid tea | No | Breeding projects |
The guide to types of roses explains where each group fits.
Good to know: Rosa rugosa spreads along some UK coasts. In England and Wales it is an offence to plant it or let it spread in the wild, so keep seedlings in the garden.
A rugosa hedge gives flowers in summer and big, easy hips in autumn, ideal for a first go at rose seed.
When to pick rose hips for seed
Pick hips in October or November, when they are fully coloured but still firm. Green hips usually hold unripe seed. Very soft, wrinkled or blackened hips often have mouldy seed.
Pick from a rose you can name, so you at least know the mother. And wear gloves: the hairs inside rose hips are the stuff of old-fashioned itching powder. If you’d rather cook with your hips, see the guide to harvesting and using rose hips.
How to clean rose seed
- Cut each hip in half and scoop out the seeds with the tip of a knife.
- Put the seeds in a sieve and rub them under running water until all the pulp is gone. Leftover pulp encourages mould.
- Pat them dry on kitchen paper, but don’t let them dry out completely.
You can drop the clean seed into a glass of water. Seeds that sink are usually the best. Floaters aren’t always duds, so sow them in a separate pot rather than throwing them away.
Chilling rose seed in the fridge
Rose seed needs a cold, damp spell before it will grow, just like a winter in the soil. This is called stratification, and it is the step that matters most.
- Mix the clean seed with barely damp vermiculite. It should feel like a wrung-out cloth, not wet.
- Seal it in a labelled zip bag.
- Keep it in the fridge, not the freezer, for about two to three months.
- Check it every couple of weeks. Remove any mouldy seed.
- If any seeds sprout a little white root in the bag, pot them up straight away.
Never use the freezer. The seed needs cold, moisture and air together, and freezing can kill it.
The traditional alternative is even simpler: sow the cleaned seed in pots in autumn, cover with grit, and leave them outdoors or in a cold frame over winter. Protect them from mice, which love rose seed.
Barely damp vermiculite in a sealed bag, in the fridge for a couple of months. Check it now and then for mould.
Sowing rose seed after chilling
After the chill, usually in late winter, sow the seed:
- Fill 9cm pots or a seed tray with peat-free seed compost.
- Sow the seeds about 2cm apart and 5mm deep.
- Cover with a thin layer of fine grit to keep the surface dry and clean.
- Label with the rose and the date.
- Keep the pots cool but frost-free: a cold frame, cold greenhouse or cool windowsill.
Rose seed likes it cool, so a heated propagator won’t speed things up. Once seedlings appear, give them plenty of light. The guide to sowing seeds indoors covers the basics.
Space the seeds out so you can lift each seedling later without disturbing the rest.
Why rose seed comes up so slowly
Rose seed doesn’t all come up at once. A few seedlings appear after a few weeks, then more over the following months. Some wait until the next spring.
That’s normal. In the wild, spreading germination out over time means a single frost or dry spell can’t wipe out every seedling. Don’t throw the pots away in the first year. Leave them somewhere cool and see what else appears.
Looking after rose seedlings
The biggest danger is damping off, a fungal problem that makes seedlings collapse at the base. To prevent it:
- Use clean pots and fresh compost.
- Water from below and don’t keep the compost soggy.
- Give seedlings good light and fresh air.
The guide to damping off explains more. Once seedlings have their first true leaves, move each one into its own small pot. Harden them off in late spring and grow them on outside.
The seedling on the left has damping off: the stem pinches at soil level and it topples over. Fresh air and careful watering help prevent it.
The first flower and the wait after it
Seedlings of modern garden roses can flower in their first year, sometimes while still tiny. Species roses usually take a few years.
That first flower tells you very little. Early flowers are often smaller and simpler than they will be on a mature plant. Give each seedling a few years before you judge it on:
- Whether it repeats or flowers once
- Its scent
- How well it resists blackspot and other diseases in a wet summer
- Its shape and vigour
Keep the best and compost the rest. Plant keepers in the garden at the usual time, following the guide to when to plant roses.
A first flower like this is exciting, but wait a few years to see what the rose can really do.
Common mistakes with roses from seed
- Skipping the chill. Unchilled seed usually sits doing nothing, so it looks dead when it isn’t.
- Using the freezer. Freezing can kill the seed. Use the fridge.
- Leaving pulp on the seed. It goes mouldy during the chill.
- Too much warmth. Rose seed likes it cool. Skip the heated propagator.
- Giving up too soon. Keep the pots for a second year.
- Expecting a copy of the parent. For that, take cuttings.
Roses from seed calendar
| Month | What to do |
|---|---|
| October to November | Pick ripe, firm hips. Clean the seed. Start the fridge chill, or sow in pots outdoors |
| December to January | Check bags for mould. Pot up any seeds that sprout |
| February to March | Sow chilled seed. Keep pots cool |
| April to June | Prick out seedlings. Watch for damping off. More seedlings may appear |
| Summer | Harden off and grow on. Some modern seedlings may flower |
| Autumn | Pot on strong seedlings. Leave the original pots outside for another winter |
| Next spring | Check the old pots for late seedlings |
Is it worth it?
It depends what you want. If you want roses in flower next June, buy a bare-root plant in winter. Seed is slower and less certain, and you’ll compost most seedlings.
But now and then a seedling turns out to be a real beauty. Then you have a rose that grows in no other garden in the world. Start with rugosa, chill the seed properly, and keep the pots for two years.
Frequently asked questions
Can you grow roses from seed?
Yes, but the seedlings won’t match the parent rose. Rose seed grows once it has had a cold, damp spell, like a winter in the soil. Each seedling is a brand-new rose. To get more of a rose you already have, take cuttings instead.
Will rose seeds grow the same rose as the parent?
No, not from any named garden rose. Seed from a Peace rose grows into something that isn’t Peace. That’s why named roses are sold as grafted plants or grown from cuttings. Species roses such as Rosa rugosa come much closer to their parent.
Do rose seeds need stratification?
Yes, rose seed needs a cold, damp spell before it will grow. Mix the seed with damp vermiculite and keep it in the fridge for about two to three months. Or sow it in pots in autumn and leave them outside or in a cold frame over winter.
Can I put rose seeds in the freezer?
No, use the fridge, not the freezer. The seed needs cold, moisture and air together to wake up. Freezing can kill it. A sealed bag of barely damp vermiculite in the fridge is ideal.
How long do rose seeds take to germinate?
Usually a few weeks to a few months after chilling. Rose seed comes up a few at a time rather than all at once. Some may wait until the following spring. Keep the pots for a second year before giving up on them.
When should I pick rose hips for seed?
Pick hips in October or November, when fully coloured but still firm. Green hips usually hold seed that isn’t ripe. Very soft, wrinkled or blackened hips may have mouldy seed inside.
How long until a rose grown from seed flowers?
Modern rose seedlings can flower in their first year; species roses take longer. The first flowers are often small and simple. Give a seedling a few years to show its true colour, scent and health before deciding whether to keep it.
Once your seedling earns a place in the garden, read the guide to growing roses in the UK for planting, feeding and pruning, or browse more how-to guides.
Our team produces practical UK gardening guidance from source research, contributor records and established horticultural practice. Editorial standards are overseen by Matt W.
