Should You Cut off Rose Hips? When, How, and Why

If you’ve grown your roses correctly enough through the year, then you may know that they produce rose hips. So what should you do about them? Should you cut off rose hips? Should you cut off rose hips in Spring? If not then when? And how?

That’s what I’m answering in this post, starting with a quick summary, and then getting into a bit more detail…

Removing rose hips as they appear will prevent the rose plant from wasting resources that could be used to produce more and stronger blooms. However, you can wait till rose hips are fully formed if you plan to harvest them for other purposes such as re-planting, or making rosehip tea.

There are more reasons to go down either route too, so keep reading for more on when and how to cut off rose hips. As well as what happens if you don’t trim rose hips and other options.

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Producing rose hips saps energy from the plant

It’s often thought that leaving rose hips on the plant facilitates its move towards dormancy during winter.

However, it actually requires extra energy for the plant to produce and mature rose hips, which means that if left on, the plant loses a lot of energy and resources that it might need to make it through winter.

This is especially true for older plants or those that are already struggling. If your roses are producing fewer blooms than usual …or if the blooms are smaller than they used to be, it could be because the plant is already expending a lot of energy on producing rose hips.

If you want to encourage your roses to produce more blooms, then remove the hips as soon as they appear. The plant will still go into dormancy when cold weather arrives, even if there are still blooms on the stems.

When do you remove rose hips?

Ideally, to help your roses, you should remove rose hips as soon as they appear. This gives the plant more energy to produce flowers and helps to ensure that the plant will have a better chance to make it through winter. Naturally, you will find they will appear and need doing from early to late winter anyway.

If you can’t remove the hips right away, wait until they turn red or orange. Leaving them on the plant will rob the plant of energy it could be using to produce new, stronger growth.

How do you remove rose hips?

Removing rose hips is veerry easy. To remove rose hips, simply cut them off with pruning shears. You can also twist them off if they’re not too firmly attached. Try not to damage or split the stem in the process.

Do you deadhead roses with hips?

In short, no, do not deadhead roses with hips. Once the flower has died, then you should remove the hip. Don’t be concerned if you do this by accident on occasion though, but try to avoid it.

You might be thinking that by cutting off a rose hip, it’s one less rose for the next bloom! So I’ll tackle that myth next.

Do rose hips turn into roses?

Rose hips do not directly turn into roses. Rose hips are the fruit of the rose plant and will not produce new blooms on this particular rose plant. Rose hips however are seeds, they are potentially a new rose bush. So if you let them mature and dry out, you can plant them to grow new roses.

TIP: If you plan to plant seeds from rose hips, it is best to wait until they are fully ripe on the plant before picking them. Rose hips can be planted directly in the ground or in pots.

For more on this see my article on the best month to plant roses.

Are rose hips good for the plant?

That depends on who you ask! Some gardeners think that rose hips are unsightly and prefer to remove them for aesthetic reasons. Others believe that leaving the hips on the plant provides nutrition and winter protection for the plant.

Aesthetics aside, the right answer is what I alluded to earlier, roses put far more energy into producing their seeds than it does their blooms. Overall, it’s better to remove the rose hips to sustain the current plant better and keep it healthy.

Do rose hips ripen after picking?

No, rose hips do not continue to ripen after they are picked. It is best to wait until they are fully ripe on the plant before picking them if you plan to plant them next season.

What happens if you don’t remove rose hips?

If you don’t remove rose hips, the plant will put more energy into producing seeds instead of blooms. Additionally, rose hips can also be unsightly to some people. Overall, it’s best to remove them when they appear.

Do birds eat rose hips?

Removing rose hips might be seen as taking them away from birds to be able to feed on. There are many fruit eating birds, but they generally prefer other ripe fruits and berries over rose hips. So rose hips are not necessarily their first go-to food source.

Rose hips are eaten by a number fruit-eating birds such as Blackbirds, Thrushes, Fieldfare, Redwing, and Waxwings. Once eaten and digested, the seeds are then dispersed though their excrement.

To strike a balance, leave a few rose hips on the plant for the wildlife. This will not generally impact the number of blooms produced next season. Hopefully, you’re providing other ways for birds to feed in your garden too.

What to do with rose hips

If you decide not to remove the rose hips, there are some other things you can do with them. Here are a few to start you off.

• Eat them! Rose hips are high in vitamin C and can be used to make rose hip jam or syrup.
• Use them in crafts. Rose hips can be dried and used in decorations or as part of a botanical arrangement.
• Add them to skin care products. Rose hips are high in antioxidants and can be used in skin care products to help fight off the signs of aging.

There are more ways to utilize rose hips in my article How to use rose hips for culinary purposes.

Should you cut off rose hips ~ More roses help 🌹

So, should you cut off rose hips? It depends on your reasons for wanting to remove them. If you want to maintain a healthy and thriving rose bush, then go ahead and snip them off.

However, if you like them aesthetically, or want to leave them to the wildlife then let them grow and fall. Alternatively, if you’re interested in utilizing the hips for their many benefits, then leave them be!