Easy to Grow Cherokee Rose

Characteristics

• The vines of the Cherokee rose measure up to 20 feet long and are covered with thorns that are curved backwards. The stems or vines of this climbing rose will sometimes form roots when left to lie on the ground. The leaves of the Cherokee rose are dark green in color on the top and a paler green underneath. They consist of three leaflets that are finely toothed. The blooms measure about 3 inches in diameter and have five petals which are white in color and possess a yellow cluster of stamens in the center. Flowers bloom in late March and April, bearing pear-shaped fruit.

Habitat and Cultivation

• The Cherokee rose grows wild in parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, and can be found as far north as New York. As a wild rose, it normally grows with little care or gardening efforts. The plant has evergreen foliage and offers attractive and fragrant blooms through April and May with a second bloom possible in the fall. Provide climbing habitat such as a trellis, fence or shrub. The plant is cold sensitive and does not survive where winter conditions drop below minus 3 degrees Fahrenheit.

Uses

• The Cherokee rose is also referred to as a prairie rose and adapts well to the wild. The fruit of this species provides food for a variety of mammals and birds and the deer browse on the stems. Sixty times more vitamin C is obtained from rose hips than from lemons, according to the University of Oklahoma website.

Trail of Tears and the Cherokee Rose

• In 1838 the Cherokee were removed from Georgia and resettled in what was then the Oklahoma Territory. This route became known as the "Trail of Tears" as they traveled the entire distance on foot with many deaths occurring. The flower of the Cherokee rose was chosen as the Georgia state flower to represent this removal. The yellow center of the flower represents the gold value of the land taken and the white petals the Cherokee clans.