Chinese Rose, also known as “Yueji Hong,” “Yueyuehua,” or “Siji Hua,” is a member of the Rosales order, Rosaceae family, and Rosa genus. This evergreen to semi-evergreen, low-growing shrub is celebrated as one of China’s top ten famous flowers and globally revered as the “Queen of Flowers” for its ornamental value.
With nearly ten thousand varieties worldwide, Chinese Rose (Rosa chinensis) showcases an impressive diversity in its blooms. Its ability to flower throughout the year, coupled with a spectrum of colors including white, pink, red, purple, and yellow, contributes to its widespread popularity.
Chinese Rose, often referred to as “Yueyuehong,” is characterized by its continuous blooming habit and compact growth form. While traditionally associated with red flowers, modern cultivars exhibit a wide range of colors, including pink, white, and yellow. This versatility in color and form has made it a cornerstone of ornamental horticulture.
Beyond its aesthetic appeal, Chinese Rose holds significance in traditional medicine, highlighting its multifaceted value. The species comprises three natural varieties, which have given rise to an extensive array of cultivars. These modern varieties showcase diverse flower forms, from single to fully double blooms, and intricate shapes such as high-centered and ruffled-edge petals.
The color palette of Chinese Rose is particularly noteworthy, featuring vibrant and rich hues. In addition to the classic red, cultivars display various shades of pink, yellow, and white, as well as striking bicolor and multicolor varieties. Most cultivars are prized for their fragrance, adding another dimension to their appeal.
Naturally, Chinese Rose flourishes from April to September, though many cultivars have been developed to extend this blooming period. The flowers typically open from the center outward in a diffuse pattern, releasing a strong, pleasant fragrance. This characteristic, combined with their long vase life, makes them excellent cut flowers.
Chinese Rose demonstrates remarkable adaptability to various growing conditions. It exhibits good cold resistance and drought tolerance, making it suitable for diverse climatic zones. This resilience, coupled with its compact growth habit, allows for versatile use in landscaping, from ground cover to container plantings.
In horticulture, Chinese Rose serves multiple purposes. It’s widely used in garden design, public landscaping, and as a potted plant. Its adaptability to different pruning techniques allows for various growth forms, from compact bushes to small trees, enhancing its versatility in landscape design.
The cultivation of Chinese Rose has significantly influenced the development of modern roses. Many hybrid tea roses and floribundas owe some of their remontant (repeat-blooming) qualities to their Chinese Rose ancestry. This influence has been crucial in breeding roses that bloom continuously throughout the growing season, a trait highly valued in modern rose cultivation.
In conclusion, Chinese Rose stands as a testament to the rich horticultural heritage of China and continues to play a vital role in global ornamental horticulture. Its combination of beauty, fragrance, adaptability, and historical significance ensures its enduring popularity among gardeners, landscapers, and flower enthusiasts worldwide.
Chinese Rose, scientifically known as Rosa chinensis, is a versatile and beloved ornamental plant widely used in landscape design and horticulture. Its adaptability and aesthetic appeal make it a popular choice for various applications in gardens and urban spaces.
Chinese Rose is extensively employed to enhance the beauty of:
Additionally, it serves as an excellent cut flower for bouquets and floral arrangements due to its long vase life and diverse color palette.
Climbing Roses (Rosa chinensis var. longicuspis):
Large-Flowered Hybrid Teas (Rosa × hybrida):
Floribunda Roses (Rosa × hybrida):
Miniature Roses (Rosa chinensis var. minima):
Standard Roses (Rosa spp. grafted onto rootstock):
Other varieties include edible roses, shrub roses, hybrid perpetual roses, and groundcover roses, each with unique characteristics suited to different landscaping needs and growing conditions.
The diverse range of Chinese Rose varieties offers gardeners and landscape designers a wealth of options for creating stunning and resilient floral displays in various settings.
There are various types of Chinese Rose, including edible roses, climbing roses, large-flowered hybrid teas, floribunda roses, miniature roses, shrub roses, hybrid perpetual roses, and groundcover roses.
Climbing roses are characterized by their tall and vigorous growth, blooming throughout the year. These robust shrubs exhibit strong disease resistance and are highly tolerant of pruning. Climbing roses offer a wide variety of flower types with vibrant, diverse, and long-lasting blooms.
Their color palette ranges from scarlet red and deep crimson to bright pink, golden yellow, orange-yellow, as well as bicolor and pure white varieties. These roses are ideal for covering trellises, arbors, and walls, adding vertical interest to gardens.
Large-flowered hybrid teas are the most popular roses for cut flowers. These roses are renowned for their robust growth, diverse color range, and large, elegant blooms. The flowers are often singular on long stems, making them perfect for floral arrangements.
Hybrid teas come in a myriad of colors, from classic reds and pinks to more exotic hues like lavender and coral. When in bloom, these roses produce large, fragrant flowers with high petal counts, offering exceptional ornamental value in both gardens and vases.
Floribunda roses are characterized by their clustered flower heads and exceptional hardiness. They demonstrate strong resistance to environmental stresses such as drought, waterlogging, diseases, cold, and high temperatures.
This resilience makes them ideal for landscaping flower beds, urban greening projects, and roadside plantings along highways. Floribundas produce an abundance of smaller blooms in clusters, providing a continuous display of color throughout the growing season.
Miniature roses are relatively new varieties within the rose family, prized for their compact growth habit and diminutive size. These roses form ball-shaped bushes with numerous flower heads, earning them the nickname “Diamond Roses.”
Typically growing to heights of 15-30 cm, miniature roses are perfect for container gardening, edging borders, and creating intricate floral patterns in landscape designs. Despite their small size, they retain the charm and beauty of their larger counterparts, often blooming continuously throughout the season.
Standard roses, also known as tree roses or rose trees, are created through specialized grafting techniques to achieve an upright trunk topped with a crown of rose blooms. This unique form combines the beauty of traditional roses with an elegant, tree-like structure.
Advantages: Standard roses offer excellent ornamental value with their distinct layers and elevated blooms, providing a refreshing visual experience in gardens. They come in various forms, including ball-shaped, fan-shaped, waterfall-shaped, and miniature varieties.
Standard roses retain the desirable traits of regular roses, such as strong fragrance, long flowering periods, and diverse color options, while presenting a more sophisticated and striking appearance.
Characteristics: Standard roses demonstrate strong adaptability to various growing conditions. Their elevated flower corolla reduces susceptibility to soil-borne diseases and pests.
The trunk, derived from hardy rose rootstock, develops a robust root system, ensuring strong vitality. These roses are particularly well-suited for areas with high soil alkalinity where growing traditional roses might be challenging, effectively filling a niche in such environments.
Standard roses, also known as tree roses or rose trees, are created through grafting techniques to achieve a standard upright trunk and crown.
Advantages: Standard roses offer exceptional ornamental value with their unique and elegant forms, creating distinct layers that provide a refreshing visual experience. They come in various shapes, including spherical, fan-shaped, cascading, and miniature varieties.
These roses retain the desirable characteristics of traditional roses, such as intense fragrance, extended blooming periods, and a wide range of flower colors. However, they present a more contemporary, refined, and vibrant appearance, thus possessing enhanced aesthetic appeal.
Characteristics: Standard roses demonstrate remarkable adaptability. Their elevated flower corollas are less susceptible to soil-borne diseases and pests due to increased distance from the ground. The trunk, derived from hardy rose rootstock (typically Rosa canina or R. multiflora), features a well-developed root system and exhibits strong vigor.
These attributes make standard roses particularly suitable for alkaline soils where growing traditional roses can be challenging, effectively filling a niche in such environments.
While roses are generally adaptable, they thrive best in specific conditions. The ideal soil for roses is loose, fertile, rich in organic matter, slightly acidic (pH 6.0-6.5), and well-drained. Roses flourish in warm, sunny locations with good air circulation.
Most varieties prefer daytime temperatures between 15-26°C (59-79°F) and nighttime temperatures of 10-15°C (50-59°F). They enter dormancy when winter temperatures drop below 5°C (41°F).
Some hardy rose varieties can withstand temperatures as low as -15°C (5°F) and as high as 35°C (95°F). However, when summer temperatures exceed 30°C (86°F), roses may enter a semi-dormant state, resulting in stunted growth, smaller flowers with fewer petals, and duller colors, diminishing their ornamental value.
China is one of the native habitats of many rose species, contributing significantly to the genetic diversity of modern rose cultivars. Roses hold cultural significance in China, with the Chinese Rose (Rosa chinensis) designated as the city flower of Beijing and Changzhou.
Major production centers for roses in China include Shuyang County in Jiangsu Province, recognized as a primary rose cultivation base in East China. Additionally, Nanyang in Henan Province and Laizhou in Shandong Province are renowned for their rose production, with their roses gaining recognition both domestically and internationally.
The global distribution of roses extends far beyond China, with cultivation occurring in temperate regions worldwide. Notable rose-growing regions include Bulgaria’s Rose Valley, Ecuador’s high-altitude farms, and extensive commercial operations in countries like the Netherlands, Colombia, and Kenya.
The Chinese Rose (Rosa chinensis) is an upright shrub, typically growing 1-2 meters tall. Its branches are stout and cylindrical, nearly glabrous, adorned with short, coarse hook-shaped prickles. The compound leaves consist of 3-5, rarely 7, leaflets arranged on a 5-11 cm long petiole.
Leaflets are broadly ovate to oblong-ovate, measuring 2.5-6 cm in length and 1-3 cm in width. The apex is acuminate, while the base is rounded or broadly cuneate. Leaf margins are sharply serrate, and both surfaces are essentially glabrous.
The adaxial surface is dark green and often glossy, while the abaxial surface is lighter in color. The terminal leaflet is petiolulate, while lateral leaflets are nearly sessile. The rachis bears scattered prickles and glandular hairs. Stipules are mostly adnate to the petiole, with only the apices free and auriculate, their margins often glandular-ciliate.
Flowers are borne in few-flowered clusters, occasionally solitary, and measure 4-5 cm in diameter. The pedicel is 2.5-6 cm long, glabrous or glandular-pubescent. Sepals are ovate with a caudate apex, sometimes foliaceous, often with pinnate incisions along the margins, rarely entire. They are glabrous externally and densely tomentose internally.
Petals are double or semi-double, ranging in color from red and pink to white. They are obovate, with an emarginate apex and cuneate base.
Styles are free, exserted from the hypanthium, and approximately equal in length to the stamens. The fruit is a hip, ovoid or pyriform, 1-2 cm long, red, with deciduous sepals. Fruiting occurs from June to November, while the natural flowering period extends from April to September.
For outdoor cultivation, select a well-drained, sunny location with good air circulation and slightly acidic soil (pH 6.0-6.5). Prior to planting, deeply till the soil and incorporate well-rotted organic matter as a base fertilizer. For container cultivation, use a humus-rich, slightly acidic, well-draining potting mix. Avoid alkaline soils. Annually replace the potting medium before new growth emerges in spring to promote vigorous growth and flowering.
Chinese roses can be grown in containers of various materials, including terracotta. When preparing the potting mix, ensure proper drainage, aeration, and nutrient balance. A suitable ratio is 5 parts garden soil: 3 parts leaf mold: 2 parts rice hull ash.
Repotting, root pruning, and soil replacement are best done during the dormant season. Gradually increase pot size annually, with terracotta pots being ideal for their porosity and moisture regulation.
Chinese roses require full sun for optimal growth and flowering. During the growing season, they need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily. Insufficient light can result in leggy growth, reduced flowering, and pale, less fragrant blooms.
Water Chinese roses thoroughly when the top inch of soil feels dry. The plants are susceptible to root rot, so avoid waterlogging. During hot summer months, water once daily, typically when the soil surface begins to lighten in color.
In the dormant winter period, reduce watering frequency, maintaining the soil at a slightly moist level. Adjust watering based on seasonal needs: keep soil barely moist during winter dormancy, gradually increase water as growth resumes in early spring, and provide ample water during peak growth and flowering periods.
During high summer temperatures, when plants enter a semi-dormant state, water thoroughly in the morning and evening to prevent dehydration. When watering in high temperatures, ensure water seeps from the drainage holes, indicating thorough irrigation. Avoid wetting the foliage to prevent fungal diseases.
In regions with indoor heating, maintain temperatures above 18°C and provide at least 6 hours of daylight. Without heating, allow roses to enter natural dormancy. As winter approaches and leaves fall, prune branches to about 5 cm. Remove longer branches and store the container in a cool place around 0°C. Keep the soil slightly dry to prevent desiccation.
Chinese roses are heavy feeders. For container-grown specimens, apply a dilute, balanced fertilizer every 10 days during the growing season. Avoid over-fertilization to prevent root burn. Suspend fertilization during winter dormancy.
Organic fertilizers such as well-composted manure, bone meal, and fish emulsion are excellent slow-release base fertilizers. Apply a liquid fertilizer biweekly to maintain lush, deep green foliage. Before bud break in early spring, apply a stronger liquid fertilizer. Withhold fertilizer during flowering.
After the first flush of blooms fades in June, resume fertilization. Apply a moderate-strength liquid fertilizer when the fourth or fifth auxiliary bud develops in September. Use well-rotted organic fertilizer for winter preparation in December.
Incorporate well-decomposed organic matter into the soil during winter. During the growing season, fertilize frequently with dilute solutions, applying quick-release fertilizers 1-2 times after flowering. Use dilute fertilizers during high temperatures and drought periods. Apply the final fertilizer before winter dormancy. Always remove weeds before fertilizing.
Adequate air circulation is crucial for Chinese roses, whether grown in gardens or containers. Good airflow promotes robust growth and reduces susceptibility to pests and diseases.
Chinese roses prefer cool to moderate temperatures and are heat-sensitive. The optimal temperature range is 18-28°C. Temperatures exceeding 32°C can inhibit flower bud differentiation. During summer heat, flowering may cease or produce less vibrant blooms. In hot weather, move container-grown plants to a cooler location.
Remove spent blooms promptly. When buds form, select one well-shaped bud per stem, removing others to promote larger, more fragrant flowers. Prune thoroughly after each flowering cycle.
Generally, light pruning is recommended. Remove faded flowers, weak, crossing, and overlapping branches, retaining only strong, young growth. Prune to an outward-facing bud, leaving 3-6 cm of stem to maintain an open, vase-shaped form. This approach enhances visual appeal and prolongs the flowering period.
Summer pruning involves removing rootstock suckers, deadheading, and thinning excess buds to conserve energy for subsequent blooming cycles. To maintain shape, cut back long branches by 1/3 to 1/2, and medium branches by 1/3, making slanting cuts about 1 cm above a leaf. Insufficient pruning can result in tall, spindly growth with smaller flowers.
Winter pruning varies by cultivar and intended use. For large-flowered varieties, retain 4-6 branches, each 30-45 cm long, pruning to a strong lateral bud. For climbing or rambling types, focus on removing old, weak, or diseased canes while training the main stems.
By following these cultivation methods, you can successfully grow healthy, vibrant Chinese Roses that will provide beautiful blooms and fragrance throughout the growing season.
Grafting is a common propagation method for Chinese roses, typically using wild roses as rootstocks. This technique can be divided into two main types: budding and branch grafting. Budding is generally preferred due to its higher success rate and is usually performed from August to September. For optimal results, the graft union should be positioned as close to the ground as possible.
The budding process involves making a “T” shaped incision in the bark of the rootstock’s stem using a sharp budding knife. A healthy bud is then selected from a well-developed branch of the current year’s growth. This bud is carefully inserted into the “T” incision and secured with grafting tape or a plastic tie. Providing some shade to the grafted area helps protect it during the healing process, which typically takes about two weeks.
Seed propagation involves sowing Chinese rose seeds in the spring. Seeds can be sown using either pit or trench methods, with germination typically occurring in mid to late April. Transplanting of seedlings can be done in two seasons: late autumn after leaf fall, or early spring before sap flow begins. This method is useful for breeding new varieties but may not produce plants identical to the parent.
Division is an effective propagation method typically performed in early spring or late autumn. The process involves carefully digging up the entire rose plant, including some surrounding soil, and dividing it into smaller sections.
Each division should contain 1 to 2 healthy branches and an adequate root system. These divisions can then be replanted in pots or directly in the garden. Plants propagated by division often flower in the same year, making it a quick method for increasing plant numbers.
Cutting is a popular propagation technique usually carried out during the rose’s dormant period in early spring or late autumn. Cuttings are taken from mature branches, ideally containing 3 to 4 buds. When using softwood cuttings, it’s crucial to provide shade and maintain consistent moisture in the growing medium.
Cuttings typically root within about 30 days, with a success rate of 70% to 80%. To further improve the rooting success, cuttings can be dipped in a rooting hormone before planting. This treatment can significantly increase the survival rate and promote faster root development.
Layering is a propagation method typically performed in summer. The technique involves selecting a flexible branch from the Chinese rose and carefully bending it down to the ground. At the point where the branch touches the soil, remove a half-ring of bark to expose the cambium layer. This area is then covered with soil, leaving the tip of the branch exposed.
Over time, the buried portion of the branch will develop adventitious roots. Once new leaves have grown from the exposed tip, indicating successful rooting, the new plant can be separated from the mother plant by cutting the connection. This method is particularly useful for propagating plants that are difficult to root from cuttings.
Each of these propagation methods has its advantages, and the choice often depends on the specific variety of Chinese rose, the desired outcome, and the resources available. Experimentation with different techniques can help determine the most effective method for your particular situation.
Chinese roses (Rosa chinensis) possess significant medicinal properties. The flowers are prized for their aromatic compounds, which are extracted for use in perfumery. The roots, leaves, and flowers all have therapeutic applications in traditional medicine, particularly for improving blood circulation, reducing inflammation, and alleviating swelling. Chinese roses are especially valued for their benefits to women’s health.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the Chinese rose is characterized as sweet and warm in nature, with an affinity for the liver meridian. Its primary actions include promoting blood circulation, regulating menstruation, reducing swelling, and detoxifying the body. The rose’s ability to invigorate blood flow, activate qi (vital energy), and alleviate pain makes it a popular remedy for menstrual disorders and dysmenorrhea.
For treating excessive menstruation or leukorrhea, TCM practitioners recommend decocting 15g of Chinese rose flowers or roots in water, or stewing them with pork.
Another effective recipe combines 10g of Chinese rose flowers with 12g of jujube, boiled together and sweetened with honey after straining. This pleasant-tasting concoction is particularly beneficial for addressing heat symptoms during menstruation.
Many women incorporate Chinese rose petals into their beauty regimens, either as a tea or as an ingredient in beauty tea blends. Regular consumption is believed to enhance blood circulation and promote a radiant complexion.
The Chinese rose holds an esteemed position in ornamental horticulture, being one of the most versatile and widely used flowering plants in both northern and southern gardens. Its long blooming period, high aesthetic value, and relative affordability make it a staple in landscape design.
Chinese roses are adaptable to various garden elements, including flower beds, borders, and courtyard plantings. They can be trained as bonsai specimens, used as cut flowers, or arranged in baskets and bouquets.
The climbing habit of many Chinese rose varieties makes them particularly valuable for vertical gardening applications. They excel in creating enchanting streetscapes and floral environments. When properly trained, Chinese roses can form beautiful flowering paths, pillars, arches, and trellises. With skillful pruning and shaping, they can be used to soften and embellish architectural features, serving as a harmonious bridge between built structures and garden spaces.
Chinese roses offer significant environmental benefits when used in landscape design. They are excellent choices for creating continuous hedges, flower screens, and living walls in various settings, including institutional grounds, schools, residential areas, and urban plazas.
Beyond their aesthetic appeal, Chinese roses contribute to air purification, noise reduction, and mitigation of the urban heat island effect.
These roses demonstrate remarkable efficiency in absorbing harmful gases, including hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen fluoride, benzene, and phenol. They also exhibit strong resistance to sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, common pollutants in urban environments.
This combination of air-purifying capabilities and pollutant resistance makes the Chinese rose an invaluable plant for improving air quality and enhancing the overall health of human living spaces.
In conclusion, the Chinese rose is a multifaceted plant that offers a wide array of benefits, from medicinal applications and landscape beautification to environmental remediation. Its versatility and effectiveness in various roles make it an indispensable species in both traditional medicine and modern horticulture.
The Chinese rose, while modestly represented in traditional Chinese culture, has recently gained new significance. Archaeological findings suggest it was a totem plant for the northern tribes of the Huaxia ancestors, equivalent to the legendary tribe of the Yellow Emperor. This discovery elevates its status among China’s ten famous flowers.
Known as the “Queen of Flowers,” the Chinese rose embodies resilience and produces a long-lasting fragrance. Native to China, its cultivation dates back to the Han Dynasty and has continued uninterrupted since the Tang and Song Dynasties. Numerous literati have composed poems in praise of this flower.
The renowned Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi captured its late-blooming nature: “It blooms late, after spring has gone, standing alone in the splendor of the courtyard.” This verse highlights the Chinese rose’s unique flowering period and solitary beauty.
Zhang Xin, a Ming Dynasty poet, emphasized its perpetual blooming: “Each message from the flowers brings a renewal, half belonging to the east wind, half to the dust. This flower alone never tires of blooming, claiming all four seasons as spring.” This poetic description underscores the Chinese rose’s remarkable ability to flower throughout the year.
Han Qi of the Northern Song Dynasty offered even more lavish praise: “While peonies rely on spring winds and chrysanthemums lament in late clusters, this flower, in all its radiant beauty, unfurls in shades of red throughout the four seasons.” This comparison elevates the Chinese rose above other esteemed flowers in Chinese culture.
The Chinese rose’s global journey began in the 18th century when it was introduced to Europe via India. European breeders crossed it with local rose varieties, culminating in the creation of the hybrid tea rose in 1867.
This new cultivar quickly gained worldwide popularity, earning the title “Queen of Flowers.” Symbolizing happiness, beauty, peace, and friendship, the rose has become universally beloved. Its significance is such that several countries have adopted it as their national flower.
The Chinese rose holds the honor of being the national flower for countries including Luxembourg, Iraq, and Syria, demonstrating its international appeal and cultural importance.
Flower Language of Roses
The rose’s diverse colors convey a rich array of meanings:
Red roses symbolize pure love, passionate love, admirable passion, and chastity. They are the quintessential token of love, particularly favored for Valentine’s Day. Red rose buds specifically represent loveliness.
White roses embody respect and nobility. In Japanese culture, white roses (including Chinese roses) symbolize paternal love and are the primary flower for Father’s Day celebrations.
Pink roses signify first love, while black roses represent individuality and creativity.
Blue-purple roses convey rarity and preciousness.
Orange-yellow roses symbolize youthfulness and beauty.
Yellow roses typically represent apology, though in French culture they can imply jealousy or infidelity.
Green-white roses symbolize innocence, simplicity, or a pure heart.
Bicolor roses represent contradiction or diverse interests.
Tricolor roses signify a person who is knowledgeable, talented, and affectionate.
This diverse symbolism demonstrates the rose’s versatility in expressing a wide range of emotions and concepts across different cultures.
Peggie was once a high school mathematics teacher, but she set aside her chalkboard and textbooks to follow her lifelong passion for flowers. After years of dedication and learning, she not only established a thriving flower shop but also founded this blog, “Flowers Library”. If you have any questions or wish to learn more about flowers, feel free to contact Peggie.
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