Multiflora Rose, Wild Rose - or, the Bane of My Existence?

Multiflora Rose, Wild Rose - or, the Bane of My Existence
Multiflora rose is not native to the United States. It spreads aggressively and will exact its revenge with many thorns when you attack it to clear it from land you steward. Once entrenched, it is exceedingly difficult to remove. Hardly a plant with a résumé that recommends itself - until you look closer.

First Encounters at Meeting House Farm
When we first took over stewardship of what is now Meeting House Farm, the land was covered in Multiflora rose. We set about cutting it down and digging it out. We were battered and cut up for our efforts, and most of the time the rose won and remained.
I grew curious about the plant, and because the farm was founded to create herbal medicine from what exists locally, I began to wonder how we could use it rather than simply fight it.

A Surprising Discovery
After much research,¹ I found that this rose hip is among the richest in vitamin C of wild roses commonly found in the Northeast, likely because it is composed almost entirely of seed, with very little flesh. I also learned that after a light frost, the hips become remarkably sweet; you can eat them right off the bush. We began harvesting heavily: for our tisanes, for our vitamin C serum, and to sell dried and ground.
Within a few years, the number of Multiflora roses on our land had noticeably diminished - fewer seedlings appeared each spring. The more we harvested this invasive and yet remarkable plant, the less it spread.

The Fragrance of June
And then there is this time of year - mid-June - when the fragrance of this rose is unlike anything else. It permeates the air. I have tried to bottle it, without success. If any of you know of a U.S.-based essential oil maker who would tackle distilling the essential oil of Multiflora rose, please reach out. I would bathe in it.

Rosa on Monhegan Island
Once I came to know Rosa intimately, I began seeing her everywhere - even on Monhegan Island, where it is likely that bird droppings first carried the plant ashore. Working with island residents, we began harvesting the rose hips there as well, helping to limit its spread while creating beautiful serums, soaps, and tisanes from the hips.
A note on plant waste: whenever working with invasive plants, take care with what remains. I never put whole rose hips into the compost. I either discard them or burn them.

Growing to Love Her
As the years have passed, I have grown to love this rose. She provides shelter from hawks for my flock of hens, offers vitamin C-rich hips each fall, and fills every June with the intoxicating fragrance of her blossoms.
I am not suggesting you plant Rosa multiflora. But if this rose already lives on land you steward, consider harvesting the hips rather than waging war alone.

Coming This October: Soap Workshop on Monhegan
This fall, Rosa will take center stage at our soap-making workshop on Monhegan Island in October. We will be working directly with hips harvested from the island, exploring how this remarkable invasive can be transformed into something beautiful and nourishing. If you have been curious about soap-making - or about Rosa - we would love to have you join us. Details to follow.