Rosa
rugosa
Wild Rose
A tea made of the petals of this plant
is said to induce dreams of one's future mate, and perhaps this is what
made some people connect this magick herb with Moon. However, this pink-flowered
rose is also considered the combination of red (feminine) and white (masculine)
roses, a kind of summation of both, so this flower would
be good for work invoking completion or unity. This is of course a traditional
herb for love magick, and this wild version might be a good choice for an
especially risky (thorny) or passionate relationship. Traditionally, rose
petals strewn on the bed aid love spells.
This wild rose originated
in Siberia and the Far East (the Japanese made a delicate yellow silk dye
from the roots) and came to Europe in 1796. It is one of the few roses that blooms
more than once a season. This is no gutless florist rose--it has a very
sweet, old-fashioned fragrance and is quite spiny, another example
of Venus toughness. Indeed, Venus indulges in a bit of Mars protection with
this prickly plant, because it makes a great hedge for keeping out snoopers,
or plant it under a window to deter burglars. Spines also keep rabbits from
eating the bark in the winter. It gets nice big hips, up
to 1" in diameter, and has more flesh per fruit than most hips. Birds
love them. Hips
contain lots of vitamin C and in this species, essential fatty acids. Be
careful when eating the fruits not to eat the seeds, because they have hairs
on them that can irritate the stomach. The petals are good on butter
sandwiches if you cut off their white tips, they make a good tea for hangovers or
indigestion, and they can be put into sugar to give it a rose flavor. In winter
this shrub is quite bare and its prickles make it look like it belongs in
the yard of the Addams family. This plant gets 4-6 ft tall and just as wide.
It is hardy to the far north (zone 2, -40 F/C). This plant is also known
as wrinkle-leaf rose, saltspray rose, beach tornado, Japanese, Sitka, Hedgehog, and Turkestan rose. I now have both white and red varieties.
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How to grow wild rose:
These seeds are tough to germinate. The easiest way to germinate them is to plant them in
a pot outside in the fall. Just barely cover with soil, and then cover with
a screen or something else that light and rain can get through but not mice
or birds. They will germinate in the spring. Or try outdoor
treatment. Or scarify the seeds by rubbing
them between sheets of sandpaper and soak them for 48 hours in hot water, changing
for fresh hot water every 12 hours (use a small thermos). They are meant to
pass through an animal's gut before germination (some people use a 4-day soak
in room-temperature orange juice to simulate that--it will ferment
in that time--then wash them off). Sow in a paper towel that has
been wet and wrung out, fold, gently press together, and put in
a thin plastic bag (don't close it) and keep them in the fridge for 3-4
months, checking regularly for germination. If they germinate first, plant right
away. Otherwise, take out and plant as usual to germinate at cool room temperatures in 21-90
days. Or sow on Winter Solstice (see special
directions on the Solstice Sowing
page). Harden off (get them used to sun and fresh air gradually) and transplant
to full sun. It will grow pretty much anywhere except soggy soil and will even
grow by the beach. Once it gets established, you can get many more rose bushes
by allowing it to produce suckers (baby plants that grow up from the roots)
or just take a cutting 6-8"/15-20cm, dip in rooting hormone, and stick in sand.
Garlic planted near this bush will help deter bugs and disease. Don't
spray chemicals on this rose, because they will kill it. Store seeds in the
refrigerator. General growing info. Top
Uses in Witchcraft & Magick:
Dreamwork
Love Magick
Venus/Moon Herb
© 2006 Alchemy Works; No reproduction without permission