Rose Hips

Helen B said:

Does anyone know if rose hips are beneficial to wildlife, especially birds?  I have a couple of traditional rose bushes which are relatively wild and they have produced lots of rose hips.  At some time in the winter I will have to give them a bit of a prune so they don't crowd out other plants but I don't want to do this if it means denying wildlife of a meal.

On the other hand, I could pick them for myself as I believe they are quite good for you.

Hi Welly,

to answer your question rose hips are beneficial to birds especially the Dog Rose (Rosa canina) and Rugosa Rose (Rosa rugosa).

Berries are an important food source for many birds during the winter, especially when the ground is too frozen to hunt worms or snails, and when there are few insects about. 

They are also very rich in vitamin C, among the richest sources of any plant.

The winter is a good time to consider planting fruit and berry bearing trees or bushes in the garden.

As well as the many native berry-bearing species (including rowan, holly, whitebeam, spindle, dog rose, guelder rose, elder, hawthorn, honeysuckle and ivy), attractive shrubs like cotoneaster, pyracantha and berberis are especially good for a wide range of birds. 

The hips are eaten by fruit-eating birds such as Thrushes, Blackbirds, Redwing, Feildfare  and Waxwings, which then disperse the seeds in their droppings.

Some birds, particularly Finches, also eat the seeds.

Regards Buzzard

Rosehip syrup - lovely!   Buzzard is right though best left for the birds as their need is greater than ours and so many hips disappear with the hedgecutters these days so you rarely see them along the roadside.