From everything I have read (and I read quite a bit), rugosa roses do not do well in hot climates. I wish they did, as they are so rugged and beautiful. But I think the info you have about them doing well on MAINE beaches is right. You'd probably have to order them from a catalog to even GET any down here, and my sense of it is that they would not last.

We do have many antique and heritage roses that DO fare well in Florida. Why not try some of those? Much less work than hybrid tea roses, and the flowers often have a really strong fragrance.

Just a thought...

Marcia

Thanks for the info. Darn, why does everything that sounds too good to be true have to turn out to be too good to be true? Well I have two little bushes that are going to be an experiment I guess. I do eventually want to try other more Florida-suitable roses. This old gardening book had all kinds of unusual advice, mostly about deadly pesticides and herbicides that are -- fortunately -- not available anymore. But I thought some of the plant ideas were quite unique and different, particularly related to bulbs.

I got a rugosa as a gift and grew it for maybe 2 years before it died. I assume it was own root. I cared for a rose garden that had one (don't know the variety) in it and it was still growing when I stopped caring for the garden. I heard some one say recently that they were going to order some rugosas and have a friend graft them on fortuniana. I'm not sure that fortuniana will solve the whole problem. I think if it did someone would already be grafting them.

Brings back memories of picking rose hips along the coast of Maine. Very tasty right off the bush. That was quite some time ago. Mashed and simmered made a wonderful tea. Good jelly too.

I am in central florida (9B), and I planted rosa rugosa from seed a couple years ago. It is still thriving in my food forest, years later.

@HU-601474971

did you chill it before planting? If the seeds are fresh (less then 1 month old) is it possible they will sprout in So FL without chilling?