woodland shrub

Carolina rose

Rosa carolina

Also known as Pasture Rose

Native to much of the USA and southern Canada

Eastern U.S., west to Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, extreme southeastern Kansas and eastern Texas

Light Full sun to part shade Sun tolerance
Moisture Dry to wet Moisture preference
Zones 4–8 Cold to heat range
Bloom May–Jul Flowering time
Height up to 6 ft to 1.8 m
Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial

Full details, see below

In the garden

A woodland shrub for full sun to part shade and consistently moist to wet soil. Its pink flowers peak in July. At up to 6 ft, it needs room in shade gardens and woodland edges. Hardy in USDA zones 4–8.

Growing conditions

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Hardiness zones

Find your zone:

When it blooms

The Carolina rose's pink flowers bloom May to July, peaking in July. This midsummer display draws bees and flower flies.

Carolina rose blooms pinkFoliage

Pollinators & wildlife

Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee

also Western Honey Bee, Brown-belted Bumble Bee, Two-spotted Bumble Bee +31 more
American Bumble Bee, Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee, Fuzzy-Horned Bumble Bee, Golden Sweat Bee, Rusty-patched Bumble Bee, Modest Masked Bee, Orange-tipped Wood-digger, Black-and-yellow Nomad Bee, Silky Striped Sweat Bee, Lucorum-group Bumble Bees, Cresson's Mining Bee, Megachile brevis, Ceratina dupla, Carinate Armored-Resin bee, Experienced Sweat Bee, Thistle Longhorn-Cuckoo, Maine Blueberry Bee, Osmia conjuncta, Cresson's Nomad Bee, Nomada affabilis, Red-tailed Bumble Bee, Brown-banded Carder-Bumble bee, Forest Cuckoo Bumble bee, Tree Bumble Bee, Garden Bumble Bee, Early Bumble Bee, Common Carder Bumble Bee, Andrena miserabilis, Augochlora feronia, Agapostemon viridulus, Tetragona dissecta
Flower flies Margined Calligrapher

also Eastern Calligrapher, Oblique Streaktail, Long-tailed Aphideater +13 more
Dusky-winged Hover Fly, Variable Duskyface Fly, Bare-eyed Bee-mimic Fly, American Snout Fly, Hairy-eyed Bee-mimic Fly, Dusky-banded Leafwalker, Wasp-like Falsehorn, Violet Leafwalker, Aldrichia ehrmanii, Eastern Catkin Fly, Volucella vesiculosa, Mallota cimbiciformis, Hemipenthes sinuosus
Beetles Spotted Cucumber Beetle

also Banded Longhorn Beetle, Strangalepta Flower Longhorn Beetle, Yellow-horned Flower Longhorn Beetle +5 more
Slender Flower Longhorn Beetle, Falsomordellistena hebraica, Ornate Yellow-marked Buprestid, Greenish Flower Chafer, Strangalia famelica solitaria
Also visited by
- Butterflies: Painted Lady, Pipevine Swallowtail
- Moths: Tersa Sphinx, Acontia candefacta

Butterflies that use this plant

Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.

Full plant details

Where it grows

Habitat: WoodlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
Native range: Much of the USA and southern CanadaUnited States (34): AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV. Canada (4): NB, NS, ON, PE. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: Eastern U.S., west to Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, extreme southeastern Kansas and eastern TexasThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Growing conditions

Light: Full sun to part shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: Dry to wetThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 4–8 · Canadian 4–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Rocky or sandy, well-drained soilsThe soils it grows in naturally.
Soil texture: Light to heavy (sandy to clay)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
Soil pH: 4.0–7.0The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
Soil quality: LowHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
Water use: LowHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
Salinity tolerance: MediumHow well it copes with salty soil, near roads or the coast.
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: LowHow well it copes with chalky, lime-rich soil.

Growth & form

Height: up to 6 ft (to 1.8 m)Typical mature height.
Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
Growth rate: ModerateA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
Shape: ErectIts overall silhouette.
Root depth: 12+ in (30+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.

Flowers, foliage & fruit

Type: ShrubWhat kind of plant it is.
Bloom: May–JulWhen it flowers.
Flower color: PinkThe bloom color, or colors.
Fruit/Seeds: ripens Jan–DecThe seed or fruit it sets after flowering.
Toxicity: None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.

Propagation & seed

Cold stratification: Required (cold, moist)Whether seed needs a cold, moist spell before it will germinate.
Propagation: Bare root, container, seedHow to start new plants.
Seed: ~0.1 million seeds per poundNotes on the seed and how to sow it.
Seed spread rate: ModerateHow readily it self-sows. Slow or none means well-behaved, not a spreader.
Seedling vigor: HighHow strongly young seedlings establish.
Vegetative spread: ModerateWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.