woodland shrub
Woods' rose
Rosa woodsii
1 of 3Native to the Pacific Coast, the Southwest, and the Rockies and southern Canada
North Dakota to British Columbia, irregularly south to Texas, California and northern Mexico
- Light Full sun to shade Sun tolerance
- Moisture Dry to moist Moisture preference
- Zones 1–9 Cold to heat range
- Bloom May–Jul Flowering time
- Height up to 15 ft to 4.6 m
- Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial
In the garden
A woodland shrub for sun through shade and dry to moist soil. At up to 15 ft, it needs room in shade gardens and woodland edges. It shrugs off drought once established. Hardy in USDA zones 1–9.
Growing conditions
Light
Full sun Partial shade Full shade
Moisture
Dry Moist Wet
Hardiness zones
Find your zone:
Pollinators & wildlife
- Bees Brown-belted Bumble Bee
also Western Honey Bee, Yellow-faced Bumble Bee, Tricolored Bumble Bee +48 more
Black-tailed Bumble Bee, Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee, Bombus fervidus, Red-belted Bumble Bee, Hunt's Bumble Bee, Fuzzy-Horned Bumble Bee, Two-form Bumble Bee, Half-black Bumble Bee, Orange-legged Furrow Bee, Yellow-fronted Bumble Bee, California Bumble Bee, Nevada Bumble Bee, Great Basin Bumble Bee, Modest Masked Bee, Confusing Furrow Bee, Yellowish Cuckoo Bumble bee, Hawthorn Mining Bee, Prunus Miner Bee, Western Bumble Bee, Van Dyke's Bumble Bee, Cryptic Bumble Bee, Bufflehead Mason Bee, frigid bumble bee, Black-and-green Metallic-Sweat bee, Produced Small-Mason, Snowy Mining Bee, Meadow Parsnip Miner Bee, Kincaid's Cellophane Bee, Black-tipped Miner Bee, Ambiguous Miner, Silver-fronted Small-Mason, Marin County Sweat Bee, Ruidoso Sweat Bee, white-winged sweat bee, Ceratina neomexicana, Cinquefoil Masked Bee, Osmia montana montana, Shifty Miner Bee, Topaz Miner Bee, Panurginus cressoniellus, Singular Miner Bee, Lasioglossum sp.F17, Lasioglossum sp.F3, Andrena sp.M11, Andrena sp.F7, Lasioglossum pavoninum, Hoplitis fulgida fulgida, Vertical Masked Bee - Beetles Bee-mimic Beetle also Grammoptera subargentata, Gnathacmaeops pratensis
- Butterflies Red Admiral also Common Ringlet, Garita Skipperling
- Also visited by
- Flower flies: Margined Calligrapher, Thick-legged Hover Fly
Butterflies that use this plant
Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.
- Common ringletnectar
- Red admiralnectar
Full plant details
Where it grows
- Habitat
- WoodlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
- Native range
- The Pacific Coast, the Southwest, and the Rockies and southern CanadaUnited States (18): AZ, CA, CO, ID, KS, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WI, WY. Canada (5): AB, BC, MB, NT, SK. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
- Native distribution
- North Dakota to British Columbia, irregularly south to Texas, California and northern MexicoThe 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 shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
- Moisture
- Dry to moistThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
- Hardiness zones
- USDA 1–9 · Canadian 0–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
- Soil
- Sandy or light clay 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
- 5.0–8.0The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
- Soil quality
- MediumHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
- Water use
- MediumHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
- Drought tolerance
- HighRelative to plants of the same type and region, inferred from where it grows, not a days-without-water figure.
- Salinity tolerance
- LowHow 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 15 ft (to 4.6 m)Typical mature height.
- Life cycle
- PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
- Growth rate
- RapidA 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.
- 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, seed, sprigsHow to start new plants.
- Seed
- ~0.1 million seeds per poundNotes on the seed and how to sow it.
- Seed spread rate
- RapidHow readily it self-sows. Slow or none means well-behaved, not a spreader.
- Seedling vigor
- MediumHow strongly young seedlings establish.
- Vegetative spread
- RapidWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.