rose hips

Hi,

I just "liberated" some rose hips from a bush near the public library. These roses look like a darker version of the wild roses I've seen at the seashore except that they grow on a more erect and larger bush. They are single flowers and are very fragrant. Do I need to put the rose hips in the refrigerator or freezer for awhile or do I just need to let them dry out? I figured that I would try to get them going in pots first, then transplant into the yard in the Spring.

I also have a question about nasturtiums that may or may not belong here. I planted some many moons ago in the veggie garden. They set seed and come up on their own now. This year I dug some up and re-planted them near the fence in a vain attempt to keep them from overgrowing everything. I've got plenty of the usual colors, especially the bright orange, but a few have interbred and produced some really pretty peach color and bi-color yellow and red flowers. I'd like to try to propagate those, but need some advice. The only way I can tell these vines apart from any other is by the flowers themselves. Can I pick the seeds while they are still green or do I have to wait until they go brown and the vines die back? When they pop up by themselves in the Spring, there's no way to tell what color flowers they will produce.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

I let a few rose hips stay on one of my english roses this year by accident, and discovered them a few days ago since they have turned from green to a bright yellow orange color, which I took to mean that they were ripe. I opened them and each one had 4 hard as a rock seeds inside. I have no idea how to plant them, so I just stuck them in a pot with another plant and will see if anything comes up in there. I'll be watching this thread to see if anyone responds with more info than either of us have lol.

I grew some miniature roses once from seed. Here is what I was told and what worked for me - place the seeds in some moist medium (potting soil or vermiculte) and cover lightly. Place a lid on the container and place it in the fridge for a least a month. Then, take them out and germinate with a bit of bottom heat (or at least in a somewhat warm area).

Good luck!

If I am not mistaken, you can propagate nasturtiums by cuttings, I think they are perennials where they come from (Andes).

Zarcanat

Thanks for the info! I had a suspicion that the roses might need to be put somewhere cold before they'd germinate, but wasn't sure.

zarcanat-----the problem with taking cuttings for me is that the inside of the house is very dark (AND very cluttered/crowded) I'll have all I can do to keep my rosemary plant alive with the use of a grow light over the winter. Guess I'll just have to mark the vines that I want seeds from with some string or something, then harvest the seeds once the vines die back.

Right, good luck then!