What Is an Evergreen Wild Rose Bush?

Roses are celebrated the world over for their colour, scent and longevity. An evergreen rose bush maintains its leaves all year round. A Royal Horticultural Society Advisory Service 2010 gardening column on Telegraph.co.uk refers to many rose varieties as evergreens or semi-evergreens, including Sempervirens and Rosa Mermaid. The majority of cultivated roses sprout their leaves in the spring, flower in the summer and drop their leaves in the autumn; they then have a hibernation period during winter. Evergreen and semi-evergreen roses don't drop their leaves. Instead, they maintain their bushy appearance throughout winter.

Rosa Mulliganii is an evergreen rose variety of wild origins. It offers excellent ground coverage and has small, off-white flowers. This flower thrives in direct sun or partial shade and requires very little attention or care. It is a rambler so will cover the ground, walls or fences, depending on where you position it. Rosa Mulliganii attracts bees and other friendly wildlife to a garden with its scent and flowers in the summer months.

An early flowering evergreen rose, Rosa Banksiae has elegant cream or yellow flowers and bright green leaves. Like many wild varieties, it is a rambler and practically thornless. Rosa Banksiae originated from China and has a delicate Oriental appearance. It has, however, adapted to cooler climes and flourishes throughout Europe. This flower is commonly known as "Lady Banks," a name it acquired shortly after it was introduced to Europe in 1807.

The evergreen wild rose known as the Mermaid is commonly seen in the wild in parts of the United Kingdom. It is a single-petal-layer flower with creamy white flowers and red-tinted leaves. This enormous rose is a hardy hybrid that grows to heights of 20 feet. It is one of the few roses that requires no pruning whatsoever. Once the rose settles in, it simply needs encouragement to grow in the direction of your choice.

Another European wild rose, Rosa Sempervirens, also known as the barefoot rose, is a vigorous climber with light pink, dappled flowers. It grows to immense heights of 20 to 30 feet and is more than happy to populate a hedgerow or climb a tree. Requiring little or no attention, the Sempervirens has various descendants, including the Felicite and Orleans They all possess prickly thorns and grow to varying heights.

Carolina Rosa is a semi-evergreen native to North America and is now common in most U.S. states. It displays light pink flowers and thorny stems. The Carolina is most happy in the woods or forests and doesn't require direct sunlight to flourish. The flowers are exceptionally fragrant and bloom from early spring through the summer months.