If you look at the picture, there is a small stem that had just started growing – a product of the parent plant’s rhizomes. As of today, 7 weeks after the picture was taken, that new stem is the same height as the parent stem so it seems to be a pretty fast grower. The recent rains have helped. While this plant is drought tolerant a little extra moisture can give it a boost. In the wild Rosa Californica is often found in moist areas with shade to partial shade.

This plant can grow over 5′ tall. The pink flowers appear in late spring to summer and in the autumn it produces shiny orange to red hips that are apparently good for tea. Winter is the dormancy period for California Wild Rose.