When I sense the gentle sweet fragrance of the wild nootka rose floating in the forest underbrush, or along the edges of wetlands, I know that Oregon's summer has truly begun. Incredibly tender and beautifully modest, simple roses, they're also naturally hardy. They produce rose hips in the autumn that glow throughout the winter in the forest. If you live in a cold climate, instead of going to the drug store, you go outside, pick 3 - 4 rose hips a day, and they'll be your vitamin C pills. All kinds of birds also make use of the seeds in the rose hips. And the rose provides gorgeous, unforgettable, fragrances that have inspired many poets and musicians and artists through the centuries.