I love painting rose hips, and I love to see them in the garden too. For me rose hips play an important part not just for my autumn painting, but for the wildlife visitors we are so lucky to get.
This autumn we have welcomed a hedgehog family for the first time in years, and a Woodpecker is now also enjoying a forage around our old apple tree. But it’s the rose hips that I love, and the birds do too.
Once our roses have had their final flush of blooms, I leave the hips to develop. With a number of varieties, we always get a range of rose hip shapes and colours. Painting a green one a little while ago, I loved to capture the shine and gloss as well as the glorious colour.
Of course rose hips can be treated like a fruit, and foraging for your own larder is a great way of getting your hands on free food. We often pick sloes, blackberries, and wild garlic but rose hips are often left behind.
Just to go off the painterly topic slightly at this point. Here’s a great idea I’ve found for using rose hips. It’s a Rose Hip Syrup recipe from River Cottage. It’s easy to make, but takes a little time in the prep.
Taking a peek at the painting of the Green Rose Hip, here’s my YouTube tip video. There’s a good few practical tips and insights in there, so enjoy.
This year, my autumn must have is… an acorn. Or two. Stay tuned.
