Common Name: Sweet Briar Our Royal Horticultural Society Sweet Briar (Rosa rubiginosa ) is an upright, fast growing deciduous rose hedge that flowers for most of the summer, with masses of small bristle thorns & shiny, brightgreen, wrinkled foliage. It produces highly scented large yellowcentred, brightpink flowers June to September, followed by large round, orangescarlet hips in early autumn.