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Fragrant Roses
So you want fragrant roses and you’ve heard that roses used to be really fragrant but they aren’t anymore. Let me give you a new perspective on this little misconception and provide you with some seriously fragrant roses as well as some major award winning roses for their fragrance. To begin with, not all “old” roses are fragrant. In a copy of the 1956 Rose Annual, Dr. James Gamble reported that when he examined 3900 varieties of both old and new roses, 25% were scentless, 20% very fragrant and the rest were somewhere in the middle. This bit of data encouraged Dr. Gamble to donate an award and the winners of this award are listed below. Note that there is not necessarily a winner every year. The All America Rose Selections is a group that trials roses across North America for their growing in a wide variety of conditions and climates. They give several awards each year to the best roses available at that time. AARS winners with excellent fragrance include: * Amber Queen If you’re looking for fragrant roses that are fragrant on sunny days as well as cooler days, look no further than ‘Chrysler Imperial’ and ‘Sutters Gold’. Both of these have been excellent in my garden. All of the English Roses bred by David Austin are fragrant. Some are variable in terms of growth and hardiness but all have excellent fragrance. Musk roses are by definition extremely fragrant. The James Alexander Gamble Fragrance Medal This award is given to roses that have demonstrated superior fragrance over a 5 year trial period. The rose must be a registered variety and score at least 7.5 on the “good rose” scale (beginners don’t really have to worry about this – pick a rose from this list and you get a good one).
* Crimson Glory The above fragrant roses are the best of the best and growing any of these will bring a strong and steady perfume to your garden. Click here for free newsletter to ask about fragrant roses
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