Heidi Norton
Roses are renowned for their beauty and fragrance, with many varieties offering a range of scents from sweet and spicy to fruity and citrusy. The most fragrant roses are often those with the most colourful blooms, and these can fill your garden with a delightful aroma, attracting pollinators such as bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. Whether you're looking for a traditional rose scent or something more unique, there is a fragrant rose to suit every taste and garden.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Rose Variety | Fragrant Cloud, Autumn Damask, Gertrude Jekyll, Just Joey, Madame Alfred Carriere, Mister Lincoln, New Dawn, Roseraie de l'Hay |
| Fragrance Type | Sweet, Citrus, Spicy, Antique Rose, Fruity, Spicy-Sweet |
| Colour | Coral-Red, Pink, Pale Apricot and Glowing Orange, Pink-Blushed White, Red, Soft-Pink, Magenta-Purple |
| Other Features | Climbing Rose, Repeat-Blooming, Bushy, Tall Shrub, Container Rose |
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What You'll Learn
Types of rose fragrances
There are many types of fragrant roses, from the sweet traditional rose fragrance to a citrus or spicy scent. Some of the most popular fragrant roses include:
'Fragrant Cloud' – This hybrid tea rose combines notes of citrus, spice, fruit, and rosy damask to create a scent similar to pumpkin pie. Its big, coral-red blooms can grow up to 5 inches wide and climb vertically.
'Autumn Damask' – This old-fashioned, repeat-blooming rose has been grown since the 1500s and is known for its intense aroma and beautiful pink flowers.
'Gertrude Jekyll' – An English rose with pink blooms and a rich, antique rose fragrance. It can be maintained as a tall shrub or encouraged to climb up to 10 feet.
'Just Joey' – A hybrid tea rose with large, ruffled 5-inch flowers in a blend of pale apricot and glowing orange. It has a fruity scent and is a popular choice for containers on porches or patios due to its shorter nature.
'Madame Alfred Carriere' – Created in 1879, this rose features pink-blushed white flowers with a strong, spicy-sweet scent.
'Mister Lincoln' – An award-winning hybrid tea rose with rich, velvety-red petals and a strong fragrance. It is still considered a top choice for gardens and has set the standard for red roses.
'New Dawn' – A climbing rose with big, soft-pink flowers and a cascading habit.
'Roseraie de l'Hay' – A hardierugosa rose with magenta-purple blooms and a very strong, sweet fragrance. It has excellent disease resistance and a long blooming season.
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Fragrant roses by colour
While blue roses remain a beautiful myth, there are plenty of colourful fragrant roses to choose from. Here is a list of some of the most fragrant roses, organised by colour:
White
White roses, such as the White Gold heirloom rose, have a beautiful, powerful citrusy smell. The 'Fragrant Cloud' rose, with its big coral-red blooms, also has white flowers packed with petals and a sweet fragrance.
Yellow
Yellow roses with a great scent include the Sunbelt of Africa, Quest for Zest, and Eternal Sunshine. The latter has an amazing old rose scent. The Pilgrim is a very fragrant, soft yellow rose that is a perpetual bloomer and shade-tolerant.
Pink
'Gertrude Jekyll' is an easy-to-grow English rose with pink blooms and a rich, antique rose fragrance. 'New Dawn' is a climbing rose with big, soft-pink flowers throughout the summer. 'Autumn Damask', an old-fashioned, repeat-blooming rose, has been grown since the 1500s and is one of the most fragrant roses with an intense aroma and beautiful pink flowers.
Red
The 'Mister Lincoln' rose is an award-winning hybrid tea rose with rich, velvety-red petals and a strong fragrance. 'Fragrant Cloud' is a hybrid tea rose with red blooms that combine notes of citrus, spice, fruit, and rosy damask.
Purple
'Roseraie de l'Hay' bears magenta-purple blooms filled with a very strong, sweet fragrance. This rugosa rose has highly textured foliage and excellent disease resistance. 'William Shakespeare 2000' is another fragrant purple rose that smells like violets and old roses. 'Le Petite Prince' is a nicely scented lavender rose.
Orange
'Just Joey' is a hybrid tea rose with large, ruffled, glowing orange flowers steeped with fruity scents. It is a bushy plant with deep green foliage.
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Climbing roses
One of the most popular climbing roses is 'New Dawn', which is known for its hardiness and fragrance. 'Madame Isaac Pereire' is another fragrant option, producing deep raspberry-rose flowers in spring and summer. For a more unusual colour, 'The Pilgrim' is a compact climber with yellow blooms that have a pleasingly sweet fragrance. 'Golden Gate' is another fragrant, disease-resistant, and free-flowering variety with semi-double blooms of bright medium yellow.
For a classic English rose, 'Gertrude Jekyll' is an easy-to-grow variety with bright pink, double flowers and an old rose scent. 'Just Joey' is another fragrant option with large, ruffled, apricot and orange flowers. 'Lady of Shalott' is a smaller climbing rose, reaching only 4 feet tall, with abundant orange petals and a subtle spiced tea fragrance. 'Zéphirine Drouhin' is also a popular choice, known for its thornless stems.
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English roses
The English Rose fragrance is a classic in British perfumery, with a light floral scent that can be both refreshing and warm with velvety undertones. However, the spectrum of roses is incredibly broad, and the English Rose category alone encompasses a wide range of scents, from delicate and sweet to highly aromatic.
The five basic types of English Rose fragrances are myrrh, fruity, musk, old rose, and tea rose. Myrrh has the aromatic, licorice warmth of sweet anise and is now almost exclusively found in English Roses, especially pinks and apricots. Fruity notes frequently appear in the fragrances of English Roses of all colours, including apple, raspberry, strawberry, pear, lemon, lychee, and guava. Examples include 'Lady Emma Hamilton' and 'Jude the Obscure'. Musk is most often found in rambler roses, with huge quantities of single flowers with prominent stamens. Examples include 'Snow Goose' and 'The Generous Gardener'. The old rose fragrance is a favourite of breeder David Austin and is exemplified by 'Brother Cadfael', a clear pink English Rose with a strong old rose fragrance. Tea Rose has a strong, spicy, sweet, and earthy scent, comparable to China tea, with softer notes of violet and fruit emerging after a few days. Examples include 'Graham Thomas' and 'Port Sunlight'.
Other notable English Roses with beautiful fragrances include 'Gertrude Jekyll', a classic English shrub rose with pink blooms and an antique rose fragrance; 'Mister Lincoln', a velvety-red award-winning hybrid tea rose with a strong fragrance; and 'New Dawn', a climbing rose with big, soft-pink flowers and a cascading habit.
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Old roses
The Green Rose (Rosa viridiflora) is a 16th-century China rose with no petals, only pronounced red-striped green sepals that smell of black pepper when stroked. It has a spicy fragrance reminiscent of fresh black pepper. Other old roses include the 'Autumn Damask', which has been grown since the 1500s and is one of the most fragrant roses with an intense aroma and beautiful pink flowers. It is still popular today and is a favourite of the perfume industry.
The 'Madame Alfred Carriere' is another old rose classic, created in 1879, with pink-blushed white flowers and a strong spicy-sweet scent. The 'Gertrude Jekyll' is another classic old rose with a beautiful fragrance. It combines pink blooms with a rich, antique rose fragrance and is easy to grow, offering great disease resistance.
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Frequently asked questions
Some fragrant roses include 'Mister Lincoln', 'New Dawn', 'Roseraie de l'Hay', 'Fragrant Cloud', 'Autumn Damask', 'Gertrude Jekyll', 'Just Joey', and 'Madame Alfred Carriere'.
The most popular rose fragrances range from the traditional sweet rose scent to citrus, spicy, or fruity scents.
Fragrant roses are known for their colourful blooms and sweet floral aromas. They can be climbing or bushy, and some varieties have large ruffled flowers.
