The Most Fragrant Classes of
Recurrent Blooming Antique Roses

More than their color, even more than their mandala of form, for many of us, it is the fragrance of roses that draws us to them. The sense of smell is the primeval receptor. Scent tells us who our mothers are. It is our first deepest connection to the external world. Does the transcendent fragrance of roses bring us home, then?

Because exploring the history and qualities of various groups or classes of roses is so interesting and rewarding I have decided to write about some of my favorite fragrant roses by class. You may access all roses of a particular class or group, like Bourbon Roses , by going to the top white drop down window on the left margin of our website, clicking on the black arrow, and clicking on ‘View by Class’. You may also use the Advanced Search link to further differentiate a search: ‘pink disease resistant’ or ‘large flowered climbers 12-15’.

In this review not all classes of roses are listed; just the groups that I find significantly fragrant as an entire group though it is noteworthy that exceptionally fragrant roses can be found in classes that are not thought of as being particularly fragrant as a group. Of course it is also true that some not very fragrant roses may be found within predominantly fragrant groups. The first rose listed in each group is, perhaps, my favorite in that class----at least for today. Also, not wanting to disappoint, I have omitted wonderfully fragrant roses that are out of stock, or not yet in production at this time. In this newsletter I review the particularly fragrant classes of Recurrent Blooming Old Garden Roses (OGR). In other newsletters I will review particularly fragrant roses in the Modern Classes and the Nonrecurrent OGR.

Notes

Many groups are also disease resistant. (*) indicates a group, or an individual variety, that is not particularly disease resistant. At the end of the newsletter you will find a paragraph on preventive spraying for diseases. (VDR) indicates those groups that are exceptionally disease resistant.

(VH) indicates classes with many very hardy members: (VH Z#) indicates the coldest zone in which some roses in the class will grow. Zone 3 is usually regarded as the coldest USDA Zone in which it is possible to grow roses. Go to the top white drop down window on the left margin of our website, click on the black arrow, and click on ‘View Hardy Roses’ for more information on hardiness and a link to the USDA map to determine your climate zone.

The Fragrant Recurrent Antiques

Recurrent bloomers among once blooming groups: First I would like to list two iconic roses, perfectly sized for today’s gardens, from otherwise nonrecurrent groups: from the Damasks, The ancient Autumn Damask (aka Quatre Saisons), and from the Spinosissimas, Stanwell Perpetual. Suffice it to say that every garden should have a plant of each of these roses they are that good. Autumn Damask is the rose I associate with old chintz, wallpaper, and handpainted china. The buds are the epitomy of rose romance from the moment they appear. The plant has several flushes through the summer, not just in the autumn. The ferny blue-green foliage of Stanwell Perpetual makes the plant attractive even when it isn’t blooming though it is seldom without bloom. The prolific, very pale pink, very fragrant, quartered blooms set against the blue-green foliage are an exquisite combination. Then there are the recurrent Moss roses, ammong them: Alfred de Dalmas, Mme. de la Roche-Lambert, Rene d’ Anjou.

The Bourbons: (Recurrent good flushes; * vulnerable to blackspot; some varieties are hardy to Zone 5 and have decent DR.) This is a popular group for gardeners wanting a romantic garden and are willing to spray preventively. Mme. Isaac Pereire is a rose whose richly fragrant, voluptuous bloom I often carry with me as I walk about the gardens. Other favorites among the fabulously fragrant Bourbons: Mme. Ernest Calvat, Souvenir du President Lincoln, Souvenir de la Malmaison, Deuil de Dr. Reynaud, Sophie's Perpetual, Souvenir de St. Annes.

The Portlands: (aka. Portland Damasks, VH, most are hardy to Z4 or 5; DR varies with the variety) This is a small group highly prized for their smaller size, scent, and rebloom. All are highly appropriate as bedding plants for patio gardens or any area where smaller reblooming roses are wanted. The soft pink, luscious Comte de Chambord (Mme. Boll) is one of the best roses we grow, notable for its intense scent and constant, prolific rebloom. Other wonderfully scented Portlands: Rose de Rescht, Rose de Roi, Pickering’s Four Seasons, Indigo, Duchess de Rohan, and, finally, Jacque Cartier and Marchesa Bochella which are quite possibly the same rose.

The True Teas: (Several varieties are consistently hardy to Zone 5, most are hardy in Zone 7 and warmer, with occasional winter damage. DR seems to vary considerably in various climate areas. Mildew * can sometimes appear where cold nights and hot, dry days are the rule. Spray preventively where required.) The Teas are a consistently fragrant class of roses that were later crossed with the Hybrid Perpetuals to produce the Hybrid Teas, so dominant today. Many people refer to Hybrid Teas as Teas having, apparently, never encountered this information. The Teas are a large and diverse group. Favorite Teas for fragrance are Mme. Lombard, Lady Hillingdon, Mrs. B. R. Cant, Rhodologue Jules Gravereaux, (a.k.a.Triumphe de Luxembourg), Alexander Hill Gray, Angel’s Camp Tea, Catherine Mermet, Licorice Tea, and Mlle. de Sombrueil.

The Noisette Shrubs: (VDR, Recurrent, Z6 and warmer) These shrubs have delicious aroma developed from the Musks and R. Multiflora . Nastarana is one of the few roses whose scent reliably wafts on warm summer evenings. Other fragrant Noisettes: Narrow Water and Blush Noisette. The Noisettes are excellent for humid southern gardens.

The Tea-Noisette Climbers: (Very recurrent, (*) but not excessively prone to disease, Z6 and warmer) Juane Desprez, is to my nose, perhaps, the most evocatively fragrant of all roses. This group has some of the world’s best and most fragrant climbers and includes the gloriously mutable Gloire de Dijon, always near the very top of my list of favorite roses. Other favorite Tea-Noisettes are: Bouquet d’Or, Ley’s Perpetual, Marechal Niel, Mme. Alfred Carriere, and Mme. Berard.

The Hybrid Perpetuals: (This is a large and varied group. Most are recurrent and abundantly fragrant, many are hardy through Z5, (* spray preventively). This is a large and varied group, highly popular during the Victorian era. Their large blooms show the influence of breeding for competition at exhibition ‘rose shows’. Souvenir du Dr. Jamain, a wonderful dark red Hybrid Perpetual, noted for its fragrance, can be trained as a moderate climber and will bloom in some shade; Pierre Notting is another I treasure for its rich fragrance. There are many other wonderfully fragrant varieties in this group. A few that stand out are: Baronne Prevost and its sport, Ardoisee de Lyon, Duke of Edinburgh, Marchioness of Londonderry, Mrs. John Laing, and Reine des Violettes. Three smaller varieties are: Miriam Wilkins, Dupuy Jamain, and Paul Neyron.

The Species, or wild roses and their hybrids: (Most are VDR and some varieties are to be found for even cold Z3 climates) Among the species and near hybrids: I particularly enjoy the fragrance of Harison's Yellow (The Pioneer Rose), Duponti, and R. roxburghii plena (Double Chestnut Rose). I have included the Rugosa group here as well as some near species hybrids. Among the most fragrant reblooming Rugosas: Scabrosa famous for its gigantic, edible hips, Therese Bugnet, and Conrad Ferdinand Meyer. Thorny, upright C.F. Meyer is one of the best hedge barrier plants and is constantly in bloom.

A Few Notes on Chemicals and Spraying for Diseases

At RVR we use fungicides of the lowest level toxicity carefully targeted to prevent disease. We use nothing but organic fertilizers, except for time release pellets in the older pots. We never spray for insects in the gardens which are friendly to all types of predators. Fungicides used sparingly and alone do not appear to affect the predator balance. We do not recommend products which combine fungicides with insecticides and chemical fertilizers. Insecticides are ineffective in the long run. We must protect our bee population from further decimation by sprays. Chemical fertilizers are destructive to the friendly fungi and bacteria in the soil that help the roots absorb nutrients. We do not use herbicides.

Here are the tenets I adhere to in the use of preventive spray for disease:

1. Know your climate. Our Zone 8a on a breezy, dry Oregon hilltop with hot summer days/cold summer nights is nothing like dealing with disease in muggy hot days and hot nights, Zone 8, Southern climates. Rust, as a disease, is unknown here. Blackspot is not a huge problem, but must be prevented in susceptible varieties. Mildew loves the hot dry days and cool nights of our climate and is very hard to eradicate, so we spray preventively for it when those conditions exist.

2. Use Caution Level sprays (these are the lowest level of toxicity) that last for at least two weeks and fully protect yourself from contact with the spray. Shower and shampoo as soon as you finish. Use a full face mask, the best you can afford, a hat, chemical proof gloves and long sleeves, socks, boots and long pants. Our masks cost about $250 and have disposable pads that are changed regularly. If you can smell peppermint or vanilla through your mask, it isn’t sealing and isn’t protecting you. Get a refund.

3. Spray preventively. Disease is much easier to prevent than to eradicate. Pick off and pick up, or cover with mulch, old diseased leaves when you prune in the spring. When new growth is an inch or two long do the first spraying. We repeat every two to three weeks when disease pressure is high in the spring until our hot 90+ weather hits sometime in June and then relax until cooler weather begins, usually about mid August. We stop spraying sometime in the fall, usually mid to late October. More Northern gardens would begin later and end earlier of course. Buy the best sprayer you can afford. Large collections of roses are best sprayed with battery operated sprayers. Ours comes from rosemania.com and costs about $450. (We have no personal or business connections to this company but have found it to be an excellent resource for advice, as well as products, for our customers).

4. Always combine a systemic fungicide with a topical in the tank. The topical we use is ‘Manzate’. Our favorite systemic, though not a true systemic, is ‘Compass’ which has great staying power. We alternate Compass with another systemic. Always use a sticker/spreader, such as SS100 from Eden , in the tank. We also like to use the PH adjuster, ‘Indicate 5’.

5. Know the varieties and classes of roses in your garden. Spray the ones that need it. For example, Rugosas and Albas hate to be sprayed and are completely disease resistant. Pay attention to the ‘canary’ roses that get disease first and begin to spray immediately if they show signs of the diseases you are preventing.

6. Know what diseases are generic to your area and determine if you need different fungicides than the system outlined above where our concerns are preventing blackspot and powdery mildew. Always, always, use alternatives to insecticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers. Experiment if you budget is up to it, with seaweed, alfalfa, and a product called "Messenger" to see if they have a strengthening effect on your roses.

Our Fragrance Special for April

Buy 8 roses and choose a free band of one of the following very fragrant roses: Kazanlik, Darlow's Enigma, Gloire de Dijon, Sheila's Perfume, Mme. Isaac Pereire, Zephirine Drouhin. At the end of the ordering process, a window will appear for you to tell us which free band you would like. You may also request a misidentified rose to be sent along with your order.

Our Regular Buy 10 and Get 3 Free Roses Special

Buy 10 roses and choose 1 of our $12.50 bands as a free gift. At the end of the ordering process, a window will appear for you to tell us which free band you would like. In the same input box, you may let us know if you would like 2 additional free misidentified roses.

Our Membership Discounts

If you are a member of the American Rose Society, the Heritage Rose Foundation, or a Heritage Rose Group, you may choose to receive a 10% membership discount on roses that you order in any quantity when you provide us with your membership number and expiration date. This membership discount does not go with any other specials or sales that we offer.

Order Online from our website, or over the phone: 541-535-1307.

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