In this age of environmental awareness, many gardeners are choosing to decline chemical intervention to manage their plants. For many people, this makes growing good roses problematic in a whole new way. In humid/rainy climates it is going to be very challenging to find a modern Hybrid Tea that is optimal for that climate and still offers excellence of bloom and quality scent. Many selections are going to be marred or completely crippled by Blackspot if not treated with Fungicides. So, whats a rose aficionado to do? Fortunately there are choices that will allow you to assemble a collection of roses that is both diverse, fragrant and disease free. Certain classes of roses offer many individuals that are extremely healthy plants in many climates. The Noisettes and Hybrid Musks include a number of excellent plants that are healthy, vigorous and beautifully scented, such as 'Blush Noisette', 'Trier', 'Buff Beauty' and 'Bubble Bath'. Although not particularly well scented, some of the Louis Lens hybrids from Belgium offer excellent disease resistance and abundance of bloom as well; 'Focus' and 'Violet Hood' are two such roses.

The Old Garden Rose classes also have some superior varieties among them which are highly fragrant, very disease resistant and often repeat through the season to some degree or another. The R. wichurana climbers bred in France by Barbier are some of the most vigorous, healthy and pleasantly scented Old Roses. Look for 'Alberic Barbier' and 'Paul Transom', to name just two. The latter offers more bloom later in the season than 'Alberic Barbier' does, but both are superb roses. Some of the Portland Damasks are also excellent in every way. I would suggest 'Marbree' and 'Indigo' and 'Rose de Rescht', the latter sometimes needing a few years to get established before it shows good Blackspot resistance. If you live in warm Southern climates, you may find the Chinas and Teas superior for your climate. And of course, if you don't mind growing some of the Spring bloomers (big flush of bloom in early Summer but no repeat later in the season) then there are numerous roses to choose from. The Gallicas and Albas include a number of excellent varieties that are fragrant and very healthy in most climates.

In my own work, I aim to work towards improvement of disease resistance, and, with luck, fragrance will not be sacrificed along the way. I am using the old Hybrid Musk 'Trier' in my work as it often brings both scent and Blackspot resistance to its offspring. I have enjoyed working with the beautiful 'Duchesse de Montebello' which passes on excellent disease resistance and superb fragrance to its seedlings. Two of my best roses, 'Marianne™' and 'Allegra™', both have wonderful fragrance and are both disease free in most climates. Neither of these two reblooms later in the season, but they make up for it with sheer abundance of bloom. Some work I am doing with a Ralph Moore breeding plant created in 1947 from the species R. wichurana is working very well, producing very fragrant and disease free progeny. I have hopes that this hybrid will lead me towards a healthier group of fragrant, care-free roses.

With the increased diversity in the styles of roses coming from breeding programs comes also a wider variety of scents. No longer do we have only the traditional Damask/Tea fragrance that roses like 'Mister Lincoln' are famous for, but scents that are previously quite rare in roses. One such fragrance is the Myrrh scent made popular by David Austin in a number of his roses, a scent often compared to Anise, or Licorice. The Lens hybrid 'Bubble Bath' has an astonishingly sweet scent that is like some kind of candy. 'Darlow's Enigma', a Hybrid Musk with outstanding health also has a very unique and intense fragrance. I even have some roses in my own work that have a most unusual fragrance like Cinnamon and Musk. There are many roses that have a perfume with a strong lemon component, including my own rose 'Oshun™'. Some of the Tea descendants frequently smell of, well, tea, a scent that has a phenolic component. (A bit like Camphor) Then of course there are many of the Old Roses that are famous for their rich Damask scents, like the incomparable 'Konigen von Danemark', and 'Great Maiden's Blush', both superb roses in every way. Scent, it seems, is as diverse as color and bloom form.

Our Fragrance Special for March

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.

	Contact us at: info@roguevalleyroses.com Phone and fax: (541) 535-1307

We are open to customers on Wednesday afternoon from 2:00 to 6:00 for pickup of orders previously placed online or over the phone.
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