Intoxicating Fragranced Roses - Caprice de Meilland

"Caprice de Meilland" bred, obviously, by Meilland :) in 1997.

Hybrid Tea, Shrub.
Very fragrant bengal pink.
Height : 100 cm - bloom size : 12 cm diameter on av.

Award for Fragrance Bagatelle 1997
Award for fragrance Geneva 1997
Gold Medal Hybrid Teas Roma 1997
Award for fragrance Roma 1997

Blooms in flushes throughout the season.
Zone 7. Can be used for cut flower. Heat tolerant. Requires spring freeze protection.

With so many awards for its scent, how do you think it smells? I tell you, just wonderful...

Intoxicating Fragranced Roses - Summer Song

"Summer Song" bred by David Austin (United Kingdom, before 2005).

This is a rose of beautiful and unusual colouring that is hard to describe – burnt orange

would be one possibility.

The flower starts as a rounded bud that gradually opens to a full cup

, with many inner petals arranged rather informally within a perfect ring of outer petals.

It has a lovely strong, mixed scent, which the Austin fragrance experts tell is ‘like a florist’s shop, with hints of chrysanthemum leaves, ripe bananas and tea’. In fact, the growers say it's the banana

mostly they sense in the fragrance...

It forms a bushy, upright shrub that can be pruned to grow tall or short, according to your requirements.

Shrub.

English Rose Collection.

Orange blend.

Strong, fruity, tea fragrance.

Average diameter of flowers - 3.75" - 9,5 cm. Large, very full (41+ petals), cluster-flowered, in small clusters, old-fashioned bloom form. Blooms in flushes throughout the season.

Tall, bushy, upright. Medium, semi-glossy, dark green foliage.

Height of 4' (120 cm). Width of 3' (90 cm).

Zone 6.

Can be used for cut flower, garden or hedge.

Intoxicating Fragranced Roses - Rosa Centifolia

In May, the absolute Queen of flowers is Rosa Centifolia.

Known also as Cabbage Rose, Hundred-Petalled Rose, Province Rose, Rose de Mai or Rose des Peintres (Painters’ Rose) because it was featured in so many medieval flower paintings, it is a splendid rose, adorning our gardens with beautiful, deliciously fragrant flowers.

Other names are: Holland Rose, Gul-i-sad-warg, Kohl Rose, Rosa provincialis maior, Rose a Cent Feuilles, Rose Chou, Rosa persica, Rosa incarnata, Common Provence, Rosa purpurea.

Probably originated in the Caucasus and first cultivated in Persia, it is said to have reached Britain in 1596 and has been used since in hybridizing and for its delightful fragrance.

Nowadays this rose is cultivated widely (mostly in the south of France and Morocco) to supply the perfume industry with attar of roses.

The full, globular, deep glowing pink flowers have numerous petals becoming darker towards the centre and appear in early to mid-summer (once-flowering). They are arranged in small clusters and emerge from tight feathery buds. They are flattish, very double and very fragrant.

The bushy, well-branched shrub can attain a height between 5' to 6' 11" (150 to 210 cm) in good soil and the width is up to 5' (150 cm), producing long strong shoots with numerous reddish thorns and prickles. Its leaves are coarse, both in appearance and to touch, and are grayish green. The zone were it thrives is from 4 to 9.

You can use the intoxicating fragranced petals in many recipes, as salads, jam, syrup, tea or potpourri. And, of course, it has such a vintage charm in the garden…

You’ll love this wonderful rose, despite its only once flowering.

Intoxicating Fragranced Roses - La France

La France is a rose bred by Jean-Baptiste Guillot le fils (1867). Seedling of Madame Falcot rose.

It is generally accepted to be the first Hybrid Tea rose, and for this reason, its introduction is considered to be the birth of the Modern Rose era. In fact, according to Mr Paul Barden, there were other two roses that preceeded La France and are considered to be Hybrid Teas: Cheshunt Hybrid and Madame Lacharme, both dated 1872.

The flowers are large, full, 60 petals, light pink and somehow pearled... Simply beautiful.

The fragrance is very interesting. Strong, yet elusive, it reminds me a very fine and subtle Parisian perfume. And I find there also some thalassic hints.

It blooms continuously throughout the season, even in late autumn. In my garden there were a few blooms surprised by the freeze in December.

Height of 3' 60 5' (90 to 150 cm). Width of 3' (90 cm).

Zone 7, it requires freeze protection.

There is also a climbing sport of this rose, discovered by Peter Henderson (USA, 1893), height of up to 12' (365 cm), zone 6.

Intoxicating Fragranced Roses - Jude The Obscure

"Jude The Obscure" is bred by Davis Austin (UK, 1989). The breeder says about this rose:

"Its flowers are very large and of incurved chalice shape. Their color is a pleasing medium yellow on the inside of the petals and a paler yellow on the outside.

It has excellent, strong and almost completely disease-free growth. This rose is particularly fine in a dry climate, although it may ball in the rain.

A very strong, unusual and delicious fragrance with a fruity note reminiscent of guava and sweet white wine.

Named after the character in Thomas Hardy’s novel.

4 ft. x 4 ft. or 8 ft. as a climber ".

We simply can't argue with Mr. Austin. This rose is indeed magnificent.

So:

- shrub English Rose Collection

- medium yellow, apricot, cream shading colour, lighter reverse.

- 55 to 70 petals.

- full, borne mostly solitary or in small clusters, globular bloom form.

- blooms in flushes throughout the season.

- height of up to 4' (up to 120 cm)

- width of up tp 4' (up to 120 cm).

- as a climber - 8' or 250 cm.

- very disease resistant indeed.

- Zone 5 to 10.

Use minimal pruning, otherwise the growth will be diminished.

Intoxicating Fragranced Roses: Rosa Damascena Bifera / Autumn Damask / Quatre Saisons

Also referenced as: Castilian Damask, Old Castilian, Trachyean Rose, Rose of Paestum, The Alexandria Rose, Semperflorens Damask, Rose of Castile, Tous les Mois, Rosa omnium calendarum, Rosa menstrua, Quatre Saisons Continue, Rose des Quatre Saisons.

Unknown origin, before 1633, likely originated in the Middle East. Seedling of rosa moschata, rosa gallica and rosa fedtschenkoana.

The bush is a bit sprawly and unkempt. The foliage is typical Damask, with soft, downy greyish green leaves which are reasonably disease resistant. It is supposedly very tolerant of pruning.

The height is 4' to5' (120-150 cm) and width of 3' to 4' (90 to 120 cm).

The clear pink blooms come in flushes through the summer and are double (17-25 petals) bloom form. There are some reports of blooming only twice a year though.

Intense Damask fragrance. Excellent rose for making pot pourri.

Zone 4.

Intoxicating Fragranced Roses - Reine des Violettes

Hybrid Perpetual bred by Mille-Mallet, France, 1860. Seedling of Pope Pius IX (Hybrid Perpetual, Vibert, 1849).

Wonderful colour, violet with a lighter center. The fragrance is strong, in the Old Garden Rose way.

The flowers are 4.25 " - 10,8 cm, 50 to 75 petals, very large, very full, cupped, quartered, reflexed bloom form.

The bush is untidy, arching, often sprawling across the ground and producing bloom at the ends of long shoots. The remedy for this is strict pruning and/or training techniques. Often people will peg the long canes down to the ground, which will encourage the lateral buds to break into bloom.

Height of 4' to 8' - 120cm to 245 cm. Width of 3' to 6' (90 to 185cm).

Remontant, it blooms in flushes throughout the season. Remove spent blooms to encourage re-bloom.

Feed this rose well. Plenty of manure in the soil both at planting time and as a seasonal mulch is recommended. You may want to supplement with Epsom salts and Alfalfa tea as well.

This rose will do well in partially shaded location.

It is thornless.

Roses for Shady Locations

First, it's never about full shadow, but only partial shadow. Your roses need at least 3-4 hours of sun, preferably the morning sunlight. Otherwise, forget about it. Your roses will not bloom and after a few years they will die.

Second, make sure that the soil is never damp, but moist and fertile, offering a good drainage too. Prune the roses regularly to maintain good air circulation and reduce the risk of fungal infections. Also, prune the canes to as little as one-third their length in Spring, while the roses are dormant, to correct their sparse growth, due to lack of sun.

Now, what roses to grow in shady locations? They must be selected from those which are known to be hardy and disease-resistant, and, generally, the closer a rose to the true species, or the less hybridization in its background, the more adaptable will be.

So, select them from the true species and their closely related hybrids, the group of older garden roses such as the Gallicas, Damasks and Albas; and, in warmer areas, from more tender groups such as the Chinas. Most ramblers do well in shade as well.

Myself, I prefer roses with good fragrance, among other required features. So, this will be my list for shady spots:

- as a rose at a woodland site: Rosa Rugosa, Stanwell Perpetual, Amelia, Parfum de l'Hay

- for shady locations: Rosa Alba, Kazanlik, Great Maiden's Blush, Mme Isaac Pereire, Souvenir du Dr Jamain, Pompon Blanc Parfait, Louis XIV, Louise Odier, Shady Lady, Alba Semi-Plena, A Longues Pedoncules, Agatha, Agathe Incarnata, Agnes, Alexander Girault, Alister Stella Gray, Belle Poitevine, Autumn Sunset, Blanc Double de Coubert, Blanchefleur, Celeste, Conrad F. Meyer, Felicite Parmentier, Gypsy Boy, Festive Jewel, Konigin von Denmark, Long John Silver, Mme Gregoire Staechelin, Reine des Violettes, Roseraie de l'Hay, Russeliana, Sarah van Fleet,

- shady location and even a North wall: Ena Harkness climber, The Garland (moschata), Zephirine Drouhin, Goldbusch, Wedding Day (rambler), Paul's Hymalaian Musk, Mme Alfred Carriere, Golden Dawn, Rosa Alba Maxima, Aimee Vibert, Alchymist, Casino, Columbian Climber