Not every rose exudes an aromatic scent. We introduce you to 20 varieties of fragrant roses that will delight you with their heavenly smell.
What gardener doesn't dream of a fairytale rose garden? Especially in summer it is worth taking a walk through rosariums and nurseries to find suitable varieties. When the rose (Rosa) not only looks beautiful, but also smells the aromatic scent, the heart of a gardener is usually broken. So that your chosen scented rose really comes into its own in the garden, it is best to plant it near your seat. Fragrant climbing or rambler roses are wonderful for growing over pergolas or rose arches, for example. But you can also create small islands of scent near paths, so that the scent of bush roses and bed roses wafts towards you as you pass by. Hybrid tea roses, on the other hand, are very suitable as cut flowers for vases - so you can even bring a piece of your fragrant rose garden into the house.
Unfortunately, the selection of fragrant roses is not that large compared to all rose varieties. In the following we will explain what distinguishes fragrant roses and what the location has to do with the intensity of the rose scent. We will also introduce you to some popular fragrant roses with different growth forms.
Fragrant roses: properties & special features
Some roses can not only shine with their appearance, but also exude an intense fragrance. Depending on the variety, this is fresh and fruity or sometimes sensual and beguiling. The queen of flowers, as the rose is also called, not only attracts many insects, but also makes rose lovers go into raptures in the truest sense of the word, because the essential oils of the rose have a mood-enhancing and stress-relieving effect. These properties are also of interest to the cosmetics industry, where rose oil and rose water are often used as ingredients in perfumes, creams and lotions.
Unfortunately, the scent of rose breeding has largely fallen by the wayside in recent decades. So many of the modern rose varieties only smell morevery little to none. Specially bred fragrant roses are therefore often descended from strongly fragrant wild roses. Although many fragrant roses are vigorous as a result of these crossings, they are also very susceptible to disease. Today, roses with an intense fragrance are mainly found among the old roses, the English roses, but also among the hybrid teas. However, not only the genes are decisive for the strength of the fragrance - the shape of the flower, location and weather also play a decisive role. The sunnier, windless and more humid the location, the better the scent of the rose unfolds, as the essential oils of the plant are formed and released to a greater extent under these conditions.
The 20 best fragrant rose varieties
If you are now in the mood for a fragrant rose for your garden or balcony, the following overview of the most popular fragrant roses can serve as inspiration.
- Hybrid Tea 'Acapella'
Double, cherry-red flowers with a silvery edge; blooming often; strong fragrance with fruity aroma; upright growth with good branching; grows about 80 to 120 cm high; very good leaf he alth; robust and hardy variety - Shrub rose 'Astrid Gräfin von Hardenberg'
Awarded as the best fragrance variety 2002 in Rome; medium-sized, double flowers in burgundy red; blooming often; intense fragrance; bushy growth with overhanging shoots (up to 130 cm high); full sun is recommended; medium leaf he alth - Hybrid Tea 'Augusta Luise'
Nostalgically filled, peach-colored flowers; blooming often; fruity sweet hybrid tea scent; upright growth (up to 120 cm high); good leaf he alth; rain-resistant and heat-tolerant flowers; hardy
- Beetrose 'Blue Parfum'
Full, violet flowers with a silvery sheen; beguiling scent; blooms early and profusely; blooming often; bushy growth (up to 80 cm high); can also be used as a cut rose; medium leaf he alth - Ramblerrose 'Bobby James'
Numerous flowers of creamy white; once blooming; intense fragrance; strong growth; can reach heights of 8 to 10 m; suitable for climbing frames and pergolas; good leaf he alth; very frost hardy
- English Rose 'Constance Spry'
Popular shrub rose;very double, pink flowers with a light edge; intense scent of myrrh; once blooming; upright bushy growth; grows up to 280 cm high; unfortunately only poor leaf he alth; hardy; suitable for hedge planting - Premium Rose 'Duft Festival'
Awarded as the best scented rose in 1999; red, well filled flowers; blooming often; beguiling scent; bushy growth (up to 70 cm high); high leaf he alth; suitable for group planting; good winter hardiness - Hybrid Rose 'Duftgold'
Long, beautiful buds; double, pure yellow flowers; blooming often; strong, spicy fragrance; compact growth; reaches heights of up to 100 cm; weather-resistant; medium leaf he alth; good frost hardiness
- Fruit Rose 'Dust Rush'
Double flowers in bright violet-pink; blooming often; strong, spicy fragrance; strong, bushy growth (up to 120 cm high); good leaf he alth; suitable as a cut flower; hardy but needs some winter protection - Premium Rose 'Duftwolke'
Voted as the best scented rose of all time in the rose village of Steinfurth; double, coral red flowers; blooming often; intense hybrid tea scent; bushy growth (up to 80 cm high); good leaf he alth; Awarded world rose and ADR rose, among others
- Hybrid Tea 'Erotica'
Many dark red, double flowers; blooming often; very strong, beguiling scent; strong, upright growth (up to 130 cm high); medium leaf he alth; awarded as ADR rose; good frost hardiness - Hybrid Tea 'Frederic Mistral'
Scented Rose of Provence; large, double flowers in bright light pink; blooming often; intense fragrance with a hint of lime; strong, upright, bushy growth (up to 90 cm high); medium leaf he alth; good winter hardiness - Ramblerrose 'Guirlande d'Amour'
Numerous semi-double, pure white flowers in racemes; blooming often; sweet scent of honey; vigorous growth; reaches heights of up to 4 m; very good leaf he alth; hardy; ideal for rose arches - Shrub rose 'Herkules'
Double, delicate lavender flowers with nostalgic charm; blooming often; pleasant scent of pear; upright bushy growth; reaches heights of up to 140 cm; good leaf he alth; hardy - Parkrose ‘Jacque Cartier’
Named after French explorer and navigator;medium-sized, double flowers in pure pink with a light edge; blooming often; reaches heights of 100 to 150 cm; overhanging shoots; strong rose aroma; medium leaf he alth
- Climbing Rose 'Laguna'
Full pink flowers with a strong, fruity scent; heavily filled umbels; blooming often; upright bushy habit (up to 280 cm high); good resistance to powdery mildew and blackspot; good hardiness; awarded ADR Rose - Historic Rose 'Mme Hardy'
One of the Damask Roses; densely filled, pure white flowers with a green eye; once blooming; strong scent of lemon; upright habit with overhanging flowering branches (up to 200 cm high); easy to care for and he althy; hardy - Shrub rose 'Rose de Resht'
Old French variety; descends from damask roses; medium-sized, bright red flowers; blooming often; intense, heavy rose scent; compact habit (up to 120 cm high); good leaf he alth; rain and heat resistant; hardy - Hybrid Tea 'Senteur Royale'
Very large, double flowers in violet-purple; blooming often; intense, fruity-sweet fragrance; upright, bushy, compact growth; reaches heights of 70-100 cm; suitable for cutting vases; hardy - Shrub rose 'Westerland'
A classic among the shrub roses; bright copper-orange flowers; blooming often; flowers very profusely in large umbels; intense fruity fragrance; well-branched, bushy growth (up to 150 cm high); very he althy; insensitive to rain and heat; frost hardy
If you are looking for more variations, you will also find beautiful types of roses from bed roses, climbing roses & Co here.