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Advise : Scented Rose shrubs

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  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    I second Desdemona! Beautiful white from David Austin, also Scepter’d Isle from the same company. Gorgeous pink blooms, lovely scent.
    I have them planted together...lovely cultivars indeed 😉
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    David Austin specialises in breeding repeat-flowering, scented roses which are healthier than many of the old Hybrid Teas which our parents used to grow.  Their catalogue is worth a look if you want particular heights or colours.
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    What sort of border width/space do you have there, to take into account the ultimate spread of the shrub? Also, do you want height, or prefer more compact roses? I don’t have a great sense of smell, but two that are really strong for me are Gertrude Jeykll (classic old rose fragrance) and La Rose de Molinard (intense grapefruit to my nose). Both can get fairly large, I have RdeM on an obelisk, like @amancalledgeorge, who encouraged me to get it and I’m glad he did.

    There is always a bit of a trade-off with roses, some of the vigorous, healthy, non-stop bloomers tend to have less fragrance - for example, my best non-stop performer bloom-wise is a yellow floribunda rose called Absolutely Fabulous, but scent is light. Some modern Hybrid Tea roses can be much healthier and bushier than the old stick-like ones, some have really good fragrance too, but they tend to bloom a little less.

    I guess a couple of David Austin roses are as good as any place to start, Desdemona gets great reviews and is on my wish list!
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • SueAtooSueAtoo Posts: 380
    Fragrance is a very personal thing. Can you wait until some are flowering in garden centre or open gardens so you can smell them? Also, as @nollie says, you also need to take into account size, shape, repeat flowering etc.
    East Dorset, new (to me) rather neglected garden.
  • VeronVeron Posts: 11
    Munstead Wood has a lovely scent, beautiful deep crimson-purple flowers and blooms almost continuously. I have only had mine a couple of years but they are said to be robust.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Mustead Wood are tricky to get at the moment. I'm hoping they will come back on the market this winter.
  • HazybHazyb Posts: 336
    @Fire A David Austin tweet to someone regarding Munstead Wood.  

    Might be a good idea to sign up for the email notification ?

    :smile:
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