Scent or odor is highly dependent on the individual, so some roses people would condsider powerfully perfumed for one, might not be for another.

To me anything in the old alba class is pretty much the most powerfully scented, or anything with notes of citrus, to me most of the albas shows hint of lemon.

Some of the Austins to me show with this citrus hinted scents. Like Abe Darby, almost like roses and grapefruit to me. But thats me.

I enjoy most rose scents including the centifolias and gallicas to one degree or another. Not sure I would add charles de mills as a top 10 scented rose, again to me just about any of the albas beats it hands down.

My #1 favorite scent of any rose is Abe Darbe, followed by Great Maidens Blush.

Lots of great scented roses out there and most (though not all) of the OGR's have a fine scent one way or another. Ive seen these classifications before, but its hard to quantify scent.

Silverkelt

I agree that Charles de Mills was a funny choice. I don't find it stronger scented than lots of other gallicas, even rather less. My own favourite is Fruehlingsduft, a rose that really lives up to its name. Duft means fragrance. But there are so many others.

Souvenir du Docteur Jamain and Tuscany Superb are just moderately fragrant to me. It's a somewhat unusual list.

I Love The Fragrance of SDLM & all her sports but I would'nt call it strong just preferrable. LaFrance is quite strong lemony damask. Bella Donna absolutely wonderful Damask fragrance. I also like Variagata de Bologna.
There are several moderns I like Charles Mallerin, Pat Austin Fruity & Paul Bocuse almost reminds me of an artificial cherry.

I can't think of a more subjective or idiotic undertaking than one that attempts to identify the most heavily scented roses.

When assessing fragrance, climate, time of day, temperature, geographical location, humidity, cultural practices all come into play (not to mention the olfactory gifts, or lack thereof, of the sniffer who's assigning the ratings). Also, one must certainly assume that there are countless roses that the scent judge(s) has/have not yet had the pleasure of smelling.

Alberic Barbier and SdlM both surprised me as being on this list. SdlM certainly smells good but I wouldn't call it heavily fragrant and Alberic Barbier even less so. Belinda's Dream, Charmian, Bishop's Castle, Sister Elizabeth, La France, and Coquette des Blanches in my garden, just to name a few, strike me as being more fragrant than the aforementioned two. But, as jaxondel mentioned, there are so many factors that enter into this equation. One would be hard pressed to find agreement among rosarians on all but a few roses that would be considered heavily scented.

Ingrid

Like everyone has said: there isn't a list everyone can agree on. In my garden, where most of my three hundred or so roses are fragrant, some of the most scented that come to mind are 'Mme. Plantier', a mystery white that I think may be 'Mme. Zoetmans', the deep reds with Damask fragrance like 'Cl. Etoile de Hollande', 'Barcelona', 'Oklahoma'; 'Sharifa Asma', the Hybrid Musk 'Felicia'; but there are countless others. I agree about 'Fruehlingsduft', and also 'Fruehlingsgold' is fragrant. Then, exactly what is "most fragrant"? Many roses don't smell all that strong when you put your nose in a flower, but spread their scent for yards around, including a lot of roses with musk or multiflora in their ancestry: 'Jaune Desprez', 'Blush Noisette', 'Cornelia', 'Moonlight'; 'Vanity' does this, and so does 'Spray Cecile Bruenner'. Scent is one of those things you can't reduce to a short list...it's like making a list of the world's dozen greatest works of literature.
Melissa

For me, the most heavily scented roses are Rugosas. I don't see any on the list.

No, I don't think I do. I'm not even sure I could agree if it were called "Ten Roses with Pretty Strong Fragrance". I have to say that Best and Most are probably trigger words for instant disagreement.

While I think that Tuscany Superb is the most scented of the gallicas I have known, gallicas as a class are only moderately scented. Charles de Mills -- not so much.

Ferdinand Pichard is also a funny choice from among the hybrid perpetuals. I like it; it is very pretty and more disease resistant than some, but it falls pretty low in the scent category.

What about R moschata and its wonderful wafting fragrance? I see no species or near species listed.

I don't see any modern shrub roses either, which is a real lack. Think of the scent of Gertrude Jeckyll. Many breeders of modern roses include scent along with disease resistance and beauty as a goal of their programs, and many have succeeded.

While many HTs lack fragrance, some are wonderful, Oklahoma being the one I think of first, but not it is not alone.

Also I agree, where are the rugosas? That wonderful sent of roses and cloves is powerful and persistent.

Any such list must be idiosyncratic. However, of the ones listed there I would be most likely to include Great Maiden's Blush, Koenigin von Danemark, and Rose de Rescht. I would not expect to completely agree with anyone else's list -- noses vary -- but this list seems way off base.

Rosefolly

As "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"
I deem that rose fragrance is in the olfactory glands of the smeller.

I wonder if the judges who make that list have vases filled with the winners of rose fragrance award winners in the room when they make their list, for comparison sake.

I'm surprised by that listing of most "Heavily scented" roses for though I'd rate Great Maidens Blush" as having a heavenly scent, I'd say it has a moderate strength of scent, under the best conditions, the same as Souvenir du Dr. Jamain" (I'd rate s.d. du J. as having 3F's out of 5) which I bought because I read it was very fragrant, and am disappointed, because under the same conditions it is less fragrant then my neighbors' heavily scented" Crimson Glory and Papa Meilland" which I'd rate as 5F and 4F.
I also love R. moschata and its' close descendants which have the ability to waft their scent for several yards around each plant, in a light breeze.

My favorite scents of roses include the Scotch Burnets, which are lightly scented a bit like lily of the valley
"Altaica is lovely, and I find it the most deeply scented of these, but still only c. 2.5f out of 5f.

"Magnifica" is the strongest scented of the Rugosas to my nose.

Lux.

What bothers me it that the roses and other plants that are so scented in the arboretum and the nursery sometimes are not scented at all in my garden. Several years ago I bought a honeysuckle because it was so divinely fragrant. That same plant now has no scent I can detect, year after year! It is very aggravating, because I was just in a nursery the other day and there was a whole row of them -- all as fragrant as can be. So it is not that my nose has gone blind to the scent. This particular honeysuckle, Goldflame, is only supposed to be fragrant at night. Go figure. It was fragrant in the morning when I bought it and in the nursery. Now, nada.

Rose de Rescht -- the same thing. The ones I smelled in the nursery were wonderful, an intense marvelous scent that carried. Mine, not so much.

Some of them are still very fragrant, though. Thank heaven. Especially indoors. Mirandy, Yolande d'Aragon, for example. Memorial Day of fond memory (it departed one winter).

I have so many roses with a lovely fragrance---I agree about Albertine----but of couse Zephirine Drouhin just thrills my soul---it is one of the first roses to bloom in the spring-----
Carefree Sunshine is delicious----and MacCartney rose is bringing me much pleasure this year---

Clair Matin perfumes my garden----just too many to make a list-------Lyda Rose also "wafts"

the roses bloom at different times so it is difficult for me to compare----

Florence

For me my David Austins, Graham Thomas and Golden Celebration have the strongest fragrance but smell is so subjective. My brother thinks they stink!

I can't think of a more subjective or idiotic undertaking than one that attempts to identify the most heavily scented roses.
gee what a downer !

Well, agree or not, another way to look at the article is that at least the roses listed are antiques. I'll be there were some spectacular pictures in the magazine also of roses nor very often seen. Or do UK magazines more regularly spotlight antiques than do those in the US?

Other lists I've seen include primarily moderns like Double Delight and Mr. Lincoln ...

Gean

Labrea --- So sorry about lobbing a downer your way. I hate the thought of imposing one of those on anyone . . .

Have to say, though, that you now have me quite concerned about the fragrance of the rose(s) you mention in your first post above. What, I just have to ask, does an artificial cherry (and 'Paul Bocuse' et al.) smell like? Wax? Plastic? Ceramic? Papier mache? :)

I agree that it is difficult when terms like "best" are used regarding rose scent, it being subjective.

I notice referrals to "damask-like" scents, but what about the damasks? My favourites are Celsiana, Autumn Damask, and the ancient Kazanlik.

I too love R. moschata, a lovely spicy/sweet fragrance that wafts in the air, long after my other antiuqes are done. I also love some of the antique teas, especially Devoniensis and Sombreuil. And Noisettes, such as Lamarque, Celine Forestier, and Jaune Desprez are wonderful.

I would add Madame Isaac Perriere to that highly scented list as well!

Vintage Roses says that madame isaac has the strongest,sweetest scent "any where, any time." I bought 2 this spring and one has delivered it's first bloom. It is heavenly! I am so surprised that it's not on that foolish list. I've just ordered edith de murat from RU. Does any one out there have an opinion on her scent?

yah - a ridiculous undertaking - emphasised by the baffling omission of Zephirine Drouhin.

Jack Harkness, the talented and famous rose hybridizer noted that different plants of the same type of rose can have variable strengths of scent.
This was noted in the United States after budwood ( tiny cuttings from a rosebush) sent of "Ena Harkness" a red Hybrid Tea, to America. All the plants that were grown from that budwood grew into rosebushes of Ena Harkness that bore roses with no scent at all.
While the other plants of 'Ena Harkness" grown in the U.K. were famous for their strong fragrance.
-the problem was solved after new budwood was collected in England from a different plant of 'Ena Harkness' and this was sent to the U.S. where the budded plants grew into rosebushes that bore fragrant roses.

I noticed scent variability on one particular plant of "Etoile de Lyon" when I was volunteering at a public rose garden. The right side of the plant bore quite fragrant roses, an obvious 7 on a scale of 10.
the upper left side bore roses with a light scent (3 to 4), and the lower left side of the plant bore roses that had no scent at all, (0 out of 10.)
I invited several of the other volunteers, after showing me that they could detect scent in other cultivars of Old Garden Tea roses in the garden to come over to the bush and grade the scent in each of the 4 parts of the plant,
-they each came up with the same identical results, as I had.
We were all surprised by the answers being identical. 7, on one part of the plant, 3 to 4 on a different area, and zero scent all on the same plant, at the same time.
I wouldn't use that plant as a mother plant, unless I marked the most fragrant section before taking cuttings, and if it were the mother plant from which cuttings were taken, in a rose nursery, I believe it would produce some rosebushes that would produce roses with no scent, other plants with light scent and some with a moderate scent,, depending on what part of the mother plant that the cuttings were taken from.

I had the same thing happen to me, as once happened with ' Ena Harkness'.
I took 8 cuttings from a Catos Cluster" a pink Noisette that has a damask rose type scent. Only one cutting of the 8 cuttings I took produced a plant that bore roses that were obviously more fragrant than the other 7 bushes, which produced roses that were lightly scented or barely scented. I gave those plants to persons who don't propagate roses.

I think of this type of thing as being "genetic scent instability in roses" due to it not being a result of the person smelling it, or cultivation methods and means.

Lux.
P.S.
This took more space then I intended, I'm very interested in scent in roses and spoke to a scientist about it, there are more than 20 genes that determine scent in roses, and since there are color sports, in roses, I believe there are scent sports too.

Lux.

That's very interesting, Lux, and certainly worth reading every word of. You've given me a new idea: thanks!

Lux, I find that to be a very intriguing theory, and one that would explain a lot.

Rosefolly

Hi Luxrosa! Is your e-mail the same as in your member details? I used that address but have not had a reply so am wondering if it is changed. Need to contact you about your interesting observations re scent!

I remember reading in Leonie Bell and Helen van Pelt Wilson's "The Fragrant Year" that on certain roses the flowers on this year's new canes were more deliciously fragrant (and often of different appearance slightly) than those on last-year's wood. I have found this to be true myself in at least two cases. One was Pierre Ronsard (Eden Rose) which is usually not fragrant at all, but one time on a new cane in August were very fragrant. Jude the Obscure did the same thing. The cluster on a soft new cane this year smelled better (sweeter) than the usual ones, which are usually strongly scented but a little bit acrid to my nose.

I agree with jaxondel: we need to know which roses were under consideration.

I agree with the inclusion of the Portland Rose de Rescht, though.

I would add another Rugosa: Roseraie de l'Hay. Also the Portland Pickering Four Seasons and the Hybrid Perpetual Reine des Violettes. (Interesting to read about the demotion of Jude the Obscure, an moderatly-scented rose for me, but one whose color left me scratching my head.)

I also note that, in the past, scents were described by impressions, what did the rose smell like: anise, orris, primrose, etc. With chemical analysis, isn't that likely to change?

Interesting discussion, especially the observation about scent sports, Luxrosa.

Larry

I like Lux's explanation of variation in scent among own-root cuttings. My "Pink Peace" own-root has a slight scent, and ages to slight stinky. Someone else reported that her grafted from Walmart has no scent. I'm wait to see if "Pink Peace" scent improves in cold and rainy weather.

What a silly list! I often suspect that garden writers don't limit themselves to direct observations, and this strikes me as a list put together randomly.
To omit Mme. Isaac Pereire, the damasks, musks, and rugosas-- good grief!
I, too, would put Oklahoma near the top of fragrant modern HT's. I was impressed with Memorial Day too, would like to grow that one again!

pffft, the clue is in the first paragraph 'The June issue of Gardens Illustrated'. I long ago stopped buying any popular garden magazines having been bored to death by the continual repetition of various gardening tropes. It is more than obvious to me that the list simply parrots a number of WELL KNOWN roses without even a smidgeon of basic research. All garden mags do this - they are prepared by lazy editors who simply recycle stuff, follow little fashions (as all the media does) and try to sell us stuff. Frankly, such a list was always going to be utterly worthless. Sorry to be such a cynic but if you are looking for new information or real knowledge, you will NEVER find it in a media rag. Pretty photos and celebrity adulation, of course, hard knowledge, experience or unbiased advice, hardly ever.

Campanula, how I agree with you over the mags - personally I like books and find that the older classics by the likes of Harkness are real treasure troves of thoughtful info based on in-depth experience. Fragrance is still a mystery in many ways, isn't it, besides being subjective and it's obvious that we still have so much more to find out.