Different people can perceive scents differently, so I don't know what to tell you about Gertrude Jekyll. But I can say that if you don't smell it, or smell it and don't like it, you and I have nothing in common. :-)

To me the "old rose" smell -- of rose attar -- smells like soap! I think the fruity scent is a tea rose scent, myself. Then there is also a sweet scent that I sometimes see described as "musk". Then there is the clove scent that people discern in rugosa roses and in some hybrids like "Ivory Fashion." Most fragrant roses have a complex mix of all of these and some other fragrances, including beer (for some people -- or maybe beer smells like roses).

Of course it varies with weather conditions, time of day, and the nose of the person doing the smelling.

Just my 2 cents. I think St. Swithin is glorious myself (though I don't grow this) and to me Gertrude does have a distinctive old-rose scent. But I have also found that things smell differently (and sometimes not as good) in own's own garden than in botanic gardens or the nursery. I have sometimes wondered if being confined in a small pot and starved for nutrients could alter (improve?) the scent. Also, roses from the current year's growth might look and smell differently from those on older wood. I won't even mention the blunting effect of air pollution.

This is my first year to plant Austins and I must say, their scent has NOT been disappointing! The ones I have,(listed in order of best fragrance) are:

1. Evelyn: Hands down, most scrumptious fragrance I have ever experienced from a rose, so far. the blooms are so beautiful.
2. Golden Celebration: this rose is SO Gorgeous and smells WONDERFUL!!....may be my favorite rose
3. Gertrude Jekyll: tied with GC, and the scent is wonderful!! plus its a blooming machine! (GJ was planted last of all these austins, but was the first one to bloom this year...go figure)
4. Alnwick rose: wonderful fragrance and beautiful blooms.
5. Benjamin Britten: exceptionally good fragrance and a great rose...most gorgeous when in full bloom of all my austins so far.

6. Teasing Georgia: beautiful blooms and great fragrance
7. Queen of Sweden: blooms are gorgeous, fragrance so-so
8. Charlotte: hasn't bloomed yet

also, the non-Austins (I only have two):
I love the scent of Maggie...by far my favorite OGR scent.
Gruus an Aachen....great rose and the scent is WONDERFUL!!!!

However, all but Gruus an Aachen were planted in APRIL 2008, so I feel pretty lucky to have all these blooms to even be talking about :) I'm looking forward to them as they become more mature....also, so far the only one I've had to spray was Evelyn, but she was SO well worth it. I would love to have a whole garden of Evelyns!!!

Michelle

I am coming across alot of roses with a citrusy-scent. Not all Austins, though. Radio Times had the citrus thing going on and I am told Madame Hardy has citrus (waiting for her blooms). My PJP II is supposed to have lemon in the scent. Yes I too am seeking the pure "Old Rose" scent so I can put a label on it in my mind.

I am eagerly awaiting the Jude the Obscure at my friend's place to bloom so I can experience this scent everyone raves about.

Being inexperienced at this, triple b, I think after reading your post that Benjamin Britten has a citricy-scent. Whatever you call it, it has a clean, fresh smell to it that is great, kinda like fresh washed sheets. The DA catalog describes it, "intensely fruity, with aspects of wine and pear drops".....hey, I better go get another whiff of that! (*.*)
I have heard about the fragrance of Jude the Obscure too, its definitely on my list for next year....it must be something else.

When all my Zepherine Drouhins are in bloom my yard smells gorgeous---Also my rambler Albertine--just delicious.

Constance Spry is very pretty but her fragrance is described as myrrh and I don't care for it---I think KO has a nice fragrance and some people can't even smell it---
I guess it is just a matter of what you like.

Florence--

I don't grow any of your other Austins, but to my nose Gertrude Jekyll has one of the sweetest, most intense rose fragrances out there. In my garden, I rank it second only to Mme. Ernest Calvat (whose fragrance is perhaps less sweet, but more penetrating), and ahead of Mme. Isaac Pereire. Well ahead of Louise Odier and Comte de Chambord (it's parent). These and Jude the Obscure are the most fragrant roses in my garden, but Jude's fragrance is not as sweet as it is citrusy - strong and wonderful, though.

As for myrrh fragrances, I used to really dislike those. And the musk scent too. But this year I'm starting to appreciate them somewhat. Similarly, I used to think the tea and apple scented roses had virtually no fragrance, but now I'm enjoying those quite a bit. I think in the perfumista world people speak of "training" their noses, so you may be able to evaluate those others better as time goes on. I can't smell KO at all - didn't know it had a fragrance. Florence, you must have a great nose.

BTW, I admire your Austin collection. You must be enjoying yourself immensely right about now. :) Good luck!

- robinia

I really can not accurately describe the scent on my Heritage. It is unique and I like it, but I can't really say what it is.

I'm not saying these are the "strongest" fragrances, but my nose thinks they are the "best" ... Duchesse de Brabant (fruity scent), Gruss an Aachen / Pink Gruss (a gently sweet and incredibly fresh scent), & Golden Celebration (fruit mixed with other delicious stuff).

Randy

'Evelyn' smells like peaches and citrus, a really wonderful fragrance.

I love William Shakespeare 2000, smells like Old Rose to me. Same for The Prince. Sister Elizabeth less strongly, but also very nice.

Jude the Obscure smells like citrus, and I love, love, love it.

Comtes de Champagne smells sweet, if caught at the right time.

Molineux smells just like tea to me.

St. Cecelia is another one that I love, and I don't understand why it isn't mentioned more often. It's myrrh based, but so delicious I can't keep my nose away from it.

Tamora, another myrrh based one with fruit notes I like a lot, but strangely, found Evelyn less impressive.

I'm one of those that just doesn't "get" Gertrude Jekyll, it's mild and just okay to me. Go figure.

My rose scent perception is definitely "challenged". I just don't pick up rose fragrance as well as those from other plants.

I detect the fragrance from lilacs, Korean Spice viburnum and butterfly bushes quite easily. And consistently.

I don't think I pick up tea scent at all. Molineux has no scent. I can smell the myrrh in Scepter'd Isle and the myrrh blend of Tamora. William Shakespeare 2000 seems fragrant sometimes. Rotes Meer is probably the only rose which is consistently fragrant to me.

Strangely, I often detect a very sweet cherry kool-aid smell from Knock Out. Sheer numbers of blooms may be the key.

Gertrude Jekyll - very sweetish and smells like the tropical fruit, Lychee.

A Shropshire Lad - in autumn, the scent is very strong, pleasant and fruity in a sunny position. However, in a shady area, the scent is medium. I think this rose prefers cooler conditions - the blooms last longer that way, otherwise they would fade fast in the heat.

Sharifa Asma - I don't like this rose, sorry to say that. I prefer roses that have this arching habit or lax (ie Heritage, A Shropshire Lad). The scent is almost like Heritage, but stronger.

I had another whiff of 'Sharifa Asma'. The fragrance has matured (it wasn't as complex in the opening bloom) and now it smells amazing! I can detect the same notes that David Austin claims it has; white grape and mulberry. A wonderfully sophisticated scent.

I'm also waiting for 'Benjamin Britten' to bloom. The remaining roses in my garden are ' The Mayflower', 'Abraham Darby' and 'Crown Princess Margarita'.

Glamis Castle's scent seems to come and go. If you sniff the rose for too long, you lose it.

Crown Princess Margarita doesn't smell fruity to me at all; it smells very much like the tea fragrance I would expect of Graham Thomas, but it doesn't last long.

I agree, now that Golden Celebration has bloomed, it does smell exquisite.

Evelyn is the one that I WANT to be stronger. I have smelled another plant that I used to have and it was wonderful but I can only pick up hints of that scent on the current rose bush. Beautiful flowers though!

The Prince - smells spicy. Benjamin Britten - I can specifically pick out the whiff of pear drops! Abraham Darby has a scent that can turn unpleasant in a second.

I had the privledge this evening of taking some nice long whiffs of Constance Spry. She is 'eating' my friend's house. I brought a bloom home, at the owner's invitation and my husband said it smells 'like cream' as in lotion-y.
Not that I have a problem with citrus scent but that seems to be all I have been smelling lately. Creamy was a nice change.
By the way, which rose is often described as smelling like baby powder? That interests me too.

I always thought Mme. Isaac Pereire the strongest old rose scent, then Comte de Chambord, and then I added Yolande D'Aragon which matched Mme. I.P. This year, in his third year, William Shakespeare 2000 finally had a strong scent; and Sidonie is beating out Mme. I.P., with Duchesse de Rohan, which I don't remember being said to be that strong, equalling Sidonie.

Mr. Lincoln is one of the few H.T.s that I think has a fairly strong smell, and it is the old damask scent, although my only (non Portland damask) damask, La Ville de Bruxelles, hasn't bloomed yet, so I can't compare her. I don't remember her having a strong damask scent at all.

Others say my Enfant de France has a strong scent but not so to me. September Morn, a 1913 HT, from memory has a strong scent but hasn't bloomed yet this year.

My sole Alba, Felicite Parmentier, is fragant but doesn't match the others.

newbierosarian, I always thought you had to be right upon a rose or within close proximity to smell them. I have a good many roses in the front yard. This spring in the peak flush, i thought it was cool when the rose smell hit me when i walked out the front door and came in the house from the open windows. But after a couple of days it started making me nauseas. I hope it was just an unusual year. I think if i had to do it all over again I would just plant a couple of fragrant roses and the rest with none. I thought maybe the primary offenders were the 2 autumn damasks, but as i smelled all the roses i think they all contributed. don't get me wrong, i love the smell of roses, but it sure makes me appreciate those that either don't smell or have a faint smell.