Thank you, Diane for the article. I read it, very interesting. Soil chemistry plays a role. Here' a comment from HMF by Michael in Fremont, CA: "I should've updated my experience with Shocking Blue. It is not a strong grower and the flowers are disappointing...the scent is NOT pure lemon, only slight to moderate. I suspect that it doesn't like the alkaline soil here. I've found that my favorite roses in MA/MD smell different here, and not for the better. They have more of an anise/black licorice undertone (like Yves Piaget), although on the plus side, the fruity roses which I don't care for, smell better/sweeter. Like the rose, Secret (white shaded pink at edges) which in MA/MD had a hint of fruitiness, here is pure sweet, and one of my top all time picks for Fremont, CA - ridiculously strong grower, disease resistant, moderately shiny leaves, beautiful form & great scent. I haven't found a lavender I like as much. Memorial Day comes closest, scent is lovely, but the pale lavender (a litttle too pale for my ideal) fades to almost blush pink/white as the flower opens. On the other hand, if you like bicolors, Sheila's Perfume (yellow-peach edged pink) is my other top pick for Fremont. Also ridiculously strong grower, shiny leaves, disease resistant, great hybrid tea-like form, flowers like crazy and scent to die for. Hope that helps, take care, Mich (aka Michifur)

** I agree with Michael from Fremont. My soil is alkaline clay, and the fruit scent is very strong. So is the myrrh scent in Mary Magdalene. Early spring I put too much acid fertilizer on Mary, its frankincense scent went away. Once I scraped off the fertilizer, and watered her with my tap water, pH of 8 - her scent came back. Unforunately the scent on Jacques Cartier is mediocre in my alkaline clay, so I gave him away (he's stingy here).

Asiatic lily - the tall pink one smells good here, but not much scent for Campanula in England. Oriental lily (Stargazer) is wickedly strong, that I had to remove it from my front door. It was just too overwhelming. Hot temp. also make certain scent stronger. Niels from Denmark observed that when he visisted U.S. garden in hot summer, he was knocked off by the STRONG scent of The Prince and Jude the Obscure. Yes, at above 80's Jude Smelled GREAT at the rose park, but not this weekend at low 70's.

In contrast, my Austin Wise Portia smells good only when the temp is below 70's and damp, same with Charles Darwin and Radio Times.

We just had high 80s - low 90s days here. Sonia Rykiel was the best ever. That is my favorite when it's strong. Before it got too warm, around low to mid 80's, Memorial Day and Abraham Darby were smelling really fine. We had a little humidity too so I got a bit of wafting which I never get when humidity is low. The gardenias were fantastic in the humid evenings.

I'm a plant mover and every so often, I will have plants in 15 gallon pots. That is when I know which roses like it more acid. Some of them become much better plants when moved out of clay. There is a container soil I like to make from pumice, sand, peat and redwood compost + water retention potting soil. It lasts 6-8 mos. and the acid loving roses seem to thrive in it. The fragrance and color shifts too when they go into this soil.

Not a rose, but my Sweet Autumn Clematis is blooming down and the scent wafts around my garden when the conditions are right. Truly magnificant in full bloom!

My roses tend to be quite variable in scent depending on time of day, weather, etc. Typically I only catch them wafting in May during the peak bloom, and I have to stick my nose in the roses at other times.

Glad you liked the article, Strawberryhill.

Diane

That was an interesting article. I have noticed a change in scent as the flower ages on some roses, and other flowering plants, too.

Daisyincrete posted in the other thread that she had four Blush Noisettes that wafted like crazy when they were in pots. But now that they are in the ground, she says they rarely waft anymore.

I had something strange happen with the fragrance of one of my roses. R. foetida 'Persiana'. It caught my attention at Eurodesert for its intense yellow color. So I took a closer look and decided to sniff the flowers (had heard the scent was "unpleasant" without ever knowing what was meant by the "unpleasant" label). To my surprise it smelled of linseed oil, but I happen to like it--reminds me of healthful food. Anyway I decided to buy it . So I cut the plant back for the trip in the car and planted the rose in my yard. It soon started putting out new growth and darned if it didn't rebloom. Only trouble was the new flowers didn't smell like the first ones. There was barely a trace of the linseed oil scent but plenty of a more sweet and typical rose fragrance. Now HOW did this rose manage the scent switch? Was it the stress of moving? The different soil/water? Being cut back when in full bloom? Some combo of these? I dunno, but this year it flowered only once (as expected), and every flower smelled strongly of linseed oil. So I'm wondering how much potential roses have to change their fragrance based on what?????

Melissa

Melissa ...
I grow that rose in Washington. As you know as a once bloomer it only blooms here May & June. This year was extremely rainey and the blooms had a soft rain scent. The color was more vivid than usual.
In prior years when it's been drier we have experienced a more strong fragrance. Not a rose smell so maybe a linseed smell. Never smelled linseed before.
Just love the bush...so pioneer looking if there is such a thing. Great bloomer.Your pic is so cool. The rock in background gives it a rough look which matches the foliage and then the heart warming yellow blooms...thanks for sharing
Jeannie

Hi Melissa: I'm a sucker for deep yellow - that bush really glows, thanks for posting. Last year I bought Pat Austin as a band, the bloom reeked like tobacco. Once I put it into my alkaline clay soil, the scent improved to tea-nectarine, much more tolerable.

We have lots of rain lately - rain water is acidic at pH of 5.6 - Pat is back to the unpleasant tobacco/nectarine scent. Soil pH and chemistry plays a role in scent.