Heritage is not powerfully fragrant ... it is softly and delicately fragrant. To my nose its fragrance is consistently present and always delicious. And in my garden it blooms almost non-stop spring through first deep freeze. Even a light freeze will not stop it here. Austins are not super blackspot resistant here, but my Heritage holds its own quite nicely in that regard. The blooms are a much lighter shade than Mary Rose.

Randy

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I think you should give Sharifa Asma a try. It has good health relative to most Austins, a bushy, upright habit, wonderful fragrance, and just the right color. I don't know from experience how cold-hardy it is compared to others from Austin, but I would guess that it's reasonably tough.

I would second Sharifa Asma for fragrance and pale pink coloring though in her first rainy season (okay two days of rain!) in my garden she is having a lot of trouble with rust. Prior to that, however, she was foolproof and lovely.

This is another vote for Sharifa Asma, although my experience with Austins is not very extensive (yet!). The fragrance is just amazing, to my nose; I just can't stop sniffing. Rebloom is great in my garden; even went through an early August transplanting, barely missing a beat. No sign of disease, but this is the first year. Hardiness remains to be seen, since he hasn't passed through a winter here yet.
Judith

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he hasn't passed through a winter here

*** SHE!
SHE hasn't passed through . . .
The naming rights were bought by a Saudi Princess. Sharifa Asma.

Jeri

'The Prince' is a rich dark purpley-red with a wonderful fragrance, but you may need to give it a lot of TLC in zone 5.

Sharifa A. is really fragrant, so is 'Golden Celebration'--I never pass either of those by without getting a good whiff.

Another vote here for 'Sharifa Asma'. She's a very fragrant rose by any standards, and in my experience a healthy, sturdy rose that handles less-than-perfect conditions with aplomb. I don't know about her cold tolerance either. I've grown SA in three different gardens and she's done well in all of them. She grows well on her own roots.

Melissa

...and another vote for 'Sharifa Asma'.
'Gentle Hermione' has the same look and a powerful fragrance, but flowers are bigger and fuller.

'The Ingenious Mr Fairchild' has a very strong scent, full peony flowers, in lilac pink, and arching growth.

Ciao!
Maurizio

I've had Sharifa for at least 6 years, though good winters and bad, and she is hardy. Always cane dieback, some years more than others, but she does grow right back.

My favorite light pink Austin is Brother Cadfael. He is more fragrant than Sharifa, and one of my hardiest Austins by far. Hardly any cane dieback. Reblooms big fat cupped flowers all summer.

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Brother Cadfael

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Brother Cadfael

Jeri, thanks for the correction! I never know whether to refer to a rose as a "he" or a "she" unless the name is obviously one or the other. I thought Sharifa Asma was a male. So much to learn....:)
Judith

Eglantyne has a wonderful sweet scent.

I also love Sharifa.

Bishop's Castle has wonderful fragrance, (but it's not lighter than Mary Rose.)

One more for Sharifa -- you won't know how you lived without her. She really is one you can't stop sniffing.

For the darker colored one, I'd vote for WS 2000, or maybe even the Dark Lady. WS is the healthier one for me (and always, always in bloom -- little suckers were still trying to bloom even after our first frost; they are now dormant with a bunch of buds). I've seen these WS and DL called red, but in my garden, they're both no more than a deep pink/violet purple.

My friend's son is named Sharif. It means "noble" in Egyptian. In India (I was told by my son's former college roommate, an Indian Muslim) it means "decent". "Sharifa" would be the feminine form, I guess.

Additional vote for Sharifa Asma.
For purple The Prince would be my first candidate and Prospero is the second.

I will also give Sharifa Asma an endorsement for potent fragrance and beauty, though I don't know how hardy she is. I bought this rose years ago while wandering through a nursery and smelling her from meters away. I followed my nose and Sharifa was what I found. Unfortunately the plant I bought was not vigorous and died after two seasons.

Another Austin in a pale colour that has a very potent fragrance is Saint Cecilia. She has a strong but pleasant myrrh fragrance with sweet top notes. She is a pale buff to light pink in hotter weather and blooms in flushes for me, 4 or 5 flushes a summer. Her blooms stand the summer heat well.

Since you are in zone 5, the big bonus is that she is probably the most winter hardy Austin there is, hardier than Mary Rose. I have two plants and do not winter protect them. They have survived my zone 4b/5a winters with no winter damage for the past three years. Hardy to the tips in temperatures to -31 C ( -20 F ), with added wind chill. My plants have remained at about 1 meter ( 3.25 feet ), in height. For a care free, fragrant rose in a cold climate, this one is hard to beat.

Two other very good fragrant cold climate Austins for me are St. Swithun; dies to the snow line but regrows to 6 feet each summer to cover the railing of my back deck; and Cressida.

Good Luck in Your Search,

Cheers, Rideau Rose Lad

Here is a link that might be useful: St Cecilia @ HMF

Another zone 5 vote for Sharifa--my favorite Austin. You can get lost in her fragrance. Second best here is Eglantyne. Though she doesn't have the same strength of fragrance as Sharifa, it is lovely in its own right. Both roses are vigorous and healthy.

My vote goes to Sharifa Asma as well - very lovely, strong scent, disease free, blooms all summer & fall(all though not quite as well in the really hot and humid dog days of summer) and is still blooming in November! And I'm a lazy gardener, I hate to admit, but she keeps on blooming through all my neglect!