Hi newbie, had a Falstaff that I absolutely would not part with because the first year I had him, he had the most amazing scent of any rose. Rasberry with something else, simply amazing but years 2&3 had a faint to no scent at all. Was about to SP him until my Grandma mentioned that if you cut up white onions into slices and bury them in a circle around the rose it would make the rose smell again. Tried it, and sure enough, had a very good medium scent. Did this in the fall, tranplanted it and killed poor Falstaff. Got three more this year, hope it helps. Jimmy

PlantLady, have a look at the pics in my post in this forum... think it's the same one? Here is a link that might be useful: my pink rose

Judith: Pumice is porous volcanic rocks with neutral pH, versus red and black lava rock at high pH over 9. Pumice comes in smaller particles, and used for growing succulents with its fast drainage. Pumice is very expensive at over $25 for 3 gallons, versus I can get a 40 lb. of lava rock for $6 at Menards store. Inviting everyone to continue the discussion on soil & fertilizer & own roots in below new link, since this thread is getting too long: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6252246/tips-for-own-root-vs-grafted-roses-in-pots-longagoroses-bands#n=11

@User Thanks for the article insert. So clearly here, the author makes the error, perpetuated down the decades, of mistaking ancient bitter sepulchral 'true' Myrrh, with the sweet anise fragrance of the herb Sweet Cicely. "Love it or leave it ... Myrrh is here to stay". As we now know, it was never there in the first place!! To repeat the link to the description of the scent under the spotlight by the very 'nose' of the late David Austin himself (scroll down to the Myrrh bit) >> https://storytellergarden.co.uk/roses/how-to-smell-roses/ True resinous Myrrh, the word, is derived from the Arabic for bitter >> Murr. For those who are unfamilar with the pearls of the resin as they exude from the Commiphora bush, the solid gum can be viewed in this interesting article, which, as a potent medicine, was found to be useful during the Covid-19 pandemic. Little wonder the 3 Magi of biblical times offered this precious resin as a gift at the birth of Christ all those years ago. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9672555/#:~:text=History%20of%20Commiphora%20myrrh&text=The%20term%20“Myrrh”%20was%20coined,et%20al.%2C%202017). So what about the name Sweet Cicely, Myrrhis Odorata, which the UK foragers are calling "Garden Myrrh", and which I think is a more accurate description, if DA insist on keeping the romantic "Myrrh" tag to describe the scent profiles of their lovely roses. This article states that the word Myrrh in the case of Sweet Cicely, is a corruption of a Greek word "Myrizo" - to be seen in this link: https://www.foragingcoursecompany.co.uk/foraging-guide-sweet-cicely But "Garden Myrrh" doesn't share the same glamorised or sentimentalised cachet as the genuine article. Arguably the "Myrrh of Gardens" gives the clarity I ask for. Conclusion: Bitter Resin Myrrh and Sweet Garden Myrrh of David Austin Roses are contrasting and singular, and have been swapped around as though they are both freely transferable by many authorities over the years since the birth and launch of David Austin English Roses in 1961.