You're welcome! It's not odd that cooler zones will report more fragrance from many than warmer areas. Those in the cooler places are probably smelling them when the oils and alcohols are most volatile and smell the most. We in the warmer areas often miss out because they evaporate faster as the heat increases. Also, as aridity increases, the scents burn out faster. The various components of each rose's fragrance evaporate at different rates, so one may smell very Damask at first, quickly morphing into orris or citrus, finishing a completely different scent before losing any detectable trace for the day. Any user can access the Advanced Search, but Premium Membership permits you to specify multiple traits and types, where basic membership only provides Advanced Search using one criteria. Kim

thanks all, I didn't even think of cl. "Lady Hillingdon" and I do want the bush form of Lady Hillingdon, but for the house would prefer a more lemony hue to go against the pale gray house. I just added "Lamarque" to my order from rogue valley, yesterday, I'm getting two "Westside Road Cream Tea" rosebushes to flank the front of the pathway to my front door, they will be side by side with "Mlle. Cecille Brunner"( the smaller c. 4' tall form) with an arbor in back of these with yellow climbing roses "Marachel NIel" and "Cecline Foreestier" and French lavender on the other side of the arbor so the view from my front door will be of lavender, yellow climbers, and "Mme. Berkeley" and "Clementina Carboinieri" off to one side, where I'm planting a mandarin orange tree for evergreen winter interest. The yellow climber I'm searching for will be on this side of the house. Originally I planned for cl. "Cramoisi Superieur" but decided I love yellow roses more than red roses. I still can't decide although I'm leaning towards "Alistair Stella Gray"which I've grown before, or "Leys Perpetual" although I swore I'd never again buy a rose that I have never seen in "person". so many beautiful roses, and finite rose real estate. Lux.

What fun to see all these! Of the new introductions, I think the hybrid rugosa 'Wild Spice' rates a mention! I once had a hedge of Rosarie de l'Hay, one of my earliest to bloom, and it also had a glorious clove-spiked fragrance. Most rugosas share a unique quality to their scent. Glad to see 'Parole' on the list--a Kordes also sold as Buxom Beauty, a rose which leaped onto my wish list the first I heard of it!

Thanks for the feedback. I have had a good look on the web and have ordered some chelated iron (which also contains magnesium) and will give them a foliar spray. It seems that the worse thing to do is to be too kind to them and fertilise them. However they can suffer from iron and it seems magnesium deficiencies. Our soil is sandy and light so it is well drained. Have bought and planted some banksias from an English nursery that specialises in them (The Old Walled Garden in Kent) and they are surviving well, although one of them is looking a little yellow (*gulp*) so I'll go down the iron/magnesium and no added fertiliser route. If this works then I'll have a go at some more seeds. The mix that I started them off in was a mixture of sand, potting compost and perlite, roughly thirds. Thanks for the help and encouragement.