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What are the most fragrant English roses, besides Jude?

rochesterroseman

7 years ago

I want to plant a few more Austin roses, but only the most fragrant. I already know that Jude the Obscure is a great one. What are your most favorite, knock your socks off fragrant English roses? Healthy and easy to grow is also a factor. Thank you.

Featured Answer

fragrancenutter

7 years ago

Brother Cadfael and Evelyn

Gertrude Jekyll

Young Lycidas

Munstead Wood

Windermere

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Comments (15)

Civil Servant (Zone 5)
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Gertrude Jekyll. I read yesterday it is grown for making perfumes.
rochesterroseman thanked Civil Servant (Zone 5)
KnoxRose z7
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Evelyn, Abraham Darby, & Golden Celebration have my favorite fragrance, they all have a bright & almost fruity scent. Munstead Wood & Tamora are nicely fragrant as well but they have more of a musky floral scent.
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Hi Strawberryhill, I got my Golden Borders from Eurodesert. I was actually on a quest for yellow at the time.;) Wandering through the gardens and looking for yellow roses to bring home. It was a VERY hot day as I recall--over 110 I believe with no shade. So a pretty good test to see what did well in that heat, and also who still looked yellow. I came upon Golden Border and recognized it from pictures on HMF. I'd previously searched Cliff's inventory and noted this rose but neglected to ask him about it as I assumed such a wonderful thing would be long sold. I was delighted to come upon it in his garden. Covered in bloom as is characteristic of this plant. There were 2 and I brought 1 home. Didn't take me long to realise I wanted the other! So I contacted Cliff and reserved the second. I think Hortico has or had it. I've never ordered from them so don't have an opinion on their plants. I brought home some other yellows that may also not be all that well known in North America. So I don't know that much about how they'd fare in zones other than mine. One of these is Eurostar which has about a gazillion names on HMF. Looks like an Austin and packs a powerful fragrance. The blooms are chalice-shaped and remind me of a bowl full of lemons. Gorgeous! It grows in a narrow, rigidly upright shape (perfect for the spot I had in mind). But it has one very big drawback--it is heavily armed, and I mean HEAVILY! The thorns are like harpoons.:( Thick, long, hard, and deadly sharp. They can slice through tough, reinforced rose gloves like a hot knife through butter. In order to remove it from its pot I had to tie a rope around one cane to pull it out, simply no safe spot to get a grip on with my gloved hands! But now that it is in the ground I love it. It will be staying where I put it permanently.;) The other one that not so much is known about in North American gardens is Emil Nolde. I didn't get to see it in flower at Eurodesert as it had just finished a flush when I came for yellows. I picked it from descriptions/pictures on HMF. It grows sort of low and spreading. It was pruned heavily back for its trip here and did start growing and budded up. But some creature ATE all the buds and I haven't seen its open flowers yet. I also got from Eurodesert some yellow species roses. I like all of them A LOT! Rosa foetida persiana to me is stunning. Love the globular flower shape and the intense yellow color. I even like the linseed oil fragrance, which I associate with happy horses munching a meal that includes flaxseeds warmed in hot water. This rose bloomed profusely at Eurodesert. It came into my garden and began growing right away and favored me with a second flush (surprise!) as some say it is a once-bloomer (not here!). Another is Rosa alabukensis. Cute beyond words. Single yellow fading to cream. It grows as a small rounded mound. Produces pretty red to black hips. Very prickly and suckers happily. Pretty, small, dark green foliage. It also surprised me after I planted it here with a solitary late bloom in July, so I wonder at the potential to rebloom (maybe I can do more to make it happy). Smells of linseed oil plus something sweet. One of my favorites, so I intend to encourage it to sucker and give me more pups! Supposedly from Russia, and depending on where that might mean it could handle more cold than in my area. A nursery in Canada carries it I think (Brentwood Bay). I also brought home Rosa xanthina. It is a graceful, large species with single yellow flowers. Plentiful small foliage. Melissa
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BenT where would you place your Dream Time..... I see it doesn't make any of your tiers.... I am planning on getting it from your pictures alone, but so glad it is fragrant.... however, I can only hope to smell it I have Fragrant Cloud which everybody raves about and my husband loves it.... but I can't smell it.... mine or others... it won best fragrant at our rose show... but nada for me..... I also have Double Delight which I like the scent, but it is not overly strong to me.... but others who visit say WOW..... so I think there must be something wrong with my nose.... but that being said.... Neil Diamond one of my top scented roses... I have two because the first one I thought was a dud and grew backwards... now the 2nd one is doing the same.... so sad because I just love the fragrance and the rose itself but a terrible terrible bush for me... they are declining one stick wonders. Sugar Moon a WONDERFULLY powerful rose scent... but it too has problems. I have two of these bushes because one was mismarked as PJPII. This rose isn't a one cane wonder, but it does get canker easily.... I get lots of tropical winds and the canes seem damage very EASY .... other bushes of same size not so much.... but I sure love the scent. I won't remove SM because I love her scent.... and I debate on getting ND.... but you know the saying Fool Me Once... Fool Me Twice..... but maybe I am just an addict to Neils scent, because it is SO HARD to walk by him at a nursery. Sharifa Asma is my strongest scented David Austin.... I have Jude and Evelyn though neither seem to be super strong.... Outta the Blue is my strongest scented mauve. Nahema is also one of my top contenders.
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nippstress - zone 5 Nebraska
7 years ago
For me, Sharifa Asma is exactly what roses are supposed to smell like and a powerful fragrance. William Shakespeare 2000 is nice but not nearly as strong.

Cynthia
sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
7 years ago
Sharifa Asma, Evelyn, Munstead Wood, Golden Celebration, and Abe Darby.
nanadollZ7 SWIdaho
7 years ago
Evelyn, Brother Cadfael, Munstead Wood, Eglantyne....heck, they all smell great. Diane
Dave5bWY
7 years ago
Besides Jude, Golden Celebration and Evelyn. Gentle Hermoine is strong and perfumes my garden. Some are put off my the myrrh aspect of her fragrance but it is definitely not pure myrrh - some old rose in there - I think it's nice.

I had the chance to smell Gertrude Jekyll for the first time last week. In my opinion that is the best rose fragrance. I usually go for more fruity smelling roses but GJ was fantastic. I have not put her in my garden yet d/t reports of ugly growth habit and being a stingy bloomer. But after getting a good sniff...I may have to reconsider.
rosecanadian
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Mine are Evelyn, Jude and the soft raspberry smell of The Alnwick Rose. I love raspberry smelling roses.

Carol
rochesterroseman
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks for all the suggestion. I have one more request. Is there a highly fragrant orange Austin? The Austin website is touting Lady Emma Hamilton as being highly fragrant. Is this the best, or is there a better one? I learned a l long time ago to never believe the descriptions that a seller provides. They are often highly exaggerated if not outright lies, particularly if it on a Jackson and Perkins website. thanks again.
noseometer...(7A, SZ10, Albuquerque)
7 years ago
For me, Alnwick Castle, Abraham Darby, William Shakespeare 2000. For orange, Carding Mill (but not a standard fragrance), but I'm not familiar with LEH, (or Sharifa Asma for that matter).
mustbnuts zone 9 sunset 9
7 years ago
I live in a much different zone than you. For me, Jude was an awful rose. Stingy with blooms and really didn't have much of a scent. I keep waiting to get a scent from Alnwick and I get nothing. It is making me wonder if I have the wrong rose. Since it is still a baby (I have only had him two years), he get a reprieve until next year.

Evelyn is fabulous for scent as is Munstead Wood and Princess Alexandra of Kent. My favorite has to be Brother Cadfael. Scent to die for. Beautiful rose as well. It will make you swoon. Pretty Jessica also has a great scent. Ambridge Rose has a strong scent. I didn't particularly like it but my staff loved it.
greenburgroses
7 years ago
Heritage, Tamora, and Abraham Darby are all swoon-worthy. Heritage has one of the best fragrances of all roses in my opinion.
sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
7 years ago
My LEH is still a baby but she has put out a few blooms. She is probably the best smelling orange. A little fruity. Pat Austin , Lady of Shalott arent really strong smelling. Crown Princess M smells nice but doesn't repeat bloom much here. Those are the only orange toned Austins I have.
rochesterroseman thanked sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
jjpeace (zone 5b Canada)
7 years ago
This may not be much help to you but in my garden there is a strong jasmine tea kind of smell. I had mentioned it in this forum before but most of our fellow posters said that there shouldn't be any jasmine fragrance which puzzles me a lot. I can't tell if this is from Teasing Georgia, Evelyn or Jude since I have them planted beside each other. I need to check it again this year to see which one it is. I suspect it is teasing Georgia but I am not sure. I may be going sci-fi here but could all three roses fragrances mixed together create this fragrance..lol.
rosecanadian
7 years ago
Fragrancenutter - You have captured the petal folding beauty of Evelyn so well!! I just love Evelyn - no other rose gives that look. But, all of your photos are gorgeous.

Carol

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