Yes.

I mean, I always go for roses that are supposed to be fragrant, I never buy the ones that say light or no scent, but I wouldn't buy one that I didn't like the look of just for the scent. I want to also love the look of the flower because I'm going to spend a lot of time, a lottttt, looking at it. There are MANY fragrant rose varieties, if it were me personally I would keep looking for a gorgeous smelling rose that also has the beauty you're looking for.

I'm pretty much like Magpie. I buy for fragrance but also look. My only exception is that i bought a couple of purples that look amazing but are not known for fragrance: Love Song, Poseidon, Quicksilver. Otherwise, it's always great fragrance and a look I love in order to make it into my garden.

YES!! Definitely.

But only if they also rebloom AND are disease resistant AND are happy staying under 5ft tall.

Fragrance is essential. Even if a rose did all those other things, if it doesn't have strong scent I don't want it in my garden.

It kind of helps me keep my compulsive rose buying in check... Somewhat!

Strong fragrance is needed and beauty....but...for one rose I would make an exception....if you love to have fragrance and this one is out of this world...yeah, I'd get it.

Not really. I love roses and mostly grow roses in my garden, but a fragrant rose covered with fungi disease or blooms with naked stems is just a painful reminder for me every time I see it.

Yes, go get Charles! He is a wonderful rose and the blooms will look different every time he blooms. He is extremely mutable, constantly ”evolving”… I hesitated for years about getting him because of so many poor to lukewarm reviews I has read but he is quickly becoming one of my favorite DAs. The scent is exquisite! To my nose, it smells like zingy sweet lemon zest with hints of brewed green tea, orange blossom and pineapple. CD is easily one of the most under appreciated and underrated Austins.

The longer that I grow roses, the more I realize that each rose has its own personality, and that there is no perfect rose. The reason I grow so many is that some have qualities that others do not. So unless this is the only rose you’ll grow, and unless you really hate the look if it, why not? I grew Jude the Obscure even though I dislike yellow, and my garden is almost entirely devoid of yellow by design, solely because of how much I loved the fragrance of Jude. However, Jude did not want to grow or bloom in my garden, and as much as I loved the fragrance, it was not enough for the 2-3 days a year I had a bloom to smell. I’ve grown roses that I was not fond of the appearance in the photos but got them for other reasons, and discovered that when they bloomed I totally loved them. The reverse has been true also, where a gorgeous rose on the page was not so lovely in the garden. You may not know until you try it. So get it. You may love it. You may hate it. you may be ambivalent. But you will learn something about yourself, that may even extend beyond just roses.

@Chris Martins Zone6a Chicago -i love your description of the fragrance. Now I wish I could find one to sniff.

Moses, I agree winter hardiness is so important.

Moses - really well thought out. Well done! :)

Chris - you really described that fragrace sooo well!! :) :)

Years ago at Lowes I sniffed a large shipment of roses . The last one in the row was my favorite. Oklahoma, I should buy it , but there are so many others that are incredible.

The more I think about that rose, I should just get it for the gorgeous unforgettable scent.

This morning I finally made buttermilk french toast with a drop of real vanilla and real maple syrup. Good smells make life beautiful. If you have room for Charles Darwin you might want to get it before it doubles in price.

berrypie - mmmm your french toast sounds delicious!!

Oh yes, definitely! It’s tough to have fragrance as a #1 factor when choosing roses living in a cold zone, but I am who I am 😋. I wasn’t a fan of Jude the Obscure’s color but when i received him as a mislable and I smelled his first bloom, i was infatuated. I ordered a second this spring. I also adore Oklahoma’s fragrance but it can’t tolerate my hard winters so I purchase it and grow it as an annual every spring. I do have a few roses that have little/no fragrance or a fragrance I don’t care for (myrrh) such as Ascot, Boscobel, Gentle Hermione, Morden Blush, and Pomponella.

I understand the feeling. I say get it! I felt that way about The Poet's Wife. I was at a local nursery with my husband, who doesn't care about roses whatsoever. He was with me near all the roses and sniffed her and instantly said, "Now THIS is a rose I can get behind!". I am not a yellow rose person (which is blasphemous being that I was raised in Texas), but I agreed her scent was incredible, and I was NOT about to turn down a chance at my husband being fine with me getting another rose! So she came home with me on July 4 of last year. I can say that, as of today, she is one of my favorite roses in my garden. She always has blooms pumping out even when my others are in between flushes, has just grown and grown--already about 3' x 4', healthy, has truly gorgeous blooms, and completely intoxicates me with her scent. ZERO REGRETS

You might be very surprised how much you end up loving it, and scent is such a big deal.

On the flip side, I've taken out some of my favorite roses because the fragrance was a huge disappointment every time I looked at them- chiefly St Swithun, one of the most gorgeous I ever had.

Laura - that's a good idea to buy roses as annuals in challenging conditions. My husband thinks I should buy some rose bushes every year that we just treat as annuals. :)

Ang - well said. :)

Berrypie - oooh!! That's beautiful!! I took out a Distant Drums at my old house...the fragrance wafted all over the yard...and I hated the strong myrrh fragrance. I had to take it out.