What Do Roses Actually Smell Like?
It’s come to our attention that most labels of roses are blatantly lying. They claim ‘very fragrant’ but when you actually get a whiff of that rose… nothing.
It is so disappointing to pay for something and put in the effort of planting it, only for it to not live up to its label.
Which is why we’re going to give you the lowdown on what roses actually do have incredible fragrance PLUS we describe exactly how they smell, because of course everyone has different tastes.
We’re going to give you a list of the best fragrant roses in different categories, the roses with the most powerful fragrance, which rose has our favourite fragrance (hint it’s actually not the most powerful) and point out which roses are quite weak in scent. For some people it’s actually not about the fragrance, but more the look and beauty, which is why we’re including those varieties as well.
We knew our noses alone wouldn’t suffice, so we brought in an expert.
Sonya, a certified natural skincare formulator, came with us to a rose farm in Gembrook. She is the founder of Miod Skincare that specialises in botanical, naturopath-approved skincare and body products.
They stock everything from facial cleansers to body oils to perfumes – all with the intention of creating a luxurious sensory experience. Which, of course, includes the scents. So Sonya knows her stuff. She used a rating scale out of ten to measure the strength of the fragrance for each rose.
Let’s jump right into these delicious roses.
Best Fragrant Red Roses
Mr Lincoln
Mr Lincoln is a rose both rich in colour and scent – coming in around at a 7/10. Being such a classic it is beloved by many. The scent is a rich floral with earthly tones.
This rose is quite romantic with its deep red hue and velvety petals. It’s no wonder Mr Lincoln is one of our top selling roses.
Mr Lincoln is great for mass planting, as a cut flower in bouquets and of course would look fantastic in rose and cottage gardens.
They love full sun and well-drained soil.
Oklahoma
So many people ask for red roses with beautiful fragrances so here’s another one just for you. We rate Oklahoma also at a 7/10 and Sonya describes it as having a well-rounded floral scent with earthy undertones.
It’s a beautiful rose that is a different shade of red than Mr Lincoln with dark green matte foliage.
Best Fragrant White/Cream Roses
Margaret Merril
Margaret Merril gets a good 6/10 with a sweet floral scent that has touches of lime. But did you know this rose has one multiple awards?
Yep, its won the Rome Gold Medal, the Geneva Gold Medal and the Hague and Auckland Fragrance awards. Pretty crazy right?
The blooms themselves are stunning – tall and large with prominent red stamens. They are also dainty looking and semi-double, creating a truly beautiful show in your garden.
Elina
Although Elina only gets a 5/10, its fragrance is so delicious we had to include it on this list. Sonya described the scent as a very pleasing sweetness with light floral tones.
Elina is also an award-winning rose that has many positive features such as its disease resistance, abundance of blooms, versatility in applications and toleration of many different weather conditions.
Elina’s hue is a dreamy blend of cream and soft yellow.
Pope John Paul
Another 5/10, Pope John Paul has a sweet lavender scent with mild notes of citrus. Also this rose is so elegant and beautiful that it’s grown in the Vatican’s private garden!
It has even won trophies and medals all around the world for its delicious fragrance, superior disease resistance and vigorous growth habit.
Pope John Paul is a pure white shade, making it perfect for classy style gardens such as a Green and White Garden or a Hamptons Garden.
Iceberg
This classic Melbourne rose actually gets two ratings. Sonya pointed out that a singular rose by itself is only 4/10, but when smelt together in a clump it gets 6/10. Because Iceberg flowers en mass, its more appropriate to give it a 6/10 rating.
The scent is sweet with notes of Star Jasmine. The blooms are striking white and form in tightly packed clusters, hence boosting the strength of the fragrance.
They are a thornless, hardy rose that are disease resistant and tolerant of poor soils.
Best Fragrant Gold Roses
Friesia
Friesia gets a good 6/10 rating and has a sweet touch of vanilla accompanied by subtle notes of citrus. A very delicious combination!
The roses are a strong golden-yellow hue that is instantly attention grabbing – they would be perfect for adding a pop of summery-colour to the garden. They are also double flowers, making them even more beautiful.
Friesia is an upright growing, compact bush, so its perfect for smaller sized garden.
Best Fragrant Climber Rose
Pierre de Ronsard
Pierre de Ronsard had one of Sonya’s favourite scents because of its distinctiveness and complexities. She rated it at a 5/10 and described it as having a spicy sweet ginger fragrance with floral lemony tones. Utterly divine.
Being a climber means you can get more creative in how you plant Pierre de Ronsard – cover a fence along the driveway or jazz up a pergola.
The edges of the rose are a creamy white hue that smoothly transitions into a mix of deeper and delicate pinks. Pierre de Ronsard has a long flowering season, meaning you can enjoy that divine perfume for ages.
Best Fragrant Colourful Roses
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Coconut Ice
Coconut Ice came in strong with a 7/10 and was described as a powerful floral scent mixed with strong notes of citrus.
The flowers are truly stunning – the top side of the petal is a musky pink, with the bottom of the petal being a soft white. It truly looks like one of those coconut ice slices!
Coconut Ice is a neat bush that is very resistant to disease and is one of the more modern varieties of rose.
Charles de Gaul
Charles de Gaul received a solid 6/10 rating from Sonya, and she said it’s fragrance was earthy with light undertones of lemon and Geranium.
The colour is exquisite – a romantic shade of lilac purple that would look incredible in any garden and then popped in a vase on the kitchen counter.
Charles de Gaul is perfect for mass planting in Rose and Cottage Gardens but would also quite suit the Hamptons Style Gardens.
Double Delight
Double Delight definitely earns its title with a rating of 8/10 and the perfume of a true classic rose with sweet citrus notes.
It’s also delightful in its dual hues of hot pink and creamy white, creating a striking look in the garden. Double Delight has large double blooms and even repeat flowers – so you’re getting PLENTY of fragrance with this rose.
They also don’t require much maintenance which is incredible to get such great beauty and strong perfume for little effort.
Firefighter
Sonya defined Firefighter as having a true rose fragrance, coming in at a 6/10 with the addition of earthy tones and slight Geranium notes.
A rose called this can only be a bright fire engine red shade, and that it is. Firefighter was also named to commemorate all the brave Firefighters in the world.
Being almost thornless means it’s very easy to pick and use as a cut flower, plus Firefighter is very disease resistant.
Heaven Scent
Appropriately named, Heaven Scent rates a 7/10 and has a sweet floral scent with touches of vanilla and citrus.
The flowers have a gorgeous hue of lavender pink and ruffles at the end making for a very cute look. Heaven Scent repeat flowers continually throughout the seasons.
Peace
Peace is a solid 5/10 rating with a mild fragrance that is very sweet and floral.
The blooms are a gorgeous mix of yellow, cream and pink and will even change in colour, sometimes fading to a softer hue, and producing a mix of different colours throughout the season. How exciting!
Most Powerful Fragrant Roses
Perfume Delight
Now there were actually no roses that received a 10/10 rating, but Perfume Delight came very close with a 9/10. Sonya states that the fragrance is very floral, very sweet and very powerful. So if you want a rose that is going to fill your entire garden with perfume, this is the one to pick.
Perfume Delight has large flowers of the most beautiful shade of deep pink and is a very vigorous grower. The flowers are on quite tall stems, so they are perfect for using as cut flowers.
Perfume Passion
Another 9/10, Perfume Passion’s aroma was defined as a slight citrus with strong earthy undertones. The flowers are a beautiful pink shade and grow in abundance on tall, almost thornless, stems.
Which make it another perfect choice for cutting off and bringing inside – or even making a bouquet for a loved one. Perfume Passion is hardy and disease resistant, meaning you don’t need to fuss over it.
Our Favourite Fragrant Rose
Elina
Was this what you were expecting to be our favourite rose? Now you may think it’s insane to put a 5/10 for strength of fragrance as our favourite rose.
But something we discovered on our expedition is that strength of fragrance isn’t actually the most important thing when it comes to rating roses.
What we loved about Elina is the incredible muti-layered affair of its fragrance, and the sweetness that was so captivating to the sense.
We aren’t the only ones that adore Elina, in 2006 it was inducted into the Rose Hall of Fame by the World Federation of Rose Society. Talk about being an esteemed plant!
We also can’t get enough of those stunning blooms that are the perfect size in butter soft hues of yellow and cream.
Weakest Fragrant Roses
Just Joey
1/10 is the tiny rating we’re giving Just Joey – you really had to take multiple whiffs and get up close to catch a hint of fragrance from it.
But where it lacks in scent it makes up for in beauty – the bright shade of apricot orange instantly draws the eye. The petals are also slight ruffled and fade to a lighter orange on the edges, creating more visual interest.
They are also one of the top picks for cut flowers because of how a single bloom grows on a long stem. Just Joey has a long blooming season and has great disease resistance.
So if fragrance isn’t all that important to you, this is an incredible rose to have in your garden.
Loving Memory
Loving Memory rates a bit higher with a 3/10 and a sweet floral citrus aroma.
But again, Loving Memory has other good qualities like its rich shade of crimson, its disease resistance, and its long flowering season. The way the flowers form makes this another great rose for cutting and putting in a vase.
Bonica
Dropping back down again, Bonica measures at only a 1/10 with very little smell.
Yet when you take a look at how pretty the blooms are, you can see why this rose is still quite loved. The blush pink flowers are very prolific, covering almost the entire plant.
Bonica is also a very hardy and reliable rose that forms a neat looking shrub. So Bonica isn’t a bad rose, just not the right choice if fragrance is your priority.
Tequila Sunrise
Same as Loving Memory, Tequila Sunrise comes in at a 3/10, with Sonya saying it had a light floral scent. However this flower really does look like a sunrise – with bold hues or orange, yellow and red.
If you want a pop of striking colour in the garden with little maintenance required, then this is the rose for you. It also is very healthy and has even won many awards including three gold medals!
Interesting Takeaways
As we smelt rose after rose after rose (you don’t want to know just how many roses we smelt in this 20 acre farm), something dawned on us.
Pretty much all of our favourite roses – the ones that made it onto this list – are the classic old roses. Almost none of the new breeds registered high enough on our scale or were interesting enough for us to bother writing about them.
If we were to take an educated guess, it seems that beauty has been prioritised more than scent, as it is very difficult to create a rose that is truly beautiful and has a rich powerful fragrance. But we thought it was something interesting to point out.
We hope this article has been insightful and helped you with your next rose purchase.
