Fragrant Cloud, hands down. There are other enticing rose fragrances, but that one is the strongest. One bloom will perfume your living room.

I love the smell of Abraham Darby, an Austin rose but it is not as strong.

Hard to choose! I don't know who the clear winner is, but the strongest in my garden would be Fragrant Cloud, Liv Tyler and Beverly. Up there too would be Eternal Flame, Peter Mayle, Munstead Wood, Francis Dubreuil, Pope John Paul II, Chrysler Imperial, Star of the Nile and Rouge Royale.

I recently ordered Radiance and Sheila's Perfume, so looking forward to sniffing those. My Tiffany is almost three years old, and a runt that never blooms. I think I have a dud plant, and may start over fresh with a new one.

Picture is of Liv Tyler and Nicole Carol Miller

This post was edited by brittie on Fri, Sep 26, 14 at 16:21

Funny but Tiffany isn't all that fragrant for me. Just proves how subjective scent can be. My most fragrant rose is Reine des Violettes but she's really only a once bloomer in my climate so today's most fragrant rose would be the lovely Double Delight.

I have several of those mentioned - Chrysler Imperial and Double Delight, which are both always fragrant for me and Sheila's Perfume is somewhat fragrant. I think I can recall Fragrant Cloud being very fragrant, but I don't have that rose. Brittie, you stated that Francis Dubreuil is fragrant and Help Me Find says it has no fragrance. I ordered one and was disappointed when I saw that, at least that gives me hope that mine might be fragrant too. My PJPII, new to me this year is a little fragrant, so maybe it will be more so in the future. It's interesting to know which roses are the most fragrant for others.

I'm forced to grow roses that can take dry heat and can't choose them for fragrance, and without much humidity roses tend not to be as fragrant anyway. However, Bishop's Castle, Belinda's Dream, Young Lycidas, Wild Edric and La France do smell quite delicious. When Annie Laurie McDowell and Reine de Violettes are mature I hope they'll be fragrant also; so far I've only had a very few flowers from each.

Ingrid

^ That's true Ingrid, I should add a disclaimer that I live where the humidity makes the air feel like soup. Bonus to that is, the fragrance is outstanding!

Sara, either helpmefind is drunk, or they mean that the original Francis Dubreuil (no longer available?) has no scent. The FD currently sold is supposedly the hybrid tea Barcelona, and it is definitely fragrant.

Here's another "stinky" pic. Liv Tyler (pink), Fragrant Cloud (red-ish), Barbra Streisand (mauve), Big Purple (magenta). This was taken last december.

(Edited to change Purple Passion to Big Purple because I got the identity wrong- Big Purple actually isn't super smelly for me, even though it is for others. PP would be the stronger scented of the two to my nose.)

This post was edited by brittie on Fri, Sep 26, 14 at 17:09

I have double delight planted next to gold medal and gold medal wins hands down for most and best fragrance. Sheilas perfume has been ordered and I'm curious how she does.

Mine would be Memorial Day. It won me a trophy for most fragrant rose.

Ingrid - I'm glad your Belinda's Dream is fragrant for you, while I love the rose, I haven't detected much fragrance yet. Thanks Brittie for the explanation on FD, I love your Liv Tyler. Carol - I love your Memorial Day, I'm fairly certain I'm going to get that one. Fireball - I've always thought Gold Medal is a lovely rose, didn't realize it was so fragrant.

Of those currently grown here, another vote for Fragrant Cloud. Leaning in to inhale its fragrance, can literally taste as well as smell its delightful perfume from several inches away, so strong it is in this humid garden. Crimson Glory is my all time favorite for fragrance, but I've yet to persuade it to endure in several gardens...

The scent of two Belinda's Dream (new this year) reminds me of their pollen parent Tiffany. Not as strong as Tiffany, but very satisfying with the same notes.

Many of those mentioned here received the Edland or the Gamble Medals (sometimes both) for outstanding fragrance.

Agree with Memorial Day. But the rose that catches my nose is PJP 2.

There really are lots of fragrant roses for us to enjoy. I am learning more and more that even roses that I didn't think were fragrant can be at certain times. Vasue, I had a Crimson Glory a long time ago, I remember it had a wonderful fragrance, but mine was puny. I've read the climbing version is better. I also remember Mirandy as being very fragrant. Sometimes I wish I had all the really fragrant reds, just to compare, I love the fragrance of Chrysler Imperial. Susan, your PJPII roses are so lovely, I can just imagine their fragrance.

Abraham Darby and Royal Sunset (Cl.) are my strongest 'wafters'. Even thru allergies I can smell 6 ft. away.

Lagerfeld (lav) is lovely if you don't mind unruly growth. I have to be close, as with Mr. Lincoln.

Here's Evelyn not showing a button eye. Love her fragrance altho it's her beauty I truly adore.

Hansa, a rugosa, was my most fragrant rose.

It was a strong grower but finally succumbed to my lack of sun.

The fragrance was rich and wonderful.

Hi Sara ann!

Very good thread! I would vote for double delight for most fragrant rose to my nose. For a white rose--PJPII, red--mirandy although I have small bands of crimson glory and Frances dubreil and am excited to see if they have fragrance. Pink--beverly, peter mayle, and perfume delight. Orange--fragrant cloud. I don't know of a fragrant yellow interesting enough. I have also heard that madame Isaac periere is very fragrant but I haven't actually gotten to smell it but I have ordered it for spring. I'll let you know!

So many votes for Fragrant Cloud and yet I can't even smell mine! Of course it's a dismal one cane wonder struggling to survive. Maybe that's the difference.

Lux - You are quite knowledgeable of the rose fragrances. There are so many fragrances I've yet to experience, I'm sure. Eibren, I would love to experience the fragrance of Hansa. Bayourose - Yes, Double Delight and Perfume Delight both have a wonderful fragrance. I have Sunsprite, a yellow rose and sometimes it is very fragrant, also Ch-Ching. My most fragrant roses other than Tiffany are Pink Peace, Perfume Delight, Fragrant Plum, Forgotten Dreams, sometimes Bewitched, Sheila's Perfume, Big Momma, Firefighter, Francis Meilland, Chrysler Imperial, The McCartney Rose, Buxom Beauty, Meredith, Orchid Romance, Mister Lincoln, Sunsprite, Ch-Ching and sometimes Aloha. I have several others that once established I think will be more fragrant. My Old Garden Roses that I know are fragrant are Reine des Violettes, Zephirine Drouhin, Mme Isaac Pereire and Rose de Rescht.

"My father used to say that a rose without scent was useless"

I agree. Before this year all I cared about was looks, but then something "clicked" in my head. Fragrance is what makes a rose "real" to me, it's so personal. The class of roses I find by far to be the most fragrant are OGRs, most notably Bourbons and Hybrid Perpetual (haven't sniffed a once bloomer yet...). Rugosas can have delicious scent, but Reine des Violettes, Rose de Rescht, and the only HP I've smelled (Enfant de France) knock my socks off compared to any HT. Double Delight, Chrysler Imperial, Mr Lincoln etc smell delicious, bit they are not intoxicating like the Damask descended OGRs.

In the high desert of SoCal, it's been Old Fragrance, Memorial Day and Chrysler Imperial. I have many other fragrant roses but the lack of humidity here makes them had to appreciate.

I have Old Fragrance as a young plant this year (bare root)- 2nd summer. I really like it, the fragrance is just starting to develop. I'm looking forward to smelling it next year.
It's a great rose so far.
I agree with you about the lack of humidity. But then, we don't get that much disease in the drier climate. :)
Carol

My most fragrant rose could be Barbra Streisand. Or maybe pink peace. :)

In the gallery, I said I should probably add Licorice Tea to this list. Also, I was a-sniffin' this weekend, and I dare say Blessed Child is also one of my most fragrant.

Last Wednesday I visited the Antique Rose Emporium (yays!), and wow did that place smell amazing. Serious wafting, and so much of it, there was no way to find out which rose (or roses!!) were doing it. Mrs B.R. Cant is one I stuck my nose into, and it had a strong perfume. I don't grow that one though.

Barbara Streisand is so pretty and fragrant. As is Abe Darby. This thread makes me want to shop.
And Don Juan? Great fragrance.

This post was edited by susan4952 on Mon, Sep 29, 14 at 22:47

I have a tie between my two most fragrant. One day it would be the Sharifa Asma, and at other times it would be Quietness. I absolutely love the Sharifa Asma... However, she seems to loose her fragrance after opening after a day or two. The Quietness seems to hold her scent for a much longer period, both in the garden and when in a vase. I can smell Quietness at a greater distance from the plant. Love her scent as well, so I am tore to which is my favorite.

Fragrant Cloud is "lipstick red". It is wonderful to have something where you can just bring one bloom in and enjoy it.

After you smell Maria Shriver, forget trying to smell anything else in the garden. I have English and many other fragrant roses and she by far is the most fragrant rose I have ever had. And she's gorgeous to boot!

My most fragrant roses are Sharifa Asma, Jude the Obscure,and Evelyn. My Belinda`s dream does not have much fragrance nor Quietness.

Hilde. It's the only rose blooming in my garden, and this is the first time in over 2 years, it's got any scent at all.

It's hard for me to say, since very few roses I planted AREN'T fragrant. When I was selecting roses, scent was the first thing I searched, though there's a handful I picked for other reasons and which aren't particularly fragrant. Consequently, I can't easily pick "the most fragrant" out of what I grow. Every time I think "oh, this one" I realize that it was just the most recent to bloom.

What I have noticed among my pot-pet red HTs is that those I have which are descended from 'Crimson Glory' are particularly wonderful, and have only subtle variations on the same scent, which matches that of 'Crimson Glory' -- 'Big Ben', 'Chrysler Imperial', 'Heart's Desire', 'Mirandy', 'Mister Lincoln', 'Nocturne', 'Oklahoma', 'Red Masterpiece', 'Rose of Freedom' and 'Velvet Fragrance'.

'Orfeo' is a climber I have trained into a hacked-back Callery pear (and it has canes nearing 20' long going up into the tree now), and it, too, smells just like its grandparent 'Crimson Glory'. It's the only one of the "family" I have planted in the ground, with one white and one lavender-blue clematis using it as a trellis to get into the tree. I can't wait for next year -- this year, 'Orfeo' bloomed a little for the first time since I planted it last year, so I expect a show in its third year.

Of the most fragrant OGRs, I'd be naming the usual suspects as the most fragrant of what I have from their groups -- three of my Bourbons ('Mme de Sevigne', 'Mme Dore', and 'Souvenir de Victor Landeau'), six of my HPs ('Georg Arends ', "Grandmother's Hat", 'Monsieur Boncenne', 'Pierre Notting', 'Reine des Violettes' and 'Yolande d'Aragon'), both of my Damasks ('Botzaris' and 'Quatre Saisons Blanc Mousseaux'), three of my Damask Perpetuals ('Indigo', 'Rose de Rescht' and 'Rose du Roi, original'), one of the Gallicas ('Georges Vibert'), both Hybrid Chinas ('Duchesse d'Angouleme' and 'Nouveau Monde'), and, of course, 'Rosa moschata' in its single-form, as well as "Secret Garden Musk Climber" (if you count that as an OGR).

Of the Austin roses, I'd give the awards to 'Abraham Darby', 'Golden Celebration', 'Jude the Obscure', 'Prospero', 'Tamora' and 'The Prince'. That leaves 'Happy Child' as the only Austin I have which is not mentioned -- but this came as a band this year, and I've been pinching buds until recently, so can't really offer an opinion.

Interestingly, the roses whose fragrance carries the farthest (i.e. "wafters") tend to be less intensely scented up-close (except, perhaps, for 'R. moschata' and "Secret Garden Musk Climber", which succeed at both). The winners here would be mostly Multiflora-derived (and my handful of Moschata-derived): 'Bubble Bath', 'Clotilde Soupert', "Darlow's Enigma", 'Marie Pavie', 'Mlle Blanche Lafitte', 'Perle d'Or', 'Reverend Seidel', 'Rosa moschata', and "Secret Garden Musk Climber".

This was the second year in the ground for most of my roses, and already the yard was full of yummy scent in May and June. Supporting the roses was a small cast of scented Dianthus which mostly bloomed at the same time. Unfortunately, July and August here was not as knock-your-socks-off, so I have 25 each of mixed Oriental, Trumpet and Orienpet lilies coming with a bulb order in a few weeks which will perfume the yard until the roses rebound from their mid-summer sleep. And various stinky self-seeding annuals will be filling in the gaps.

:-)

~Christopher

Sorry to hear about your mother.
Mr Lincoln. I had it in a previous garden, and used to cut one to put in a vase and move it to wherever I was sitting. It is both astonishingly beautiful and has a delicious, strong scent.
Trish.

sara_ann-z6bok or anyone in cold zone 5: How's the winter survival of the roses listed: "Double Delight and Perfume Delight both have a wonderful fragrance. I have Sunsprite, a yellow rose and sometimes it is very fragrant, also Ch-Ching. My most fragrant roses other than Tiffany are Pink Peace, Perfume Delight, Fragrant Plum, Forgotten Dreams, sometimes Bewitched, Sheila's Perfume, Big Momma, Firefighter, Francis Meilland, Chrysler Imperial, The McCartney Rose, Buxom Beauty, Meredith, Orchid Romance, Mister Lincoln, Sunsprite, Ch-Ching". Thank you.

Double Delight of course, Memorial Day, Munstead Wood , Crimson Glory and Radiant Perfume to mention a few

I realize this is an old thread, and this doesn't address Straw's question, but I can't believe no one has mentioned Gertrude Jekyll. Yes, it's an Austin that seems to have fallen out of favor because of its (some years) lackluster remontancy, but I wouldn't be without it because of its intense old rose perfume. "Heady" doesn't do it justice, lol. And another one is Comte de Chambord, one of GJ's parents. It's *probably* actually Mme Boll, but whoever it really is, the fragrance is wonderful, and it's not just the bloom. The sepals have a very pronounced pine sap scent that rubs off on your fingers.

A new rose that is not only super fragrant but also a knock-'em-dead color is Brindabella Purple Prince. Mine is now in its fourth Spring, and I'm anxious to see what the scent does this year. So far, it has been getting stronger and stronger every year.

As an aside, GJ was even trialed for use as a perfume source ("Quest for the Rose", Martin and Rix). Evidently it failed not because of its perfume or lack of sufficient oils, but because of the aforesaid unpredictable re-bloom. For me, I just prune her HARD twice a year and I get a wonderful second flush, and a satisfactory Fall flush.

Aside #2: If you haven't read "Quest for the Rose", you need to. It has two pages of "oddball" roses from the garden of none other than our beloved @roseseek, Kim Rupert. They must be from his former garden in Visalia (edit:oops, Newhall), since the book is almost 30 years old. And I'm betting Kim could add to this list of highly fragrant roses.

Aside#3: @AquaEyes 7a NJ Christopher, where arrrrrrrrrrrre you? You really don't want me to have to email you and drag you here, lol. We miss you.

John

Thanks, John, that garden was i Newhall, CA. Roger's and Martyn's visit that day was a real treat! Sadly, Roger passed a few months ago. Seriously, there are more highly scented roses around today than there were twenty or even ten years ago. And, what's smells good to one nose won't necessarily smell good to another.

I own and loved reading Quest for the Rose and really wish the television series were more readily available.

I agree with John about the merits of Brindabella Purple Prince. Last year my own root plant (purchased as gallon sized) had NO fragrance at all for most of last season, and didn‘t start to produce a faint scent until its final flush in October. I almost didn’t keep it and almost threw it out several times from my garaged pot ghetto this winter. But for some reason I kept it and the fragrance has definitely been switched on. I can’t imagine it being more fragrant than it is now.

It also sported a pink version, Brindabella Pink Princess. My plant is a young cutting puchased from Hirt’s Gardens online about a month ago. It already has a heady damask and lemon fragrance:

Other favorite fragrances for me are Francis Dubreuil/Barcelona, Crimson Glory, Bolero and Sweet Spirit. And it is hard to beat the likes of Eugene de Beauharnais, Sutter’s Gold and Rosa moschata.

@roseseek Kim, I don't know what I was thinking. I *knew* that had to be the Newhall garden. Oh well...there's just too much crammed in my head, in no particular order. Heck, there's NO order, lol.