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christopher_keig

Fruity Rose Recommendations

4 years ago

Dear All,


I'm after recommendations please for roses with a strong, fruity fragrance. My favourite roses in my collection I realised all had a fruity fragrance, for example: Arthur Bell; Prima Ballerina, Grosvenor House & James L Austin. (Prima Ballerina is my favourite rose of all time).


I do enjoy roses with a non-fruity fragrance, for example the tea fragrance of Grace, however, I don't enjoy them anywhere near as the fruity kinds.


I planted a Gertrude Jekyll recently on the basis that it was supposed to be one of the best smelling roses of all time. When the first flower came in last week, I was disappointed by the fragrance and realised I should focus on the fruity.


Below is a list of roses that I'm thinking of getting based upon what I have found online. If you can perhaps add any of your own recommendations in the comments, I'd appreciate it. Alternatively, if you think I should skip a rose in my list, please say.

  1. Eustacia Yve;
  2. Lady Emma Hamilton;
  3. Jude the Obscurer;
  4. Jubilee Celebration;
  5. Evelyn;
  6. Margaret Merril;
  7. Chandos Beauty;
  8. Anna Pavlova;
  9. Millie;
  10. Belle de Jour;
  11. Benjamin Britten;
  12. Ferdinand Pichard;
  13. Secret Parfuma;
  14. Typhoo Tea;
  15. Crown Princess Margareta;
  16. Madamme Pierre Oger;
  17. Amber Queen.

Thank you so much in advance,

Chris

Comments (17)

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    From your list, I have Evelyn (12th-year own-root), Crown Princess Mag (11th-year own-root), Jude the Obscure (died 3 times as own-root in my zone 5a), Amber Queen (died after a few years in zone 5a). Here's my rating of their fruit scents:

    Jude the Obscure is #1, that's why I tried it 3 times in my zone 5a. Scent is like a guava, grapefruit and passionfruit tropical desert. So juicy and delicious.

    Evelyn is #2, amazing ripe peaches and old rose

    Amber Queen is #3, scent is just as good as Golden Cel., but Amber Queen is not zone 5 hardy. I can smell Amber Queen fruity scent 4 feet away.

    Crown Princess Mag is #4, bush is HUGE in my zone 5 .. needs lots of space. Scent is like ripe apricot.

    Also I grew Arthur Bell back in 2012, I killed it since I wasn't thrilled about its scent (mild fruity) and its lesser petals in hot weather.

    Christopher Keig thanked strawchicago z5
  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    What zone are you in? My fruitiest smelling rose I think must be Mme. Ernest Calvat, it smells like the sweet lychee jelly cups I ate in my childhood. Plus it's beautiful. I find it to be much fruitier and stronger smelling than my Jude the Obscure. Also just FYI Chandos Beauty is not easy to find.


    Christopher Keig thanked Mischievous Magpie (CO 5b)
  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Among the roses on your list I have:

    Lady. Emma:: Terrific grapefruit scent.

    Jude: wonderful mixed tropical fruits

    Jubilee Celebration: Not a rose I’d grow for fragrance

    Evelyn: great peach scent

    Chandos Beauty: very fragrant, but not fruity

    Benjamin Britten: moderate scent at best, I’d pass.

    Secret Parfuma (aka Earth Angel): very good citrus rose

    Typhoo Tea: One of the most extraordinarily scented roses, but a unique tea fragrance, not a fruit. Definitely think you should get him anyway..

    A few I think are must have fruits:

    Life Of the Party: Powerful citrus / mixed fruits

    Neptune: Everyone in my neighborhood knew her as that incredible lemon scented lavender rose.

    Sweet Delight: There are enough tropical fruit scents in a bloom to make you feel your are on vacation..

    Lavender Crush: Great lemon scent and sometimes true purple color

    Well Being: wonderful grapefruit scent

    Christopher Keig thanked BenT (NorCal 9B Sunset 14)
  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    In my garden these following roses all have a much better fruity fragrance than Eustacia Vye (EV has been a disappointment and I don't recommend it for fragrance): Lady Emma H, Crown Princess Margareta. Wonderful fragrant roses.

    Benjamin Britton and Jubilee Celebration also have nice fruity fragrances in my climate but they're a little less strong than the above two.

    You might also consider Princesse Charlene de Monaco. Fantastic fragrance! I love this rose.


    Fun in the Sun also has a lovely tropical fruit smell. It's new in my garden so I don't have good photos yet.

    Christopher Keig thanked librarian_gardner_8b_pnw
  • 4 years ago

    I dont have much to add to the information above other than to say that in my garden and to my nose, I find Jubilee Celebration to be wonderfully and strongly fragrant with a zippy, zesty lemon-raspberry fragrance. Eustacia Vye is new to my garden this season but appears to be most heavily scented in cooler temperatures.

    Christopher Keig thanked Chris Martins Zone6a Chicago
  • 4 years ago

    So weird everyone's mentioning Evelyn, mine doesn't smell anything like peaches, but then I grow it in mostly shade. It smells delicious, just not like peaches.

    I also prefer fruity roses!

    My fruitiest rose is Liv Tyler, which I bought because I smelled strong apricots walking through the nursery and I couldn't believe it was a rose!

    Also Henry Fonda is strong lemon. My new one is Sedona with strong pear scent. And Rouge Royale is raspberry, Lady Emma Hamilton hints of grapefruit.

    Also fruity are Sweet Mademoiselle, Pope John Paul II, Elle, Paradise Found and all the purples: Blue Girl, Neptune, Sterling Silver, Angel Face and Heirloom.

    Carla in Sac

    Christopher Keig thanked sautesmom Sacramento
  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    sautesmom Sacramento There are many mislabeled Evelyn, such as one that looks like Charles Austin, and another one that looks like the Wedgewood Rose. The real Evelyn cannot take partial shade (very stingy and ball up). I had to move mine from partial shade to full sun. The real Evelyn does best in full sun and can take 100 F hot summer.

    The best identification of Evelyn is is LARGE and RED thorns & intense peach scent, plus it's the only Austin that can take full sun at 100 F. Below is my 12th-year own-root Evelyn, note the large & red thorns on upper branches. On lower branches, the thorns are big & sharp & dense, but less red. Pic. taken spring 2022.




    Christopher Keig thanked strawchicago z5
  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    There are a few mislabeled Jude the Obscure (such as The Lady Gardener with little scent). The real Jude the Obscure (at rose park) knocked me over with its most intense fruity scent (better than any tropical desert).

    I grew 3 own-root Jude the Obscure for the last decade, each didn't last more than two zone 5a winters, but it was worth the delicious scent. Jude's scent is more fruity and delicious than Evelyn. My own-root Jude was a deep-cupped rose, looking like a "yellow dumpling" below left:



    Jude (grafted-on-Dr.Huey) at rose park is pure yellow & more petals like Golden Celebration, but much deeper cup like a round ball of dumpling.

    Christopher Keig thanked strawchicago z5
  • 4 years ago

    straw: Your comment on Evelyn made me stop thinking about her. I have tons of rain and lack real full sun spots in my garden. I should thank you. LOL


    Christopher: I have only Jude and EV on your list. They're both very young so nothing I can tell. Other than those, Dee-Lish has a strongest grapefruit scent I've ever smelled, and my Bolero has wonderful tropical fruit fragrance.

    Christopher Keig thanked Feiy (PNWZ8b/9a)
  • 4 years ago

    Hi Straw

    I definitely have the real Evelyn, it's 20 years old from the original Jackson Perkins, metal tag, octopus arms and all.

    It's just Sacramento 105 dry drought is not the same shade as midwest humidity.

    Carla in Sac

    Christopher Keig thanked sautesmom Sacramento
  • 4 years ago

    I’m going to second both @BenT (NorCal 9B Sunset 14) and @sautesmom Sacramento and recommend Tom Carruth’s lovely lavender ’Neptune’. If you are okay with a non remontant, then I highly, highly recommend Paul Barden’s incredible sunrise/sunset colored ‘Marianne’. I’d grow ’Marianne’ for the powerfully delicious, fruity, old rose scent alone; the frothy blooms are gorgeous! @Mischievous Magpie (CO 5b) I love lychee! You can buy those jelly cups at a local store near my house. :-) Now I so want to stick my nose into that photo of M Ernest Calvat! Carol

    Christopher Keig thanked portlandmysteryrose
  • 4 years ago

    Jude is the #1 in my garden, Follow by Lady Emma. Evelyn is first year, looking forward for it is to mature.







    Christopher Keig thanked lynne CA Zone 9B
  • 4 years ago

    IfStar of the Republic smells of a heady ripe fruit, more tropical than anything else, whereas Lavender Crush has a very Lemony fragrance. Summer Romance is pure fruit candy! I know these werent any of your choices, but I dont grow any of those.

    Christopher Keig thanked Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
  • 4 years ago

    Highly recommend Jude the Obscure if you love fruity (it’s my favorite too). Its fragrance is not only sweet lemony/citrus but SO powerful. Eustacia Vye I would classify as a moderate strength but fruity. Evelyn smells like Fruit Loops to me! Such a beautifully fragrant bloom. Another strongly fruit fragranced rose you may want to consider is Gypsy Sue. It has a fresh, sweet citrus scent which surprised me…I didn’t know it was that fragrant.


    Gypsy Sue:


    Christopher Keig thanked LauraLG Z5b-NwPA
  • 4 years ago

    Ooooo, yes, I forgot Summer Romance--smells strongly like cheap jelly beans to me!

    Carla in Sac

    Christopher Keig thanked sautesmom Sacramento
  • 4 years ago

    Hi All, thank you so much for all your comments and recommendations. I live in the Isle of Man so unfortunately can't buy a lot of the American specific roses that have been recommended but I am getting a number of the ones I can. I was hoping to reply to each comment individually to thank you but this is the only way I can do it :)